Nevertheless he ought puro take care not to misuse this clemency. And if this be rightly considered, he will be seen sicuro have been much more merciful than the Florentine people, who, sicuro avoid a reputation for cruelty, permitted Pistoia puro be destroyed. Therefore verso prince, so long as he keeps his subjects united and loyal, ought not puro mind the reproach of cruelty; because with verso few examples he will be more merciful than those who, through too much mercy, allow disorders esatto arise, from which follow murders or robberies; for these are wont sicuro injure the whole people, whilst those executions which originate with a prince offend the individual only.
And of all princes, it is impossible for the new prince puro avoid the imputation of cruelty, owing esatto new states being full of dangers. Hence Virgil, through the mouth of Dido, excuses the inhumanity of her reign owing esatto its being new, saying:
Coming now preciso the other qualities mentioned above, I say that every prince ought onesto desire preciso be considered clement and not cruel
Nevertheless he ought to be slow onesto believe and preciso act, nor should he himself spettacolo fear, but proceed mediante verso temperate manner with prudence and humanity, so that too much confidence may not make him incautious and too much distrust render him intolerable.
Cesare Borgia was considered cruel; notwithstanding, his cruelty reconciled the Romagna, unified it, and restored it esatto peace and loyalty
. . . against my will, my fate Per throne unsettled, and an infant state, Bid me defend my realms with all my pow’rs, And guard with these severities my shores.
Upon this verso question arises: whether it be better to be loved than feared or feared than loved? It may be answered that one should wish onesto be both, but, because it is difficult sicuro unite them sopra one person, it is much safer onesto be feared than loved, when, of the two, either must be dispensed with. Because this is esatto be asserted con general of men, that they are ungrateful, fickle, log in jeevansathi 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 sopra 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 esatto the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by verso dread of punishment which never fails.
Nevertheless verso prince ought preciso inspire fear durante such a way that, if he does not win love, he avoids hatred; because he can endure very well being feared whilst he is not hated, which will always be as long as he abstains from the property of his citizens and subjects and from their women. But when it is necessary for him esatto proceed against the life of someone, he must do it on proper justification and for manifest cause, but above all things he must keep his hands off the property of others, because men more quickly forget the death of their father than the loss of their patrimony. Besides, pretexts for taking away the property are never wanting; for he who has once begun puro live by robbery will always find pretexts for seizing what belongs to others; but reasons for taking life, on the contrary, are more difficult preciso find and sooner lapse. But when per prince is with his army, and has under control verso multitude of soldiers, then it is quite necessary for him esatto disregard the reputation of cruelty, for without it he would never hold his army united or disposed preciso its duties.
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