Now there are two classes of men, both of them wielding large powers
over others, whose characters have been sharply contrasted by many
writers. The kingly type is found in noblemen, at any rate of the old
school, mediæval knights, landed proprietors and officers of the army
and navy; the same traditions hold good in the upper ranks, at least,
of the civil service and among the professional classes. The relations
between these lords and the people committed to their charge, whether
subjects, tenants or employés, are usually good, and friction rarely
arises unless the subject class is of an alien race. These kings or
lords have usually been able to retain for generations the respect of
their subjects, often to inspire very great love and devotion.
On the other hand the leader, whose claim to his position rests only
upon wealth or the power to create wealth, is often even extravagantly
generous, and has usually ingratiating manners, which are in sharp
distinction from the _hauteur_ which is more characteristic of the
lord; yet he rarely makes himself loved or even liked by those
dependent on him, even though his actions be kind and his judgments
just. This contrast has furnished a theme to many writers, and has
been ably summarised by Ure,[369] who quotes in support pregnant
passages from the works of H. G. Wells[370] and William James.[371]
Such differences, Ure thinks, distinguished the king from the tyrant,
and the same contrast, I would suggest, held good between the “Achæan”
heroes and the rulers of the Minoan cities.
We have seen reason for believing that the population of the Minoan
cities of Greece consisted of Mediterraneans and perhaps some few
Alpines, under the rule of a Prospector tyrant. The latter’s rule was
possibly just, he made money for his city, but most of all for himself,
and, in spite of occasional fits of lavish generosity, he would not
have been popular. He was engaged in exploiting the proletariat, and
they were fully conscious of the fact. Though his manner was outwardly
ingratiating, he was distrusted by his subjects, who felt that they
were but pawns in his game. Thus the sword swayed over his head as over
that of Damocles, held only by a slender thread; revolutions or rumours
of revolutions were of constant occurrence, and the tyrant, intent on
money making, had little leisure or inclination, even if he had the
capacity, for maintaining order or of inspiring loyalty in the hearts
of his subjects.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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