Niccolò Machiavelli · Complete work
Chapter XVI
Chapter XVI of 27. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
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Della liberalità e miseria.
Cominciando adunque dalle prime soprascritte qualità, dico come sarebbe bene esser tenuto liberale. Nondimanco la liberalità usata in modo che tu non sia temuto, ti offende; perchè se la si usa virtuosamente e come la si deve usare, la non fia conosciuta, e non ti cadrà l’infamia del suo contrario. E però a volersi mantenere tra gli uomini il nome del liberale, è necessario non lasciare indietro alcuna qualità di sontuosità; talmentechè sempre un Principe così fatto consumerà in simili opere tutte le sue facultà, e sarà necessitato alla fine, se egli si vorrà mantenere nome del liberale, gravare i popoli straordinariamente, ed esser fiscale, e fare tutte quelle cose che si possono fare per avere danari. Il che comincerà a farlo odioso con li sudditi, e poco stimare da ciascuno, diventando povero; in modo che, avendo con questa sua liberalità offeso molti, e premiato pochi, sente ogni primo disagio, e periclita in qualunque primo pericolo; il che cognoscendo lui, e volendosene ritrarre, incorre subito nell’infamia del misero.
Un Principe adunque, non potendo usare questa virtù del liberale senza suo danno, in modo che la sia cognosciuta, deve, se egli è prudente, non si curare del nome del misero; perchè con il tempo sarà tenuto sempre più liberale. Veggendo che con la sua parsimonia le sue entrate gli bastano, può difendersi da chi gli fa guerra, può fare imprese senza gravare i popoli; talmentechè viene a usare la liberalità a tutti quelli, a chi non toglie, che sono infiniti, e miseria a tutti coloro, a chi non dà, che sono pochi. Ne’ nostri tempi noi non abbiamo veduto fare gran cose, se non a quelli che sono stati tenuti miseri, gli altri essere spenti. Papa Iulio II come si fu servito del nome di liberale per aggiugnere al Papato, non pensò più a mantenerselo per potere far guerra al Re di Francia; e ha fatto tante guerre senza porre un dazio strasordinario, perchè alle superflue spese ha somministrato la lunga sua parsimonia. Il Re di Spagna presente, se fusse tenuto liberale, non arebbe fatto, nè vinto tante imprese. Pertanto un Principe deve stimare poco, per non avere a rubare i sudditi, per poter difendersi, per non diventare povero ed abietto, per non essere forzato diventar rapace, d’incorrere nel nome di misero, perchè questo è uno di quelli vizi, che lo fanno regnare. E se alcun dicesse: Cesare con la liberalità pervenne all’Imperio; e molti altri, per essere stati ed esser tenuti liberali, sono venuti a gradi grandissimi; rispondo: o tu siei Principe fatto, o tu siei in via di acquistarlo. Nel primo caso questa liberalità è dannosa; nel secondo è ben necessario esser tenuto liberale, e Cesare era un di quelli che voleva pervenire al Principato di Roma; ma, se poichè vi fu venuto, fusse sopravvissuto, e non si fusse temperato da quelle spese, arebbe distrutto quell’Imperio. E se alcuno replicasse: molti sono stati Principi, e con gli eserciti hanno fatto gran cose, che sono stati tenuti liberalissimi; ti rispondo: o il Principe spende del suo e de’ suoi sudditi, o di quello d’altri. Nel primo caso deve esser parco, nel secondo non deve lasciare indietro parte alcuna di liberalità. E quel Principe che va con gli eserciti, che si pasce di prede, di sacchi, e di taglie, e maneggia quel d’altri, gli è necessaria questa liberalità; altrimenti non sarebbe seguíto da’ soldati. E di quello che non è tuo o de’ tuoi sudditi, si può essere più largo donatore, come fu Ciro, Cesare, e Alessandro; perchè lo spendere quel d’altri non toglie riputazione, ma te ne aggiugne; solamente lo spendere il tuo è quello che ti nuoce. E non ci è cosa che consumi sè stessa quanto la liberalità, la quale mentre che tu usi, perdi la facultà di usarla, e diventi o povero o vile, o, per fuggire la povertà, rapace e odioso. E tra tutte le cose, da che un Principe si debbe guardare, è l’essere disprezzato e odioso; e la liberalità all’una e l’altra di queste cose ti conduce. Pertanto è più sapienza tenersi il nome di misero, che partorisce una infamia senza odio, che, per volere il nome di liberale, incorrere per necessità nel nome di rapace, che partorisce una infamia con odio.
Musean translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the Italian text of all 26 chapters and the dedication for fidelity, Machiavelli’s force and cadence, and modern clarity.
On Generosity and Parsimony
Beginning, then, with the first of the qualities mentioned above, I say that it would be good to be considered generous. Yet generosity exercised in a way that wins you no reputation harms you; for if you practice it virtuously and as it ought to be practiced, it will go unrecognized, and you will not escape the disgrace attached to its opposite. So, to maintain a reputation for generosity among men, you must leave no form of lavish display untried. A Prince who does this will always exhaust all his resources on such things. In the end, if he wishes to keep his name for generosity, he will be forced to burden his people with extraordinary levies, impose harsh taxes, and do everything he can to raise money. This will begin to make him hateful to his subjects; as he grows poor, everyone will esteem him less. Having offended many by his generosity and rewarded few, he feels every slight hardship and is imperiled by the first danger he meets. If he recognizes this and tries to draw back, he immediately incurs the disgrace of being called miserly.
A Prince, then, cannot practice the virtue of generosity openly without harming himself; if he is prudent, he should not mind being called miserly. In time he will be considered more and more generous when people see that his economy makes his revenues sufficient, that he can defend himself against those who wage war on him, and that he can undertake campaigns without burdening his people. In this way he is generous to all those from whom he takes nothing, who are countless, and miserly to those to whom he gives nothing, who are few. In our own times we have seen great things done only by men who were called miserly; the others have been ruined. Pope Julius II made use of a reputation for generosity to gain the papacy, but afterward gave no thought to preserving it, so that he could wage war against the King of France. He has waged so many wars without imposing an extraordinary tax because his long practice of economy has supplied the funds for his extraordinary expenses. The present King of Spain, had he been considered generous, would neither have undertaken nor won so many campaigns. A Prince, therefore, should think little of being called miserly if this keeps him from robbing his subjects, enables him to defend himself, prevents him from becoming poor and contemptible, and spares him the need to become rapacious. Parsimony is one of those vices that enable him to reign. If someone were to say, “Caesar attained the empire through generosity, and many others have risen to the highest rank because they were generous and were thought so,” I would answer: either you are already a Prince, or you are on your way to becoming one. In the first case such generosity is harmful; in the second it is indeed necessary to be considered generous. Caesar was one of those who sought to become ruler of Rome; but if, after attaining that rank, he had lived on and had not curbed his spending, he would have destroyed the empire. If someone were to reply, “Many Princes have been thought exceedingly generous and yet accomplished great things with their armies,” I would answer: a Prince spends either his own resources and those of his subjects, or someone else's. In the first case he must be sparing; in the second he must neglect no opportunity for generosity. For a Prince who campaigns with his armies and lives on booty, plunder, and ransoms, disposing of what belongs to others, this generosity is necessary; otherwise his soldiers would not follow him. And with what belongs neither to you nor to your subjects, you may give more freely, as Cyrus, Caesar, and Alexander did. Spending the property of others does not diminish your reputation; it increases it. Only spending your own resources harms you. Nothing consumes itself so thoroughly as generosity: as you practice it, you lose the means to go on practicing it, and become either poor or despised—or, to avoid poverty, rapacious and hated. Of all things a Prince must guard against, the foremost are contempt and hatred, and generosity leads to both. It is wiser, therefore, to accept the name of miser, which brings disgrace without hatred, than to seek the name of generous and so be driven to earn the name of rapacious, which brings disgrace with hatred.
Plain English translation
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from the Italian text of all 26 chapters and the dedication.
On Generosity and Stinginess
Let us start with the first qualities listed above. It would be good to be thought generous. But generosity harms you if you practice it in a way that does not get noticed. If you practice it well, as you should, people will not recognize it, and you will still be called stingy. So if a Prince wants to keep a reputation for generosity, he cannot pass up any opportunity for lavish spending. He will eventually spend all he has on such things. Then, to keep that reputation, he will have to lay extraordinary burdens on his people, collect taxes aggressively, and do whatever else he can to get money. This will make his subjects hate him. As he grows poor, everyone will think less of him. His generosity will have hurt many people and benefited only a few. The slightest setback will then affect him, and the first danger will put him at risk. If he sees this and tries to change course, he will immediately get a reputation for stinginess.
A Prince cannot practice generosity in a way that earns him a reputation for it without harming himself. If he is wise, then, he should not mind being called stingy. Over time, people will think him more generous. They will see that his careful spending lets him live within his income, defend himself against attackers, and undertake campaigns without placing burdens on his people. In this way he is generous to the countless people from whom he takes nothing, and stingy toward the few to whom he gives nothing. In our own times, only rulers thought stingy have accomplished great things; the others have been ruined. Pope Julius II used his reputation for generosity to gain the papacy. After that, he stopped trying to keep it so that he could fight the King of France. He has fought many wars without imposing an extraordinary tax, because his long practice of careful spending has paid for expenses beyond the usual ones. The present King of Spain would not have undertaken or won so many campaigns if people had thought him generous. A Prince should therefore care little about being called stingy. That way he will not have to rob his subjects, can defend himself, will not become poor and despised, and will not be forced to seize other people's property. Stinginess is one of the vices that enable him to rule. Someone might say: "Caesar rose to imperial power through generosity. Many others have risen to very high positions because they were generous or were thought generous." My answer is this: either you are already a Prince or you are on your way to becoming one. In the first case, generosity of this kind does harm. In the second, it is essential to be thought generous. Caesar was seeking to become ruler of Rome. But if he had lived after gaining power and had not restrained his spending, he would have destroyed the empire. Someone else might reply: "Many Princes thought extremely generous have achieved great things with their armies." My answer is that a Prince spends either his own money and his subjects' money, or someone else's. In the first case he must spend sparingly. In the second he should not hold back at all. A Prince who leads an army that lives on captured goods, plunder, and ransom, and who controls other people's property, needs to be generous with it. Otherwise his soldiers would not follow him. You can give freely from what belongs neither to you nor to your subjects, as Cyrus, Caesar, and Alexander did. Spending other people's property does not hurt your reputation; it improves it. Only spending your own money harms you. Nothing uses itself up as quickly as generosity: as you practice it, you lose the means to go on practicing it. You become either poor and despised or, in trying to escape poverty, greedy and hated. Above all, a Prince must avoid being looked down on and being hated. Generosity leads to both. It is wiser, then, to accept a reputation for stinginess, which brings blame but not hatred, than to seek a reputation for generosity and be forced to seize others' property, which brings both blame and hatred.