But even under the best possible administration, the city, though it will last long, will not last for ever. Eternal continuance belongs only to Ens; every thing generated must one day or other be destroyed.[258] The fatal period will at length arrive, when the breed of Guardians will degenerate. A series of changes for the worse will then commence, whereby the Platonic city will pass successively into timocracy, oligarchy, democracy, despotism. The first change will be, that the love of individual wealth and landed property will get possession of the Guardians: who, having in themselves the force of the city, will divide the territory among themselves, and reduce the other citizens to dependence and slavery.[259] They will at the same time retain a part of their former mental training. They will continue their warlike habits and drill: they will be ashamed of their wealth, and will enjoy it only in secret: they will repudiate money-getting occupations as disgraceful. They will devote themselves to the contests of war and political ambition--the rational soul becoming subordinate to the energetic and courageous.[260] The system which thus obtains footing will be analogous to the Spartan and Kretan, which have many admirers.[261] The change in individual character will correspond to this change in the city. Reason partially losing its ascendancy, while energy and appetite both gain ground--an intermediate character is formed in which energy or courage predominates. We have the haughty, domineering, contentious, man.[262] [Footnote 258: Plato, Republic, viii. p. 546 A. [Greek: genome/nô| panti\ phthora/ e)stin], &c.] [Footnote 259: Plato, Republic, vii. p. 547.] [Footnote 260: Plato, Republic, viii. pp. 547-548 D. [Greek: diaphane/staton d' e)n au)tê=| e)sti\n e(/n ti mo/non u(po\ tou= thumoeidou=s kratou=ntos--philonei/kiai kai\ philoti/miai.]] [Footnote 261: Plato, Republic, viii. p. 544 C.] [Footnote 262: Plato, Republic, viii. pp. 549-550.] [Side-note: 1. Timocracy and the timocratical individual. 2 Oligarchy, and the oligarchical individual.]