I need scarcely observe that the word "tyrant" was of very different signification in ancient times from that which it bears at present.
It more nearly corresponded to our word "usurper," and denoted one who, by illegitimate means, whether of art or force, had usurped the supreme authority.

A tyrant might be mild or cruel, the father of the people, or their oppressor; he still preserved the name, and it was transmitted to his children.

The merits of this race of rulers, and the unconscious benefits they produced, have not been justly appreciated, either by ancient or modern historians.

Without her tyrants, Greece might never have established her democracies.

As may be readily supposed, the man who, against powerful enemies, often from a low origin and with empoverished fortunes, had succeeded in ascending a throne, was usually possessed of no ordinary abilities.
It was almost vitally necessary for him to devote those abilities to the cause and interests of the people.