The use of the modern words tyrant, tyranny, tyrannical, has been as vague as that of most other political terms. The term tyrant is properly limited to the government of one man who is sovereign, and the popular application of the term expresses disapprobation of his conduct, Aristotle's definition of tyranny would apply well enough to a modern tyrant : he Is a sovereign who looks only to his own interest, or what he considers his own interest, and cares not what he does in order to accomplish his objects. But if he were a wise sovereign, and administered the state solely with a view to his real interest, that would be found in the main to coincide with the interest of the people, and lie would not be called a tyrant, though perhaps he would come within Aristotle's definition. But Aristotle's language, though apparently precise, ie not so, and he means by a tyrant administering the state for his own Interest, that he also administers it to the detri ment of the people. The word tyrannical is now often applied to acts of governments which are not monarchies; but this is an improper use of the word. We may say that the laws enacted by the sovereign
power in Great Britain are sometimes impolitic, unwise, or injurious to the state generally; they may also be sometimes called oppressive; but they cannot with propriety be called tyrannical, though such an expression may be and often Is used in the vulgar sense of character ising a law which for some reason the person who uses the term does net like.
Confusion in the use of political terms, which is an index of con fusion of thought, leads to absurdity in conduct. It is therefore a matter of some moment to clear up such confusion, which all people should try to do who presume to speak or write on matters political. A careful perusal of the following articles in this work, even if they should not be quite free from error, will put a man in the way of coming to right notions as to the meaning of ARISTOCRACY, CONSTITU TION, DEMOCRACY, KING, LAW, MONAIICII, REPUBLIC, SOVEREIONTY.