the prince-第5部分

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epare　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　become　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　becomes　easy　to　detect　but　difficult　to　cure。　This　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　come　to　a　head；　for　they　knew　that　war　is　not　to　be　avoided；　but　is　only　to　be　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　timebut　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。

＇*＇　See　remark　in　the　introduction　on　the　word　〃intrattenere。〃

But　let　us　turn　to　France　and　inquire　whether　she　has　done　any　of　the　things　mentioned。　I　will　speak　of　Louis＇*＇　（and　not　of　Charles＇＋＇）　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　composed　of　divers　elements。

＇*＇　Louis　XII；　King　of　France；　〃The　Father　of　the　People；〃　born　1462；　　　　　died　1515。

＇＋＇　Charles　VIII；　King　of　France；　born　1470；　died　1498。

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　thereseeing　rather　that　every　door　was　shut　to　him　owing　to　the　conduct　of　Charleshe　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　Bentivogli；　my　lady　of　Forli；　the　Lords　of　Faenza；　of　Pesaro；　of　Rimini；　of　Camerino；　of　Piombino；　the　Lucchese；　the　Pisans；　the　Sieneseeverybody　made　advances　to　him　to　become　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　that　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　of　those　who　had　thrown　themselves　into　his　lap；　whilst　he　aggrandized　the　Church　by　adding　much　temporal　power　to　the　spiritual；　thus　giving　it　greater　authority。　And　having　committed　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　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