Chapter 7. The First Mark of Tyranny: Violent Seizure of Power

¹ Hear, then, the marks that distinguish tyranny from kingship. First, the tyrant forces his way into power. He does not receive the reins of rule from the hands of his fellow citizens, but seizes them himself, through slaughter and bloodshed—such are the very opening acts of tyranny, and from its beginning it is sprinkled with blood in just this way.