the prince-第15节

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ttle　valued　by　any　one；　thus；　with　his　liberality；　having　offended　many　and　rewarded　few；　he　is　affected　by　the　very　first　trouble　and　imperilled　by　whatever　may　be　the　first　danger；　recognizing　this　himself；　and　wishing　to　draw　back　from　it；　he　runs　at　once　into　the　reproach　of　being　miserly。

Therefore；　a　prince；　not　being　able　to　exercise　this　virtue　of　liberality　in　such　a　way　that　it　is　recognized；　except　to　his　cost；　if　he　is　wise　he　ought　not　to　fear　the　reputation　of　being　mean；　for　in　time　he　will　come　to　be　more　considered　than　if　liberal；　seeing　that　with　his　economy　his　revenues　are　enough；　that　he　can　defend　himself　against　all　attacks；　and　is　able　to　engage　in　enterprises　without　burdening　his　people；　thus　it　comes　to　pass　that　he　exercises　liberality　towards　all　from　whom　he　does　not　take；　who　are　numberless；　and　meanness　towards　those　to　whom　he　does　not　give；　who　are　few。

We　have　not　seen　great　things　done　in　our　time　except　by　those　who　have　been　considered　mean；　the　rest　have　failed。　Pope　Julius　the　Second　was　assisted　in　reaching　the　papacy　by　a　reputation　for　liberality；　yet　he　did　not　strive　afterwards　to　keep　it　up；　when　he　made　war　on　the　King　of　France；　and　he　made　many　wars　without　imposing　any　extraordinary　tax　on　his　subjects；　for　he　supplied　his　additional　expenses　out　of　his　long　thriftiness。　The　present　King　of　Spain　would　not　have　undertaken　or　conquered　in　so　many　enterprises　if　he　had　been　reputed　liberal。　A　prince；　therefore；　provided　that　he　has　not　to　rob　his　subjects；　that　he　can　defend　himself；　that　he　does　not　become　poor　and　abject；　that　he　is　not　forced　to　become　rapacious；　ought　to　hold　of　little　account　a　reputation　for　being　mean；　for　it　is　one　of　those　vices　which　will　enable　him　to　govern。

And　if　any　one　should　say：　Caesar　obtained　empire　by　liberality；　and　many　others　have　reached　the　highest　positions　by　having　been　liberal；　and　by　being　considered　so；　I　answer：　Either　you　are　a　prince　in　fact；　or　in　a　way　to　become　one。　In　the　first　case　this　liberality　is　dangerous；　in　the　second　it　is　very　necessary　to　be　considered　liberal；　and　Caesar　was　one　of　those　who　wished　to　become　pre…eminent　in　Rome；　but　if　he　had　survived　after　becoming　so；　and　had　not　moderated　his　expenses；　he　would　have　destroyed　his　government。　And　if　any　one　should　reply：　Many　have　been　princes；　and　have　done　great　things　with　armies；　who　have　been　considered　very　liberal；　I　reply：　Either　a　prince　spends　that　which　is　his　own　or　his　subjects'　or　else　that　of　others。　In　the　first　case　he　ought　to　be　sparing；　in　the　second　he　ought　not　to　neglect　any　opportunity　for　liberality。　And　to　the　prince　who　goes　forth　with　his　army；　supporting　it　by　pillage；　sack；　and　extortion；　handling　that　which　belongs　to　others；　this　liberality　is　necessary；　otherwise　he　would　not　be　followed　by　soldiers。　And　of　that　which　is　neither　yours　nor　your　subjects'　you　can　be　a　ready　giver；　as　were　Cyrus；　Caesar；　and　Alexander；　because　it　does　not　take　away　your　reputation　if　you　squander　that　of　others；　but　adds　to　it；　it　is　only　squandering　your　own　that　injures　you。

And　there　is　nothing　wastes　so　rapidly　as　liberality；　for　even　whilst　you　exercise　it　you　lose　the　power　to　do　so；　and　so　become　either　poor　or　despised；　or　else；　in　avoiding　poverty；　rapacious　and　hated。　And　a　prince　should　guard　himself；　above　all　things；　against　being　despised　and　hated；　and　liberality　leads　you　to　both。　Therefore　it　is　wiser　to　have　a　reputation　for　meanness　which　brings　reproach　without　hatred；　than　to　be　compelled　through　seeking　a　reputation　for　liberality　to　incur　a　name　for　rapacity　which　begets　reproach　with　hatred。



CHAPTER　XVII

CONCERNING　CRUELTY　AND　CLEMENCY；　AND　WHETHER　IT　IS　BETTER　TO　BE　LOVED　THAN　FEARED

Coming　now　to　the　other　qualities　mentioned　above；　I　say　that　every　prince　ought　to　desire　to　be　considered　clement　and　not　cruel。　Nevertheless　he　ought　to　take　care　not　to　misuse　this　clemency。　Cesare　Borgia　was　considered　cruel；　notwithstanding；　his　cruelty　reconciled　the　Romagna；　unified　it；　and　restored　it　to　peace　and　loyalty。　And　if　this　be　rightly　considered；　he　will　be　seen　to　have　been　much　more　merciful　than　the　Florentine　people；　who；　to　avoid　a　reputation　for　cruelty；　permitted　Pistoia　to　be　destroyed。＇*＇　Therefore　a　prince；　so　long　as　he　keeps　his　subjects　united　and　loyal；　ought　not　to　mind　the　reproach　of　cruelty；　because　with　a　few　examples　he　will　be　more　merciful　than　those　who；　through　too　much　mercy；　allow　disorders　to　arise；　from　which　follow　murders　or　robberies；　for　these　are　wont　to　injure　the　whole　people；　whilst　those　executions　which　originate　with　a　prince　offend　the　individual　only。

＇*＇　During　the　rioting　between　the　Cancellieri　and　Panciatichi　　　　　factions　in　1502　and　1503。

And　of　all　princes；　it　is　impossible　for　the　new　prince　to　avoid　the　imputation　of　cruelty；　owing　to　new　states　being　full　of　dangers。　Hence　Virgil；　through　the　mouth　of　Dido；　excuses　the　inhumanity　of　her　reign　owing　to　its　being　new；　saying：

　　〃Res　dura；　et　regni　novitas　me　talia　cogunt　　　Moliri；　et　late　fines　custode　tueri。〃＇*＇

Nevertheless　he　ought　to　be　slow　to　believe　and　to　act；　nor　should　he　himself　show　fear；　but　proceed　in　a　temperate　manner　with　prudence　and　humanity；　so　that　too　much　confidence　may　not　make　him　incautious　and　too　much　distrust　render　him　intolerable。

＇*＇　。　。　。　against　my　will；　my　fate　A　throne　unsettled；　and　an　infant　state；　Bid　me　defend　my　realms　with　all　my　pow'rs；　And　guard　with　these　severities　my　shores。

Christopher　Pitt。


Upon　this　a　question　arises：　whether　it　be　better　to　be　loved　than　feared　or　feared　than　loved？　It　may　be　answered　that　one　should　wish　to　be　both；　but；　because　it　is　difficult　to　unite　them　in　one　person；　it　is　much　safer　to　be　feared　than　loved；　when；　of　the　two；　either　must　be　dispensed　with。　Because　this　is　to　be　asserted　in　general　of　men；　that　they　are　ungrateful；　fickle；　false；　cowardly；　covetous；　and　as　long　as　you　succeed　they　are　yours　entirely；　they　will　offer　you　their　blood；　property；　life；　and　children；　as　is　said　above；　when　the　need　is　far　distant；　but　when　it　approaches　they　turn　against　you。　And　that　prince　who；　relying　entirely　on　their　promises；　has　neglected　other　precautions；　is　ruined；　because　friendships　that　are　obtained　by　payments；　and　not　by　greatness　or　nobility　of　mind；　may　indeed　be　earned；　but　they　are　not　secured；　and　in　time　of　need　cannot　be　relied　upon；　and　men　have　less　scruple　in　offending　one　who　is　beloved　than　one　who　is　feared；　for　love　is　preserved　by　the　link　of　obligation　which；　owing　to　the　baseness　of　men；　is　broken　at　every　opportunity　for　their　advantage；　but　fear　preserves　you　by　a　dread　of　punishment　which　never　fails。

Nevertheless　a　prince　ought　to　inspire　fear　in　such　a　way　that；　if　he　does　not　win　love；　he　avoids　hatred；　because　he　can　endure　very　well　being　feared　whilst　he　is　not　hated；　which　will　always　be　as　long　as　he　abstains　from　the　property　of　his　citizens　and　subjects　and　from　their　women。　But　when　it　is　necessary　for　him　to　proceed　against　the　life　of　someone；　he　must　do　it　on　proper　justification　and　for　manifest　cause；　but　above　all　things　he　must　keep　his　hands　off　the　property　of　others；　because　men　more　quickly　forget　the　death　of　their　father　than　the　loss　of　their　patrimony。　Besides；　pretexts　for　taking　away　the　property　are　never　wanting；　for　he　who　has　once　begun　to　live　by　robbery　will　always　find　pretexts　for　seizing　what　belongs　to　others；　but　reasons　for　taking　life；　on　the　contrary；　are　more　difficult　to　find　and　sooner　lapse。　But　when　a　prince　is　with　his　army；　and　has　under　control　a　multitude　of　soldiers；　then　it　is　quite　necessary　for　him　to　disregard　the　reputation　of　cruelty；　for　without　it　he　would　never　hold　his　army　united　or　disposed　to　its　duties。

Among　the　wonderful　deeds　of　Hannibal　this　one　is　enumerated：　that　having　led　an　enormous　army；　composed　of　many　various　races　of　men；　to　fight　in　foreign　lands；　no　dissensions　arose　either　among　them　or　against　the　prince；　whether　in　his　bad　or　in　his　good　fortune。　This　arose　from　nothing　else　than　his　inhuman　cruelty；　which；　with　his　boundless　valour；　made　him　revered　and　terrible　in　the　sight　of　his　soldiers；　but　without　that　cruelty；　his　other　virtues　were　not　sufficient　to　produce　this　effect。　And　short…sighted　writers　admire　his　deeds　from　one　point　of　view　and　from　another　condemn　the　principal　cause　of　them。　That　it　is　true　his　other　virtues　would　not　have　been　sufficient　for　him　may　be　proved　by　the　case　of　Scipio；　that　most　excellent　man；　not　only　of　his　own　times　but　within　the　memory　of　man；　against　whom；　nevertheless；　his　army　rebelled　in　Spain；　this　arose　from　nothing　but　his　too　great　forbearance；　which　gave　his　soldiers　more　license　than　is　consistent　with　military　discipline。　For　this　he　was　upbraided　in　the　Senate　by　Fabius　Maximus；　and　called　the　corrupter　of　the　Roman　soldiery。　The　Locrians　were　laid　waste　by　a　legate　of　Scipio；　yet　they　were　not　avenged　by　him；　nor　was　the　insolence　of　the　legate　punished；　owing　entirely　to　his　easy　nature。　Insomuch　that　someone　in　the　Senate；　wishing　to　excuse　him；　said　there　were　many　men　who　knew　much　better　how　not　to　err　than　to　correct　the　errors　of　others。　Th