第 19 节
作者:津夏      更新:2021-02-27 02:39      字数:9322
  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
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  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
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  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。 This
  disposition;      if  he   had   been    continued      in  the   command;        would     have
  destroyed in time   the   fame   and glory  of   Scipio; but;  he   being under the
  control of the Senate; this injurious characteristic not only concealed itself;
  but contributed to his glory。
  Returning   to   the   question   of   being   feared   or   loved;   I   come   to   the
  conclusion       that;  men     loving    according     to  their   own     will  and    fearing
  according to that of the prince; a wise prince should establish himself on
  that    which    is  in  his   own    control    and   not   in  that   of  others;    he   must
  endeavour only to avoid hatred; as is noted。
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  CHAPTER XVIII'*'
  CONCERNING THE WAY IN WHICH PRINCES SHOULD
  KEEP FAITH
  '*'   〃The   present   chapter   has   given   greater   offence   than    any   other
  portion of Machiavelli's writings。〃 Burd; 〃Il Principe;〃 p。 297。
  Every one admits how praiseworthy it is in a prince to keep faith; and
  to live with integrity and not with craft。 Nevertheless our experience has
  been that those princes who have done great things have held good faith of
  little account; and have known how to circumvent the intellect of men by
  craft; and in the end have overcome those who have relied on their word。
  You must know there are two ways of contesting;'*' the one by the law;
  the other by force; the first method is proper to men; the second to beasts;
  but   because   the   first   is   frequently   not   sufficient;   it   is   necessary   to   have
  recourse to the second。 Therefore it is necessary for a prince to understand
  how to avail himself of the beast and the man。 This has been figuratively
  taught to princes by ancient writers; who describe how Achilles and many
  other   princes   of   old   were   given   to   the   Centaur   Chiron   to   nurse;   who
  brought them up in his discipline; which means solely that; as they had for
  a   teacher   one   who   was   half beast   and   half   man;   so   it   is   necessary  for   a
  prince to know how to make use of both natures; and that one without the
  other   is   not   durable。 A  prince;   therefore;   being   compelled   knowingly   to
  adopt   the   beast;   ought   to   choose   t