His views of language and number are derived from Plato; like him he denounces the drama.

He also declares that if his life were to be twice as long he would have no time to read the lyric poets.

The picture of democracy is translated by him word for word, though he had hardly shown himself able to 'carry the jest' of Plato.

He converts into a stately sentence the humorous fancy about the animals, who 'are so imbued with the spirit of democracy that they make the passers-by get out of their way.' His description of the tyrant is imitated from Plato, but is far inferior.

The second book is historical, and claims for the Roman constitution (which is to him the ideal) a foundation of fact such as Plato probably intended to have given to the Republic in the Critias.