君主论-the prince(英文版)-第15节
按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
use thereare none of those difficulties in it that are met with in new ones; foralthough the prince is new; the constitution of the state is old; and itis framed so as to receive him as if he were its hereditary lord。But returning to the subject of our discourse; I say that whoever willconsider it will acknowledge that either hatred or contempt has beenfatal to the above…named emperors; and it will be recognized also how ithappened that; a number of them acting in one way and a number inanother; only one in each way came to a happy end and the rest tounhappy ones。 Because it would have been useless and dangerous forPertinax and Alexander; being new princes; to imitate Marcus; who washeir to the principality; and likewise it would have been utterlydestructive to Caracalla; modus; and Maximinus to have imitatedSeverus; they not having sufficient valour to enable them to tread inhis footsteps。 Therefore a prince; new to the principality; cannotimitate the actions of Marcus; nor; again; is it necessary to followthose of Severus; but he ought to take from Severus those parts whichare necessary to found his state; and from Marcus those which are properand glorious to keep a state that may already be stable and firm。CHAPTER XXARE FORTRESSES; AND MANY OTHER THINGS TO WHICH PRINCES OFTEN RESORT;ADVANTAGEOUS OR HURTFUL?1。 SOME princes; so as to hold securely the state; have disarmed theirsubjects; others have kept their subject towns by factions; others havefostered enmities against themselves; others have laid themselves out togain over those whom they distrusted in the beginning of theirgovernments; some have built fortresses; some have overthrown anddestroyed them。 And although one cannot give a final judgment on all oneof these things unless one possesses the particulars of those states inwhich a decision has to be made; nevertheless I will speak asprehensively as the matter of itself will admit。2。 There never was a new prince who has disarmed his subjects; ratherwhen he has found them disarmed he has always armed them; because; byarming them; those arms bee yours; those men who were distrustedbee faithful; and those who were faithful are kept so; and yoursubjects bee your adherents。 And whereas all subjects cannot bearmed; yet when those whom you do arm are benefited; the others can behandled more freely; and this difference in their treatment; akes the former your dependants; and the latter;considering it to be necessary that those who have the most danger andservice should have the most reward; excuse you。 But when you disarmthem; you at once offend them by showing that you distrust them; eitherfor cowardice or for want of loyalty; and either of these opinionsbreeds hatred against you。 And because you cannot remain unarmed; itfollows that you turn to mercenaries; which are of the character alreadyshown; even if they should be good they would not be sufficient todefend you against powerful enemies and distrusted subjects。 Therefore;as I have said; a new prince in a new principality has alwaysdistributed arms。 Histories are full of examples。 But when a princeacquires a new state; which he adds as a province to his old one; thenit is necessary to disarm the men of that state; except those who havebeen his adherents in acquiring it; and these again; with time andopportunity; should be rendered soft and effeminate; and matters shouldbe managed in such a way that all the armed men in the state shall beyour own soldiers who in your old state were living near you。3。 Our forefathers; and those who were reckoned wise; were accustomed tosay that it was necessary to hold Pistoia by factions and Pisa byfortresses; and with this idea they fostered quarrels in some of theirtributary towns so as to keep possession of them the more easily。 Thismay have been well enough in those times when Italy was in a waybalanced; but I do not believe that it can be accepted as a precept forto…day; because I do not believe that factions can ever be of use;rather it is certain that when the enemy es upon you in dividedcities you are quickly lost; because the weakest party will alwaysassist the outside forces and the other will not be able to resist。 TheVeians; moved; as I believe; by the above reasons; fostered theGuelph and Ghibelline factions in their tributary cities; and althoughthey never allowed them to e to bloodshed; yet they nursed thesedisputes amongst them; so that the citizens; distracted by theirdifferences; should not unite against them。 Which; as we saw; did notafterwards turn out as expected; because; after the rout at Vaila; oneparty at once took courage and seized the state。 Such methods argue;therefore; weakness in the prince; because these factions will never bepermitted in a vigorous principality; such methods for enabling one themore easily to manage subjects are only useful in times of peace; but ifwar es this policy proves fallacious。4。 Without doubt princes bee great when they overe thedifficulties and obstacles by which they are confronted; and thereforefortune; especially when she desires to make a new prince great; who hasa greater necessity to earn renown than an hereditary one; causesenemies to arise and form designs against him; in order that he may havethe opportunity of overing them; and by them to mount higher; as by aladder which his enemies have raised。 For this reason many consider thata wise prince; when he has the opportunity; ought with craft to fostersome animosity against himself; so that; having crushed it; his renownmay rise higher。5。 Princes; especially new ones; have found more fidelity and assistancein those men who in the beginning of their rule were distrusted thanamong those who in the beginning were trusted。 Pandolfo Petrucci; Princeof Siena; ruled his state more by those who had been distrusted than byothers。 But on this question one cannot speak generally; for it variesso much with the individual; I will only say this; that those men who atthe mencement of a princedom have been hostile; if they are of adescription to need assistance to support themselves; can always begained over with the greatest ease; and they will be tightly held toserve the prince with fidelity; inasmuch as they know it to be verynecessary for them to cancel by deeds the bad impression which he hadformed of them; and thus the prince always extracts more profit fromthem than from those who; serving him in too much security; may neglecthis affairs。 And since the matter demands it; I must not fail to warn aprince; who by means of secret favours has acquired a new state; that hemust well consider the reasons which induced those to favour him who didso; and if it be not a natural affection towards him; but onlydiscontent with their government; then he will only keep them friendlywith great trouble and difficulty; for it will be impossible to satisfythem。 And weighing well the reasons for this in those examples which canbe taken from ancient and modern affairs; we shall find that it iseasier for the prince to make friends of those men who were contentedunder the former government; and are therefore his enemies; than ofthose who; being discontented with it; were favourable to him andencouraged him to seize it。6。 It has been a custom with princes; in order to hold their states moresecurely; to build fortresses that may serve as a bridle and bit tothose who might design to work against them; and as a place of refugefrom a first attack。 I praise this system because it has been made useof formerly。 Notwithstanding that; Messer Nicolo Vitelli in our timeshas been seen to demolish two fortresses in Citta di Castello so that hemight keep that state; Guidubaldo; Duke of Urbino; on returning to hisdominion; whence he had been driven by Cesare Borgia; razed to thefoundations all the fortresses in that province; and considered thatwithout them it would be more difficult to lose it; the Bentivoglioreturning to Bologna came to a similar decision。 Fortresses; therefore;are useful or not according to circumstances; if they do you good in oneway they injure you in another。 And this question can be reasoned thus:the prince who has more to fear from the people than from foreignersought to build fortresses; but he who has more to fear from foreignersthan from the people ought to leave them alone。 The castle of Milan;built by Francesco Sforza; has made; and will make; more trouble for thehouse of Sforza than any other disorder in the state。 For this reasonthe best possible fortress is …… not to be hated by the people; because;although you may hold the fortresses; yet they will not save you if thepeople hate you; for there will never be wanting foreigners to assist apeople who have taken arms against you。 It has not been seen in ourtimes that such fortresses have been of use to any prince; unless to theCountess of Forli; when the Count Girolamo; her consort; was killed; forby that means she was able to withstand the popular attack and wait forassistance from Milan; and thus recover her state; and the posture ofaffairs was such at that time that the foreigners could not assist thepeople。 But fortresses were of little value to her afterwards whenCesare Borgia attacked her; and when the people; her enemy; were alliedwith foreigners。 Therefore it would have been safer for her; both