There must be some body of men whose duty is to prepare measures for the people in order that they may not be diverted from their business
 Aristotle, Politics (4th century BC). copy citation

add
Author Aristotle
Source Politics
Topic duty business
Date 4th century BC
Language English
Reference
Note Translated by Benjamin Jowett
Weblink http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/politics.html

Context

“For in some states it may be convenient that the same office should have a more extensive, in other states a narrower sphere. Special offices are peculiar to certain forms of government: for example that of probuli, which is not a democratic office, although a bule or council is. There must be some body of men whose duty is to prepare measures for the people in order that they may not be diverted from their business; when these are few in number, the state inclines to an oligarchy: or rather the probuli must always be few, and are therefore an oligarchical element. But when both institutions exist in a state, the probuli are a check on the council;” source