make a Pope to his mind, he could have withheld any
one from being Pope; and should never have consented
that any one of those Cardinals should have got the
Papacy, whom he had ever done harme to; or who having
attaind the Pontificate were likely to be afraid of
him: because men ordinarily do hurt either for
fear, or hatred. Those whom he had offended,
were among others, he who had the title of St. Peter
ad Vincula, Colonna, St. George, and Ascanius; all
the others that were in possibility of the Popedome,
were such as might have feard him rather, except the
Cardinal of Roan, and the Spaniards; these by reason
of their allyance and obligation with him, the other
because of the power they had, having the Kingdome
of France on their party; wherefore the Duke above
all things should have created a Spanyard Pope, and
in case he could not have done that, he should have
agreed that Roan should have been, and not St. Peter
ad Vincula. And whoever beleeves, that with great
personages new benefits blot on the remembrance of
old injuries, is much deceiv’d. The Duke
therefore in this election, was the cause of his own
ruine at last.
Till wee come to this seaventh Chapter,
I find not any thing much blame-worthy, unlesse
it be on ground he layes in the second Chapter;
whereupon hee builds most of this Fabrick, viz.
That Subjects must either be dallyed or flatterd
withall, or quite crusht. Whereby our Author
advises his Prince to support his authority with
two Cardinall Vertues, Dissimulation, and Cruelty.
He considers not herein that the head is but a member
of the body, though the principall; and the end
of the parts is the good of the whole. And
here he goes against himselfe in the twenty sixt
Chapter of his Rep. 1. 1. where hee blames Philip of
Macedon for such courses, terming them very cruell,
and against all Christian manner of living; and
that every man should refuse to be a King, and
desire rather to live a private life, than to reigne
so much to the ruine of mankind. The life of Caesar
Borgia, which is here given as a paterne to new
Princes, we shall find to have been nothing else
but a cunning carriage of things so, that he might
thereby first deceive and inveigle, and then suppresse
all those that could oppose or hinder his ambition.
For if you runne over his life, you shall see the
Father Pope Alexander the sixt and him, both imbarqued
for his advancement, wherein they engag’d
the Papall authority, and reputation of Religion;
for faith and conscience these men never knew,
though they exacted it of others: there was never
promise made, but it was only so farre kept as
servd for advantage; Liberality was made use of:
Clemency and Cruelty, all alike, as they might
serve to worke with their purposes. All was sacrific’d
to ambition; no friendship could tye these men, nor
any religion: and no marvell: for ambition
made them forget both God and man. But see
the end of all this cunning: though this Caesar
Borgia contrived all his businesse so warily, that
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