Niccolò Machiavelli · Complete work

Chapter XVII

Chapter XVII of 27. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.

Original Italian

Della crudeltà e clemenzia; e se egli è meglio essere amato, che temuto.

Discendendo appresso alle altre qualità preallegate, dico, che ciascuno Principe deve disiderare di essere tenuto pietoso, e non crudele. Nondimanco deve avvertire di non usar male questa pietà. Era tenuto Cesare Borgia crudele; nondimanco quella sua crudeltà aveva racconcia la Romagna, unitala, e ridottala in pace e in fede. Il che se si considera bene, si vedrà quello essere stato molto più pietoso, che il Popolo Fiorentino, il quale, per fuggire il nome di crudele, lasciò distruggere Pistoia. Deve pertanto un Principe non si curare dell’infamia di crudele, per tenere i sudditi suoi uniti, e in fede: perchè con pochissimi esempi sarai più pietoso, che quelli, li quali per troppa pietà lasciano seguire i disordini, onde naschino occisioni o rapine; perchè queste sogliono offendere una università intera; e quelle esecuzioni che vengono dal Principe, offendono un particolare. E tra tutti i Principi, al Principe nuovo è impossibile fuggire il nome di crudele, per essere gli Stati nuovi pieni di pericoli. Onde Virgilio, per la bocca di Didone, escusa l’inumanità del suo Regno, per essere quello nuovo, dicendo:

Res dura, et regni novitas me talia cogunt

Moliri, et late fines custode tueri.

Nondimeno deve esser grave a credere ed al muoversi, nè si deve far paura da sè stesso, e procedere in modo temperato con prudenza ed umanità, che la troppa confidenza non lo faccia incauto, e la troppa diffidanza non lo renda intollerabile. Nasce da questo una disputa: s’egli è meglio essere amato che temuto, o temuto che amato. Rispondesi, che si vorrebbe essere l’uno e l’altro; ma perchè egli è difficile, che e’ stiano insieme, è molto più sicuro l’esser temuto che amato, quando s’abbi a mancare dell’un de’ duoi. Perchè degli uomini si può dire questo generalmente, che sieno ingrati, volubili, simulatori, fuggitori de’ pericoli, cupidi di guadagno; e mentre fai loro bene sono tutti tuoi, ti offeriscono il sangue, la roba, la vita, ed i figliuoli, come di sopra dissi, quando il bisogno è discosto; ma, quando ti si appressa, si rivoltano. E quel Principe che si è tutto fondato in sulle parole loro, trovandosi nudo di altri preparamenti, rovina; perchè l’amicizie che si acquistano con il prezzo, e non con grandezza e nobiltà d’animo, si meritano, ma non le si hanno, e a’ tempi non si possono spendere. E gli uomini hanno men rispetto di offendere uno che si facci amare, che uno che si facci temere; perchè l’amore è tenuto da un vincolo di obbligo, il quale, per essere gli uomini tristi, da ogni occasione di propria utilità è rotto; ma il timore è tenuto da una paura di pena, che non abbandona mai. Deve nondimeno il Principe farsi temere in modo, che, se non acquista l’amore, e’ fugga l’odio, perchè può molto bene stare insieme esser temuto, e non odiato; il che farà, semprechè s’astenga dalla roba de’ suoi cittadini, e de’ suoi sudditi, e dalle donne loro. E quando pure gli bisognasse procedere contro al sangue di qualcuno, farlo quando vi sia giustificazione conveniente e causa manifesta; ma sopratutto astenersi dalla roba d’altri; perchè gli uomini dimenticano piuttosto la morte del padre, che la perdita del patrimonio.

Dipoi le cagioni del torre la roba non mancano mai; e sempre colui che comincia a vivere con rapina, trova cagioni d'occupare quel d’altri, e per avverso contro al sangue sono più rare e mancano più tosto. Ma quando il Principe è con gli eserciti, e ha in governo moltitudine di soldati, allora è al tutto necessario non si curare del nome di crudele: perchè senza questo nome non si tiene un esercito unito, nè disposto ad alcuna fazione. Tra le mirabili azioni di Annibale si connumera questa, che avendo un esercito grossissimo, misto d'infinite generazioni d'uomini, condotto a militare in terre d'altri, non vi surgesse mai una dissensione nè fra loro, nè contro il Principe, così nella trista, come nella sua buona fortuna. Il che non potè nascere da altro, che da quella sua inumana crudeltà, la quale insieme con infinite sue virtù lo fece sempre nel cospetto de’ suoi soldati venerando e terribile; e, senza quella, l'altre sue virtù a far quello effetto non gli bastavano. E gli scrittori poco considerati dall’una parte ammirano queste sue azioni, e dall’altra dannano la principale cagione di esse. E che sia vero che l’altre sue virtù non gli sarieno bastate, si può considerare in Scipione, rarissimo non solamente ne’ tempi suoi, ma in tutta la memoria delle cose che si sanno, dal quale gli eserciti suoi in Ispagna si ribellarono; il che non nacque da altro, che dalla sua troppa pietà, la quale aveva dato a’ suoi soldati più licenza, che alla disciplina militare non si conveniva. La qual cosa gli fu da Fabio Massimo nel Senato rimproverata, chiamandolo corruttore della Romana milizia. I Locrensi essendo stati da un legato di Scipione distrutti, non furono da lui vindicati, nè l'insolenza di quel legato corretta, nascendo tutto da quella sua natura facile. Talmentechè volendolo alcuno in Senato scusare, disse come egli erano molti uomini, che sapevano meglio non errare, che correggere gli errori d'altri. La qual natura arebbe con il tempo violato la fama e la gloria di Scipione, se egli avesse con essa perseverato nell'imperio; ma vivendo sotto il governo del Senato, questa sua qualità dannosa non solamente si nascose, ma gli fu a gloria. Conchiudo adunque, tornando all'esser temuto ed amato, che amando gli uomini a posta loro, e temendo a posta del Principe, deve un Principe savio fondarsi in su quello che è suo, non in su quello che è d’altri; e deve solamente ingegnarsi di fuggir l'odio, come è detto.

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 Cruelty and Mercy, and Whether It Is Better to Be Loved Than Feared

Turning next to the other qualities mentioned above, I say that every Prince should wish to be thought merciful rather than cruel. Yet he must take care not to misuse this mercy. Cesare Borgia was thought cruel; nevertheless, his cruelty restored order to Romagna, united it, and brought it to peace and loyalty. Consider this carefully, and he will be seen to have been far more merciful than the Florentine people, who, to escape the name of cruelty, allowed Pistoia to be destroyed. A Prince, then, must not fear the disgrace of being called cruel when it will keep his subjects united and loyal. For by making very few examples of offenders, you will be more merciful than those who, out of too much mercy, let disorders run their course until murders and robberies follow: these usually injure a whole community, whereas the executions ordered by the Prince injure one person. Of all Princes, a new Prince can least avoid the name of cruelty, since new states are full of dangers. Thus Virgil, speaking through Dido, excuses the harshness of her rule on the grounds that it is new, saying:

Hard circumstances and a new kingdom compel meTo take such measures, and to guard my borders far and wide.

Nevertheless, he must be slow to believe reports and slow to act; he must not frighten himself, but proceed with prudence and humanity in such measure that too much trust does not make him careless, nor too much suspicion make him unbearable. From this arises a question: is it better to be loved than feared, or feared than loved? The answer is that one would wish to be both. But since the two are difficult to unite, it is much safer to be feared than loved, if one of them must be lacking. For of men in general it may be said that they are ungrateful, changeable, deceitful, eager to avoid danger, and greedy for gain. So long as you do them good, they are entirely yours; they offer you their blood, their possessions, their lives, and their children, as I said above, when the need is far off. But when it draws near, they turn against you. And the Prince who has built entirely on their words, finding himself without any other preparations, comes to ruin. For friendships bought at a price, rather than won by greatness and nobility of spirit, are paid for but not possessed, and cannot be called upon when the time comes. Men hesitate less to injure someone who makes himself loved than someone who makes himself feared: love is held by a bond of obligation which, because men are wicked, they break whenever their own advantage is at stake; fear is held by the dread of punishment, which never leaves them. Nevertheless, the Prince must make himself feared in such a way that, if he does not gain love, he avoids hatred; for it is entirely possible to be feared without being hated. He will achieve this if he keeps his hands off the property of his citizens and subjects, and off their women. If he must act against someone's life, let him do so when there is proper justification and an evident cause; but above all he must keep his hands off the property of others, for men sooner forget the death of their father than the loss of their inheritance.

Moreover, grounds for seizing property are never lacking. Whoever begins to live by plunder always finds grounds for taking what belongs to others; by contrast, grounds for taking a life are rarer and more quickly exhausted. But when the Prince is with his armies and commands a great multitude of soldiers, then it is absolutely necessary not to care about a reputation for cruelty; for without that reputation an army cannot be kept united or ready for action. Among the remarkable deeds of Hannibal is this: although he led a vast army, made up of men of countless nations, to fight in foreign lands, no dissension ever arose among them or against their commander, in bad fortune or good. This could only have come from his inhuman cruelty, which, together with his innumerable other virtues, made him always revered and feared in the eyes of his soldiers; without it, his other virtues would not have sufficed to produce that effect. Thoughtless writers admire his deeds on the one hand and condemn their chief cause on the other. That his other virtues would not have sufficed can be seen in Scipio, a man exceptionally rare not only in his own time but in all recorded history: his armies in Spain rebelled against him. This came from nothing but his excessive mercy, which allowed his soldiers more freedom than military discipline permitted. Fabius Maximus reproached him for this in the Senate, calling him a corrupter of Roman military discipline. When the people of Locri were ruined by one of Scipio's lieutenants, Scipio did not avenge them or punish the lieutenant's insolence; all this arose from his easygoing nature. So much so that someone wishing to defend him in the Senate said that there were many men who knew better how to avoid making mistakes themselves than how to correct the mistakes of others. In time, this disposition would have harmed Scipio's fame and glory if he had continued to exercise supreme command; but because he lived under the government of the Senate, this harmful quality of his was not only concealed, but counted to his glory. I conclude, then, returning to the question of being feared and loved: since men love according to their own will and fear according to the Prince's, a wise Prince must build on what is his own, not on what belongs to others; he must only take care to avoid hatred, as I have said.

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 Cruelty and Mercy, and Whether It Is Better to Be Loved or Feared

Moving on to the other qualities mentioned above, I say that every Prince should want to be thought merciful rather than cruel. Still, he must take care not to misuse mercy. Cesare Borgia was considered cruel. Yet his cruelty put Romagna back in order, united it, and brought it peace and loyalty. If we look closely, we will see that he was much more merciful than the people of Florence. They let Pistoia be destroyed to avoid being called cruel. So a Prince must not worry about being called cruel if it keeps his subjects united and loyal. With very few punishments, he will show more mercy than those who let disorder spread because they are too merciful. Disorder leads to killings and robberies, which usually harm a whole community. Punishments ordered by a Prince harm only particular people. And of all Princes, a new Prince has the least chance of avoiding a reputation for cruelty, because new states are full of danger. That is why Virgil has Dido excuse the harshness of her rule on the grounds that her kingdom is new, saying:

Harsh circumstances and a new kingdom force me to do these thingsAnd to guard my borders far and wide.

Still, a Prince should not be quick to believe reports or quick to act. He should not frighten himself. He should act with restraint, good judgment, and humanity. Too much trust must not make him careless, and too much distrust must not make him unbearable. This raises a question: is it better to be loved than feared, or feared than loved? The answer is that one would like to be both. But since it is hard to combine them, it is much safer to be feared than loved if one must do without one of the two. For people in general can be called ungrateful, changeable, dishonest, eager to escape danger, and greedy for gain. As long as you do them good, they are all yours. They offer you their blood, possessions, lives, and children, as I said earlier, when you have no immediate need of them. But when you need them, they turn against you. A Prince who has relied entirely on their promises and has made no other preparations will be ruined. Friendships bought with money rather than earned through greatness and nobility of character may be paid for, but they are not truly secured. You cannot count on them when you need them. People are less afraid to offend a man who makes himself loved than one who makes himself feared. Love is held together by a sense of obligation, which people break whenever it serves their interests, because they are bad. Fear is held together by the threat of punishment, which never goes away. Still, the Prince must make himself feared without becoming hated, even if he cannot win love. It is quite possible to be feared without being hated. He can do this by leaving the property of his citizens and subjects alone, and by leaving their women alone. If he must take someone's life, he should do so only when there is proper justification and a clear cause. Above all, he must leave other people's property alone, for people forget the death of their father sooner than the loss of their inheritance.

Besides, there is never a shortage of reasons for seizing property. Anyone who starts living by plunder will always find reasons to take what belongs to others. Reasons for taking a life, by contrast, are rarer and run out more quickly. But when a Prince is with his armies and commands a large number of soldiers, he must not worry at all about being called cruel. Without that reputation, he cannot keep an army united and ready for action. Among Hannibal's remarkable achievements is this: he led a huge army, made up of people from countless nations, to fight in foreign lands. Yet no dispute ever arose among his soldiers or against their commander, whether his fortunes were bad or good. This could only have come from his ruthless cruelty. Together with his many other abilities, it made his soldiers always regard him with respect and fear. Without it, his other abilities would not have been enough to produce that result. Thoughtless writers admire his achievements on the one hand and condemn their main cause on the other. We can see that his other abilities would not have been enough by looking at Scipio. He was exceptional not just in his own time but in all recorded history, yet his armies in Spain mutinied against him. The reason was his excessive mercy. He had allowed his soldiers more freedom than military discipline permitted. Fabius Maximus criticized him for this in the Senate, calling him a corrupter of the Roman army. The people of Locri were devastated by one of Scipio's officers, but Scipio did not avenge them or punish the officer's misconduct. This too came from his lenient nature. Someone in the Senate, trying to defend him, said that many men knew better how to avoid mistakes themselves than how to correct other people's mistakes. In time that trait would have damaged Scipio's fame and glory if he had continued to hold command with it. But because he served under the Senate's authority, this harmful trait was not only hidden but counted to his credit. To conclude, then, and return to being feared and loved: people love when they choose, but they fear when the Prince chooses. A wise Prince should rely on what he controls, not on what others control. He must only make sure to avoid being hated, as I have said.

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