the prince-第6章

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o　put　an　end　to　the　ambition　of　Alexander；　and　to　prevent　his　becoming　the　master　of　Tuscany；　he　was　himself　forced　to　come　into　Italy。

And　as　if　it　were　not　enough　to　have　aggrandized　the　Church；　and　deprived　himself　of　friends；　he；　wishing　to　have　the　kingdom　of　Naples；　divides　it　with　the　King　of　Spain；　and　where　he　was　the　prime　arbiter　in　Italy　he　takes　an　associate；　so　that　the　ambitious　of　that　country　and　the　malcontents　of　his　own　should　have　somewhere　to　shelter；　and　whereas　he　could　have　left　in　the　kingdom　his　own　pensioner　as　king；　he　drove　him　out；　to　put　one　there　who　was　able　to　drive　him；　Louis；　out　in　turn。

The　wish　to　acquire　is　in　truth　very　natural　and　common；　and　men　always　do　so　when　they　can；　and　for　this　they　will　be　praised　not　blamed；　but　when　they　cannot　do　so；　yet　wish　to　do　so　by　any　means；　then　there　is　folly　and　blame。　Therefore；　if　France　could　have　attacked　Naples　with　her　own　forces　she　ought　to　have　done　so；　if　she　could　not；　then　she　ought　not　to　have　divided　it。　And　if　the　partition　which　she　made　with　the　Venetians　in　Lombardy　was　justified　by　the　excuse　that　by　it　she　got　a　foothold　in　Italy；　this　other　partition　merited　blame；　for　it　had　not　the　excuse　of　that　necessity。

Therefore　Louis　made　these　five　errors：　he　destroyed　the　minor　powers；　he　increased　the　strength　of　one　of　the　greater　powers　in　Italy；　he　brought　in　a　foreign　power；　he　did　not　settle　in　the　country；　he　did　not　send　colonies。　Which　errors；　had　he　lived；　were　not　enough　to　injure　him　had　he　not　made　a　sixth　by　taking　away　their　dominions　from　the　Venetians；　because；　had　he　not　aggrandized　the　Church；　nor　brought　Spain　into　Italy；　it　would　have　been　very　reasonable　and　necessary　to　humble　them；　but　having　first　taken　these　steps；　he　ought　never　to　have　consented　to　their　ruin；　for　they；　being　powerful；　would　always　have　kept　off　others　from　designs　on　Lombardy；　to　which　the　Venetians　would　never　have　consented　except　to　become　masters　themselves　there；　also　because　the　others　would　not　wish　to　take　Lombardy　from　France　in　order　to　give　it　to　the　Venetians；　and　to　run　counter　to　both　they　would　not　have　had　the　courage。

And　if　any　one　should　say：　〃King　Louis　yielded　the　Romagna　to　Alexander　and　the　kingdom　to　Spain　to　avoid　war；　I　answer　for　the　reasons　given　above　that　a　blunder　ought　never　to　be　perpetrated　to　avoid　war；　because　it　is　not　to　be　avoided；　but　is　only　deferred　to　your　disadvantage。　And　if　another　should　allege　the　pledge　which　the　king　had　given　to　the　Pope　that　he　would　assist　him　in　the　enterprise；　in　exchange　for　the　dissolution　of　his　marriage＇*＇　and　for　the　cap　to　Rouen；＇＋＇　to　that　I　reply　what　I　shall　write　later　on　concerning　the　faith　of　princes；　and　how　it　ought　to　be　kept。

＇*＇　Louis　XII　divorced　his　wife；　Jeanne；　daughter　of　Louis　XI；　and　　　　　married　in　1499　Anne　of　Brittany；　widow　of　Charles　VIII；　in　order　　　　　to　retain　the　Duchy　of　Brittany　for　the　crown。

＇＋＇　The　Archbishop　of　Rouen。　He　was　Georges　d'Amboise；　created　a　　　　　cardinal　by　Alexander　VI。　Born　1460；　died　1510。

Thus　King　Louis　lost　Lombardy　by　not　having　followed　any　of　the　conditions　observed　by　those　who　have　taken　possession　of　countries　and　wished　to　retain　them。　Nor　is　there　any　miracle　in　this；　but　much　that　is　reasonable　and　quite　natural。　And　on　these　matters　I　spoke　at　Nantes　with　Rouen；　when　Valentino；　as　Cesare　Borgia；　the　son　of　Pope　Alexander；　was　usually　called；　occupied　the　Romagna；　and　on　Cardinal　Rouen　observing　to　me　that　the　Italians　did　not　understand　war；　I　replied　to　him　that　the　French　did　not　understand　statecraft；　meaning　that　otherwise　they　would　not　have　allowed　the　Church　to　reach　such　greatness。　And　in　fact　is　has　been　seen　that　the　greatness　of　the　Church　and　of　Spain　in　Italy　has　been　caused　by　France；　and　her　ruin　may　be　attributed　to　them。　From　this　a　general　rule　is　drawn　which　never　or　rarely　fails：　that　he　who　is　the　cause　of　another　becoming　powerful　is　ruined；　because　that　predominancy　has　been　brought　about　either　by　astuteness　or　else　by　force；　and　both　are　distrusted　by　him　who　has　been　raised　to　power。



CHAPTER　IV

WHY　THE　KINGDOM　OF　DARIUS；　CONQUERED　BY　ALEXANDER；　DID　NOT　REBEL　AGAINST　THE　SUCCESSORS　OF　ALEXANDER　AT　HIS　DEATH

Considering　the　difficulties　which　men　have　had　to　hold　to　a　newly　acquired　state；　some　might　wonder　how；　seeing　that　Alexander　the　Great　became　the　master　of　Asia　in　a　few　years；　and　died　whilst　it　was　scarcely　settled　（whence　it　might　appear　reasonable　that　the　whole　empire　would　have　rebelled）；　nevertheless　his　successors　maintained　themselves；　and　had　to　meet　no　other　difficulty　than　that　which　arose　among　themselves　from　their　own　ambitions。

I　answer　that　the　principalities　of　which　one　has　record　are　found　to　be　governed　in　two　different　ways；　either　by　a　prince；　with　a　body　of　servants；　who　assist　him　to　govern　the　kingdom　as　ministers　by　his　favour　and　permission；　or　by　a　prince　and　barons；　who　hold　that　dignity　by　antiquity　of　blood　and　not　by　the　grace　of　the　prince。　Such　barons　have　states　and　their　own　subjects；　who　recognize　them　as　lords　and　hold　them　in　natural　affection。　Those　states　that　are　governed　by　a　prince　and　his　servants　hold　their　prince　in　more　consideration；　because　in　all　the　country　there　is　no　one　who　is　recognized　as　superior　to　him；　and　if　they　yield　obedience　to　another　they　do　it　as　to　a　minister　and　official；　and　they　do　not　bear　him　any　particular　affection。

The　examples　of　these　two　governments　in　our　time　are　the　Turk　and　the　King　of　France。　The　entire　monarchy　of　the　Turk　is　governed　by　one　lord；　the　others　are　his　servants；　and；　dividing　his　kingdom　into　sanjaks；　he　sends　there　different　administrators；　and　shifts　and　changes　them　as　he　chooses。　But　the　King　of　France　is　placed　in　the　midst　of　an　ancient　body　of　lords；　acknowledged　by　their　own　subjects；　and　beloved　by　them；　they　have　their　own　prerogatives；　nor　can　the　king　take　these　away　except　at　his　peril。　Therefore；　he　who　considers　both　of　these　states　will　recognize　great　difficulties　in　seizing　the　state　of　the　Turk；　but；　once　it　is　conquered；　great　ease　in　holding　it。　The　causes　of　the　difficulties　in　seizing　the　kingdom　of　the　Turk　are　that　the　usurper　cannot　be　called　in　by　the　princes　of　the　kingdom；　nor　can　he　hope　to　be　assisted　in　his　designs　by　the　revolt　of　those　whom　the　lord　has　around　him。　This　arises　from　the　reasons　given　above；　for　his　ministers；　being　all　slaves　and　bondmen；　can　only　be　corrupted　with　great　difficulty；　and　one　can　expect　little　advantage　from　them　when　they　have　been　corrupted；　as　they　cannot　carry　the　people　with　them；　for　the　reasons　assigned。　Hence；　he　who　attacks　the　Turk　must　bear　in　mind　that　he　will　find　him　united；　and　he　will　have　to　rely　more　on　his　own　strength　than　on　the　revolt　of　others；　but；　if　once　the　Turk　has　been　conquered；　and　routed　in　the　field　in　such　a　way　that　he　cannot　replace　his　armies；　there　is　nothing　to　fear　but　the　family　of　this　prince；　and；　this　being　exterminated；　there　remains　no　one　to　fear；　the　others　having　no　credit　with　the　people；　and　as　the　conqueror　did　not　rely　on　them　before　his　victory；　so　he　ought　not　to　fear　them　after　it。

The　contrary　happens　in　kingdoms　governed　like　that　of　France；　because　one　can　easily　enter　there　by　gaining　over　some　baron　of　the　kingdom；　for　one　always　finds　malcontents　and　such　as　desire　a　change。　Such　men；　for　the　reasons　given；　can　open　the　way　into　the　state　and　render　the　victory　easy；　but　if　you　wish　to　hold　it　afterwards；　you　meet　with　infinite　difficulties；　both　from　those　who　have　assisted　you　and　from　those　you　have　crushed。　Nor　is　it　enough　for　you　to　have　exterminated　the　family　of　the　prince；　because　the　lords　that　remain　make　themselves　the　heads　of　fresh　movements　against　you；　and　as　you　are　unable　either　to　satisfy　or　exterminate　them；　that　state　is　lost　whenever　time　brings　the　opportunity。

Now　if　you　will　consider　what　was　the　nature　of　the　government　of　Darius；　you　will　find　it　similar　to　the　kingdom　of　the　Turk；　and　therefore　it　was　only　necessary　for　Alexander；　first　to　overthrow　him　in　the　field；　and　then　to　take　the　country　from　him。　After　which　victory；　Darius　being　killed；　the　state　remained　secure　to　Alexand