In the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth
Chap, our Author descends to particulars, perswading
his Prince in his sixteenth to such a suppleness
of disposition, as that upon occasion he can make
use either of liberality or miserableness, as need
shall require. But that of liberality is to
last no longer than while he is in the way to
some designe: which if he well weigh, is
not really a reward of vertue, how ere it seems; but
a bait and lure to bring birds to the net.
In the seventeenth Chap, he treats of clemency
and cruelty, neither of which are to be exercis’d
by him as acts of mercy or justice; but as they may
serve to advantage his further purposes. And
lest the Prince should incline too much to clemency,
our Author allows rather the restraint by fear,
than by love. The contrary to which all stories
shew us. I will say this only, cruelty may cut
of the power of some, but causes the hatred of
all, and gives a will to most to take the first
occasion offerd for revenge. In the eighteenth
Chap, our Author discourses how Princes ought to govern
themselves in keeping their promises made: whereof
he sayes they ought to make such small reckoning,
as that rather they should know by their craft
how to turne and wind men about, whereby to take
advantage of all winds and fortunes. To this I
would oppose that in the fifteenth Psal.
v. 5.
He that sweareth to his neighbor, and disappointeth
him not, though it were to his own hindrance.
It was a King that writ it, and me thinks the rule
he gave, should well befit both King and Subject:
and surely this perswades against all taking of
advantages. A man may reduce all the causes
of faith-breaking to three heads. One may
be, because he that promised, had no intention to keep
his word; and this is a wicked and malitious way
of dealing. A second may bee, because hee
that promisd, repents of his promise made; and
that is grounded on unconstancy, and lightness in that
he would not be well resolved before he entred
into covenant. The third may be, when it
so falls out, that it lyes not in his power that
made the promise to performe it. In which case
a man ought to imitate the good debter, who having
not wherewithall to pay, hides not himself, but
presents his person to his creditor, willingly
suffering imprisonment. The first and second are
very vitious and unworthy of a Prince: in
the third, men might well be directed by the examples
of those two famous Romans, Regulus and Posthumius.
I shall close this with the answer of Charles the
fifth, when he was pressed to break his word with Luther
for his safe return from Wormes; Fides rerum
promissarum etsi toto mundo exulet, tamen apud
imperatorem cam consistere oportet. Though
truth be banisht out of the whole world, yet should
it alwaies find harbour in an Emperors breast.
[Sidenote: Gulielmus Xenocarus in vit.
Car. Quinti.]
CHAP. XIX
Copyrights
Machiavelli, Volume I from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.
