[-37-] “Your spirit, then, because you have no desire for anything more than you possess, ought to be most peaceful, whereas your equipment should be most warlike, in order that no one ordinarily may either wish or try to harm you, but if he should, that he may be punished easily and instantly.  For these and other reasons it is requisite for some persons to keep their ears and eyes open to everything appertaining to your position of authority, in order that you may not fail to notice anything which needs guarding against or setting right.  Remember, however, that you must not trust merely to all they say, but investigate their words carefully.  There are many who, some through hatred of certain persons, others out of desire for what they possess, or as a favor to some one, or because they ask money and do not receive it, oppress others under the pretext that the latter are rebellious or are guilty of harboring some design or uttering some statement against the supreme ruler.  Therefore it is not right to pay immediate or ready attention to them, but to enquire into absolutely everything.  If you are slow in believing anybody, you will suffer no great harm, but if you are hasty, you may make a mistake which can not easily be repaired.

“Now it is both right and necessary for you to honor the excellent both among the freedmen and among the rest of your associates.  This will afford you great renown and security.  They must, however not have any extraordinary powers but all carefully moderate their conduct, that so you may not be ill spoken of through them.  For everything they do, whether well or ill, will be accredited to you, and the estimate of yourself to be made by all men will depend upon what you permit these persons to do.

“Do not, then, allow the influential either to make unjust gains or to concern themselves with blackmail:  and let no one be complained of for ‘having influence’, even if he is otherwise irreproachable.  Defend the masses vigorously when they are wronged and do not attend too easily to accusations against them.  Examine every deed on its merits, not being suspicious of every one who is prominent nor believing every one who is lower in the social scale.  Those who are active and are the authors of any useful device you must honor, but the idle or such as busy themselves with petty foolishness you must hate.  Thus your subjects will be inclined to the former conduct because of the benefits attached and will refrain from the latter on account of the penalties, and will become better as individuals and more serviceable for your employment in the public service.