《马基雅维里 君主论英文prince》

下载本书

添加书签

马基雅维里 君主论英文prince- 第2部分


按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!

as a colony is useful。



Again; the prince who holds a country differing in the above respects

ought to make himself the head and defender of his powerful neighbours;

and to weaken the more powerful amongst them; taking care that no

foreigner as powerful as himself shall; by any accident; get a footing

there; for it will always happen that such a one will be introduced by

those who are discontented; either through excess of ambition or through

fear; as one has seen already。 The Romans were brought into Greece by

the Aetolians; and in every other country where they obtained a footing

they were brought in by the inhabitants。 And the usual course of affairs

is that; as soon as a powerful foreigner enters a country; all the

subject states are drawn to him; moved by the hatred which they feel

against the ruling power。 So that in respect to these subject states he

has not to take any trouble to gain them over to himself; for the whole

of them quickly rally to the state which he has acquired there。 He has

only to take care that they do not get hold of too much power and too

much authority; and then with his own forces; and with their goodwill;

he can easily keep down the more powerful of them; so as to remain

entirely master in the country。 And he who does not properly manage this

business will soon lose what he has acquired; and whilst he does hold it

he will have endless difficulties and troubles。



The Romans; in the countries which they annexed; observed closely these

measures; they sent colonies and maintained friendly relations with the

minor powers; without increasing their strength; they kept down the

greater; and did not allow any strong foreign powers to gain authority。

Greece appears to me sufficient for an example。 The Achaeans and

Aetolians were kept friendly by them; the kingdom of Macedonia was

humbled; Antiochus was driven out; yet the merits of the Achaeans and

Aetolians never secured for them permission to increase their power; nor

did the persuasions of Philip ever induce the Romans to be his friends

without first humbling him; nor did the influence of Antiochus make them

agree that he should retain any lordship over the country。 Because the

Romans did in these instances what all prudent princes ought to do; who

have to regard not only present troubles; but also future ones; for

which they must prepare with every energy; because; when foreseen; it is

easy to remedy them; but if you wait until they approach; the medicine

is no longer in time because the malady has bee incurable; for it

happens in this; as the physicians say it happens in hectic fever; that

in the beginning of the malady it is easy to cure but difficult to

detect; but in the course of time; not having been either detected or

treated in the beginning; it bees easy to detect but difficult to

cure。 Thus it happens in affairs of state; for when the evils that arise

have been foreseen (which it is only given to a wise man to see); they

can be quickly redressed; but when; through not having been foreseen;

they have been permitted to grow in a way that every one can see them。

there is no longer a remedy。 Therefore; the Romans; foreseeing troubles;

dealt with them at once; and; even to avoid a war; would not let them

e to a head; for they knew that war is not to be avoided; but is only

put off to the advantage of others; moreover they wished to fight with

Philip and Antiochus in Greece so as not to have to do it in Italy; they

could have avoided both; but this they did not wish; nor did that ever

please them which is for ever in the mouths of the wise ones of our

time: Let us enjoy the benefits of the time  but rather the benefits of

their own valour and prudence; for time drives everything before it; and

is able to bring with it good as well as evil; and evil as well as good。



But let us turn to France and inquire whether she has done any of the

things mentioned。 I will speak of Louis 'XII' (and not of Charles

'VIII') as the one whose conduct is the better to be observed; he having

held possession of Italy for the longest period; and you will see that

he has done the opposite to those things which ought to be done to

retain a state posed of divers elements。



King Louis was brought into Italy by the ambition of the Venetians; who

desired to obtain half the state of Lombardy by his intervention。 I will

not blame the course taken by the king; because; wishing to get a

foothold in Italy; and having no friends there  seeing rather that

every door was shut to him owing to the conduct of Charles  he was

forced to accept those friendships which he could get; and he would have

succeeded very quickly in his design if in other matters he had not made

some mistakes。 The king; however; having acquired Lombardy; regained at

once the authority which Charles had lost: Genoa yielded; the

Florentines became his friends; the Marquess of Mantua; the Duke of

Ferrara; the Bentivoglio; my lady of Forli; the Lords of Faenza; of

Pesaro; of Rimini; of Camerino; of Piombino; the Lucchesi; the Pisans;

the Sienese  everybody made advances to him to bee his friend。 Then

could the Venetians realize the rashness of the course taken by them;

which; in order that they might secure two towns in Lombardy; had made

the king master of two…thirds of Italy。



Let any one now consider with what little difficulty the king could have

maintained his position in Italy had he observed the rules above laid

down; and kept all his friends secure and protected; for although they

were numerous they were both weak and timid; some afraid of the Church;

some of the Venetians; and thus they would always have been forced to

stand in with him; and by their means he could easily have made himself

secure against those who remained powerful。 But he was no sooner in

Milan than he did the contrary by assisting Pope Alexander to occupy the

Romagna。 It never occurred to him that by this action he was weakening

himself; depriving himself of friends and those who had thrown

themselves into his lap; whilst he aggrandized the Church by adding much

temporal power to the spiritual; thus giving it great authority。 And

having mitted this prime error; he was obliged to follow it up; so

much so that; to put an end to the ambition of Alexander; and to prevent

his being the master of Tuscany; he was himself forced to e into

Italy。



And as if it were not enough to have aggrandized the Church; and

deprived himself friends; he; wishing to have the kingdom of Naples;

divides it with the King of Spain; and where he was the prime arbiter of

Italy he takes an associate; so that the ambitious of that country and

the malcontents of his own should have where 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 mon; 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; if he had 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 bee 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 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 hat to Rouen; to that I reply

what I shall write later on concerning the 
小提示:按 回车 [Enter] 键 返回书目,按 ← 键 返回上一页, 按 → 键 进入下一页。 赞一下 添加书签加入书架