The Prince
Upon this a question arises: whether
it be better to be loved than
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, 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.
…
And you have to understand this,
that a prince, especially a new one,
cannot observe all those things for which men are esteemed, being
often
forced, in order to maintain the state, to act contrary to faith,
friendship, humanity, and religion. Therefore it is necessary for him
to
have a mind ready to turn itself accordingly as the winds and
variations
of fortune force it, yet, as I have said above, not to diverge from
the
good if he can avoid doing so, but, if compelled, then to know how to
set about it.
The Discourses
And if the history of
those men should be well considered, it would be very
instructive to any Prince in pointing out to him the way to glory or
censure, to security or fear. For of the twenty-six who were Emperors
from Caesar to Maximinius, sixteen were murdered. Ten died in a
natural way; and if among those who were murdered there may have been
some good men, such as Galba and Pertinax, they were killed by that
corruption that his predecessors had left among the soldiers. And if
among those who died in a natural way there were some wicked, such as
Severns, it resulted from their very great good fortune and virtu,
which two things are found together in few men. He will also learn
from this lesson of history how a good Kingdom can be organized, for
all, except Titus, were bad: (and) those who succeeded by adoption
were all good, such as were those five from Nero to Marcus (Aurelius).
And when the Empire became hereditary, it came to ruin.
Let a Prince therefore place himself in the times of Nero and Marcus,
and let him compare them with those which preceded and followed (that
period) and afterward let him select in which (of the two) he would
want to be born and in which he would want to reign. For in those
times governed by good (Emperors), he will see a Prince secure in thy
midst of secure citizens, he will see the world full of peace and
justice, he will see the Senate with its authority, the Magistrates
with their honor, rich citizens enjoying their wealth, nobility and
virtu exalted, he will see every quiet and good; and on the other
hand (he will see) every rancor, every license, corruption, and
ambition extinct; he will see that golden era where everyone can hold
and defend whatever opinion he wishes: In the end, he will see the
triumph of the world, the Prince full of reverence and glory, the
people full of love and security.
Then if he will consider the sorrowful times of the other Emperors, he
will see the atrocities from war, discords from seditions, cruelty in
peace and war, so many Princes slain by the sword, so many civil wars,
so many foreign wars, Italy afflicted and full of new misfortunes, her
Cities ruined and sacked: He will see Rome burned, the Capitol of its
citizens destroyed, the ancient temples desolate, ceremonies
corrupted, the City full of adulterers: he will see the sea full of
exiles, the shores full of blood. He will see innumerable cruelties
take place in Rome, and nobility, riches, honors, and above all
virtu, accounted capital crimes. He will see informers rewarded,
servants corrupted against the masters, freemen against their patrons,
and those who should lack enemies, oppressed by friends. And he will
also recognize very well what obligations Rome, Italy, and the world
owed to Caesar. And without doubt (if he was born of man), he would be
dismayed at every imitation of those evil times, and burning with an
immense desire to follow the good.
And truly, a Prince seeking the glory of the world ought to desire to
possess a corrupt City, not to spoil it entirely like Caesar, but to
reorganize it like Romulus. And truly the heavens cannot give man a
greater opportunity for glory, nor could man desire a better one. And
if to want to organize a City well, it should be necessary to abolish
the Principate, he who had failed to (give her good laws) should merit
some excuse. But he does not merit any excuse who can hold the
Principate and organize it. And in sum, let he to whom the heavens
gives the opportunity consider that there are two ways: The one which
will make him live securely and render him glorious after his death,
the other which will make him live in continual anxiety and after
death leave of himself an eternal infamy.
(Book 1, Chapter X).