the prince-第18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！


e　honest　life　to　which　Pertinax　wished　to　reduce　them；　thus；　having　given　cause　for　hatred；　to　which　hatred　there　was　added　contempt　for　his　old　age；　he　was　overthrown　at　the　very　beginning　of　his　administration。　And　here　it　should　be　noted　that　hatred　is　acquired　as　much　by　good　works　as　by　bad　ones；　therefore；　as　I　said　before；　a　prince　wishing　to　keep　his　state　is　very　often　forced　to　do　evil；　for　when　that　body　is　corrupt　whom　you　think　you　have　need　of　to　maintain　yourselfit　may　be　either　the　people　or　the　soldiers　or　the　noblesyou　have　to　submit　to　its　humours　and　to　gratify　them；　and　then　good　works　will　do　you　harm。

But　let　us　come　to　Alexander；　who　was　a　man　of　such　great　goodness；　that　among　the　other　praises　which　are　accorded　him　is　this；　that　in　the　fourteen　years　he　held　the　empire　no　one　was　ever　put　to　death　by　him　unjudged；　nevertheless；　being　considered　effeminate　and　a　man　who　allowed　himself　to　be　governed　by　his　mother；　he　became　despised；　the　army　conspired　against　him；　and　murdered　him。

Turning　now　to　the　opposite　characters　of　Commodus；　Severus；　Antoninus　Caracalla；　and　Maximinus；　you　will　find　them　all　cruel　and　rapacious　men　who；　to　satisfy　their　soldiers；　did　not　hesitate　to　commit　every　kind　of　iniquity　against　the　people；　and　all；　except　Severus；　came　to　a　bad　end；　but　in　Severus　there　was　so　much　valour　that；　keeping　the　soldiers　friendly；　although　the　people　were　oppressed　by　him；　he　reigned　successfully；　for　his　valour　made　him　so　much　admired　in　the　sight　of　the　soldiers　and　people　that　the　latter　were　kept　in　a　way　astonished　and　awed　and　the　former　respectful　and　satisfied。　And　because　the　actions　of　this　man；　as　a　new　prince；　were　great；　I　wish　to　show　briefly　that　he　knew　well　how　to　counterfeit　the　fox　and　the　lion；　which　natures；　as　I　said　above；　it　is　necessary　for　a　prince　to　imitate。

Knowing　the　sloth　of　the　Emperor　Julian；　he　persuaded　the　army　in　Sclavonia；　of　which　he　was　captain；　that　it　would　be　right　to　go　to　Rome　and　avenge　the　death　of　Pertinax；　who　had　been　killed　by　the　praetorian　soldiers；　and　under　this　pretext；　without　appearing　to　aspire　to　the　throne；　he　moved　the　army　on　Rome；　and　reached　Italy　before　it　was　known　that　he　had　started。　On　his　arrival　at　Rome；　the　Senate；　through　fear；　elected　him　emperor　and　killed　Julian。　After　this　there　remained　for　Severus；　who　wished　to　make　himself　master　of　the　whole　empire；　two　difficulties；　one　in　Asia；　where　Niger；　head　of　the　Asiatic　army；　had　caused　himself　to　be　proclaimed　emperor；　the　other　in　the　west　where　Albinus　was；　who　also　aspired　to　the　throne。　And　as　he　considered　it　dangerous　to　declare　himself　hostile　to　both；　he　decided　to　attack　Niger　and　to　deceive　Albinus。　To　the　latter　he　wrote　that；　being　elected　emperor　by　the　Senate；　he　was　willing　to　share　that　dignity　with　him　and　sent　him　the　title　of　Caesar；　and；　moreover；　that　the　Senate　had　made　Albinus　his　colleague；　which　things　were　accepted　by　Albinus　as　true。　But　after　Severus　had　conquered　and　killed　Niger；　and　settled　oriental　affairs；　he　returned　to　Rome　and　complained　to　the　Senate　that　Albinus；　little　recognizing　the　benefits　that　he　had　received　from　him；　had　by　treachery　sought　to　murder　him；　and　for　this　ingratitude　he　was　compelled　to　punish　him。　Afterwards　he　sought　him　out　in　France；　and　took　from　him　his　government　and　life。　He　who　will；　therefore；　carefully　examine　the　actions　of　this　man　will　find　him　a　most　valiant　lion　and　a　most　cunning　fox；　he　will　find　him　feared　and　respected　by　every　one；　and　not　hated　by　the　army；　and　it　need　not　be　wondered　at　that　he；　a　new　man；　was　able　to　hold　the　empire　so　well；　because　his　supreme　renown　always　protected　him　from　that　hatred　which　the　people　might　have　conceived　against　him　for　his　violence。

But　his　son　Antoninus　was　a　most　eminent　man；　and　had　very　excellent　qualities；　which　made　him　admirable　in　the　sight　of　the　people　and　acceptable　to　the　soldiers；　for　he　was　a　warlike　man；　most　enduring　of　fatigue；　a　despiser　of　all　delicate　food　and　other　luxuries；　which　caused　him　to　be　beloved　by　the　armies。　Nevertheless；　his　ferocity　and　cruelties　were　so　great　and　so　unheard　of　that；　after　endless　single　murders；　he　killed　a　large　number　of　the　people　of　Rome　and　all　those　of　Alexandria。　He　became　hated　by　the　whole　world；　and　also　feared　by　those　he　had　around　him；　to　such　an　extent　that　he　was　murdered　in　the　midst　of　his　army　by　a　centurion。　And　here　it　must　be　noted　that　such…　like　deaths；　which　are　deliberately　inflicted　with　a　resolved　and　desperate　courage；　cannot　be　avoided　by　princes；　because　any　one　who　does　not　fear　to　die　can　inflict　them；　but　a　prince　may　fear　them　the　less　because　they　are　very　rare；　he　has　only　to　be　careful　not　to　do　any　grave　injury　to　those　whom　he　employs　or　has　around　him　in　the　service　of　the　state。　Antoninus　had　not　taken　this　care；　but　had　contumeliously　killed　a　brother　of　that　centurion；　whom　also　he　daily　threatened；　yet　retained　in　his　bodyguard；　which；　as　it　turned　out；　was　a　rash　thing　to　do；　and　proved　the　emperor's　ruin。

But　let　us　come　to　Commodus；　to　whom　it　should　have　been　very　easy　to　hold　the　empire；　for；　being　the　son　of　Marcus；　he　had　inherited　it；　and　he　had　only　to　follow　in　the　footsteps　of　his　father　to　please　his　people　and　soldiers；　but；　being　by　nature　cruel　and　brutal；　he　gave　himself　up　to　amusing　the　soldiers　and　corrupting　them；　so　that　he　might　indulge　his　rapacity　upon　the　people；　on　the　other　hand；　not　maintaining　his　dignity；　often　descending　to　the　theatre　to　compete　with　gladiators；　and　doing　other　vile　things；　little　worthy　of　the　imperial　majesty；　he　fell　into　contempt　with　the　soldiers；　and　being　hated　by　one　party　and　despised　by　the　other；　he　was　conspired　against　and　was　killed。

It　remains　to　discuss　the　character　of　Maximinus。　He　was　a　very　warlike　man；　and　the　armies；　being　disgusted　with　the　effeminacy　of　Alexander；　of　whom　I　have　already　spoken；　killed　him　and　elected　Maximinus　to　the　throne。　This　he　did　not　possess　for　long；　for　two　things　made　him　hated　and　despised；　the　one；　his　having　kept　sheep　in　Thrace；　which　brought　him　into　contempt　（it　being　well　known　to　all；　and　considered　a　great　indignity　by　every　one）；　and　the　other；　his　having　at　the　accession　to　his　dominions　deferred　going　to　Rome　and　taking　possession　of　the　imperial　seat；　he　had　also　gained　a　reputation　for　the　utmost　ferocity　by　having；　through　his　prefects　in　Rome　and　elsewhere　in　the　empire；　practised　many　cruelties；　so　that　the　whole　world　was　moved　to　anger　at　the　meanness　of　his　birth　and　to　fear　at　his　barbarity。　First　Africa　rebelled；　then　the　Senate　with　all　the　people　of　Rome；　and　all　Italy　conspired　against　him；　to　which　may　be　added　his　own　army；　this　latter；　besieging　Aquileia　and　meeting　with　difficulties　in　taking　it；　were　disgusted　with　his　cruelties；　and　fearing　him　less　when　they　found　so　many　against　him；　murdered　him。

I　do　not　wish　to　discuss　Heliogabalus；　Macrinus；　or　Julian；　who；　being　thoroughly　contemptible；　were　quickly　wiped　out；　but　I　will　bring　this　discourse　to　a　conclusion　by　saying　that　princes　in　our　times　have　this　difficulty　of　giving　inordinate　satisfaction　to　their　soldiers　in　a　far　less　degree；　because；　notwithstanding　one　has　to　give　them　some　indulgence；　that　is　soon　done；　none　of　these　princes　have　armies　that　are　veterans　in　the　governance　and　administration　of　provinces；　as　were　the　armies　of　the　Roman　Empire；　and　whereas　it　was　then　more　necessary　to　give　satisfaction　to　the　soldiers　than　to　the　people；　it　is　now　more　necessary　to　all　princes；　except　the　Turk　and　the　Soldan；　to　satisfy　the　people　rather　the　soldiers；　because　the　people　are　the　more　powerful。

From　the　above　I　have　excepted　the　Turk；　who　always　keeps　round　him　twelve　thousand　infantry　and　fifteen　thousand　cavalry　on　which　depend　the　security　and　strength　of　the　kingdom；　and　it　is　necessary　that；　putting　aside　every　consideration　for　the　people；　he　should　keep　them　his　friends。　The　kingdom　of　the　Soldan　is　similar；　being　entirely　in　the　hands　of　soldiers；　it　follows　again　that；　without　regard　to　the　people；　he　must　keep　them　his　friends。　But　you　must　note　that　the　state　of　the　Soldan　is　unlike　all　other　principalities；　for　the　reason　that　it　is　like　the　Christian　pontificate；　which　cannot　be　called　either　an　hereditary　or　a　newly　formed　principality；　because　the　sons　of　the　old　prince　are　not　the　heirs；　but　he　who　is　elected　to　that　position　by　those　who　have　authority；　and　the　sons　remain　only　noblemen。　And　this　being　an　ancient　custom；　it　cannot　be　called　a　new　principality；　because　there　are　none　of　those　difficulties　in　it　that　are　met　with　in　new　ones；　for　although　the　prince　is　new；　the　constitution　of　the　state　is　old；　and　it　is　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　will　consider　it　will　acknowledge　that　either　hatred　or　contempt　has　been　fatal　to　the　above…named　emperors；　and　it　will　be　recognized　also　how　it　happened　that；　a　number　of　them　acting　in　one　way　and　a　number　in　another；　only　one　in　each　way　came　to　a　happy　end　and　the　rest　to　unhappy　ones。　Because　it　would　have　been　useless　and　dangerous　for　Pertinax　and　Alexander；　being　new