"If we must have a tyrant, let him at least be a gentleman who has been bred to the business, and let us fall by the axe and not by the butcher's cleaver"

This quote by Lord Byron talks to the concept that even if a society should have a tyrant, it must a minimum of be somebody who is qualified and experienced in the function. He is suggesting that the tyrant ought to be someone who has been trained and educated in the art of judgment, rather than someone who is simply a brute force. He is also recommending that the autocrat ought to use a more gentle method of punishment, such as the axe, rather than a more barbaric method, such as the butcher's cleaver. This quote speaks with the idea that even if a society need to have a tyrant, it ought to be somebody who is certified and experienced in the function, and that the penalties should be gentle and not barbaric. Lord Byron is recommending that a society must strive for a more civilized form of federal government, even if it must have an autocrat. He is advocating for a more gentle kind of government, where the punishments are not overly harsh and the ruler is informed and experienced in the function.