Niccolò Machiavelli · Complete work
Chapter XVIII
Chapter XVIII of 27. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
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In che modo i Principi debbino osservare la fede.
Quanto sia laudabile in un Principe mantenere la fede, e vivere con integrità, e non con astuzia, ciascuno lo intende. Nondimeno si vede per esperienzia, ne’ nostri tempi, quelli Principi aver fatto gran cose, che della fede hanno tenuto poco conto, e che hanno saputo con astuzia aggirare i cervelli degli uomini, ed alla fine hanno superato quelli che si sono fondati in su la lealtà. Dovete adunque sapere come sono due generazioni di combattere: l’una con le leggi, l’altra con le forze. Quel primo è degli uomini; quel secondo è delle bestie; ma perchè il primo spesse volte non basta, bisogna ricorrere al secondo. Pertanto ad un Principe è necessario saper ben usare la bestia e l’uomo. Questa parte è stata insegnata a’ Principi copertamente dagli antichi scrittori, i quali scrivono come Achille e molti altri di quelli Principi antichi furono dati a nutrire a Chirone Centauro, che sotto la sua disciplina gli custodisse; il che non vuol dire altro l’avere per precettore un mezzo bestia e mezzo uomo, se non che bisogna a un Principe sapere usare l’una e l’altra natura, e l’una senza l’altra non è durabile. Essendo adunque un Principe necessitato sapere bene usare la bestia, debbe di quella pigliare la volpe e il lione; perchè il lione non si defende da’ lacci, la volpe non si defende da’ lupi. Bisogna adunque essere volpe a cognoscere i lacci, e lione a sbigottire i lupi. Coloro che stanno semplicemente in sul lione, non se ne intendono. Non può pertanto un Signore prudente, nè debbe osservare la fede, quando tale osservanzia gli torni contro, e che sono spente le cagioni che la feciono promettere. E se gli uomini fussero tutti buoni, questo precetto non saria buono; ma perchè sono tristi, e non l’osserverebbono a te, tu ancora non l’hai da osservare a loro. Nè mai a un Principe mancheranno cagioni legittime di colorare l’inosservanza.
Di questo se ne potriano dare infiniti esempi moderni, e mostrare quante paci, quante promesse siano state fatte irrite e vane per la infedeltà de’ Principi; e a quello che ha saputo meglio usare la volpe, è meglio successo. Ma è necessario questa natura saperla bene colorire, ed essere gran simulatore e dissimulatore; e sono tanto semplici gli uomini, e tanto ubbidiscono alle necessità presenti, che colui che inganna, troverà sempre chi si lascerà ingannare. Io non voglio degli esempi freschi tacerne uno. Alessandro VI non fece mai altro che ingannare uomini, nè mai pensò ad altro, e trovò soggetto di poterlo fare; e non fu mai uomo che avesse maggiore efficacia in asseverare, e che con maggiori giuramenti affermasse una cosa, e che l’osservasse meno; nondimanco gli succederono sempre gl’inganni, perchè cognosceva bene questa parte del mondo. Ad un Principe adunque non è necessario avere in fatto tutte le soprascritte qualità, ma è ben necessario parere d’averle. Anzi ardirò di dire questo, che avendole, ed osservandole sempre, sono dannose; e parendo d’averle, sono utili; come parere pietoso, fedele, umano, religioso, intero, ed essere; ma stare in modo edificato con l’animo, che bisognando, tu possa e sappi mutare il contrario. E hassi ad intendere questo, che un Principe, e massime un Principe nuovo, non può osservare tutte quelle cose, per le quali gli uomini sono tenuti buoni, essendo spesso necessitato, per mantenere lo Stato, operare contro alla umanità, contro alla carità, contro alla religione. E però bisogna che egli abbia un animo disposto a volgersi secondo che i venti e le variazioni della fortuna gli comandano; e, come di sopra dissi, non partirsi dal bene, potendo, ma sapere entrare nel male, necessitato.
Deve adunque avere un Principe gran cura, che non gli esca mai di bocca una cosa che non sia piena delle soprascritte cinque qualità, e paia, a vederlo e udirlo, tutto pietà, tutto integrità, tutto umanità, tutto religione. E non è cosa più necessaria a parere d’avere, che quest’ultima qualità; perchè gli uomini in universale giudicano più agli occhi che alle mani, perchè tocca a vedere a ciascuno, a sentire a’ pochi. Ognuno vede quel che tu pari; pochi sentono quel che tu sei, e quelli pochi non ardiscono opporsi alla opinione de’ molti, che abbiano la maesta dello stato che gli difende; e nelle azioni di tutti gli uomini, e massime de’ Principi, dove non è giudizio a chi reclamare, si guarda al fine. Facci adunque un Principe conto di vivere e mantenere lo Stato; i mezzi saranno sempre giudicati onorevoli, e da ciascuno lodati; perchè il vulgo ne va sempre preso con quello che pare, e con l’evento della cosa; e nel mondo non è se non vulgo; e gli pochi hanno luogo, quando gli assai non hanno dove appoggiarsi. Alcuno Principe di questi tempi, il quale non è bene nominare, non predica mai altro, che pace e fede; e l’una e l’altra, quando e’ l’avesse osservata, gli arebbe più volte tolto lo Stato, e la riputazione.
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.
How Princes Should Keep Their Word
Everyone understands how praiseworthy it is for a Prince to keep his word and live with integrity rather than cunning. Yet experience in our own times shows that the Princes who have accomplished great things have held their promises in little regard, and have known how to turn men's minds by cunning; in the end they have overcome those who relied on loyalty. You must therefore know that there are two ways of fighting: one with laws, the other with force. The first belongs to men, the second to beasts; but because the first is often insufficient, one must resort to the second. A Prince must therefore know how to use both the beast and the man. Ancient writers taught Princes this lesson under a veil when they wrote that Achilles and many other Princes of old were entrusted to Chiron the centaur to be brought up under his discipline. To have a teacher half beast and half man means nothing other than that a Prince must know how to use both natures, for neither can endure without the other. Since a Prince must know how to use the beast well, he should take from it the fox and the lion: the lion cannot defend itself against traps, nor the fox against wolves. He must therefore be a fox to recognize traps and a lion to frighten wolves. Those who rely on the lion alone do not understand the matter. Thus a prudent ruler cannot, and should not, keep his word when keeping it would work against him and the reasons that led him to give it have ceased to exist. If all men were good, this rule would not be good; but since they are wicked and would not keep their word to you, you are not bound to keep yours to them. Nor will a Prince ever lack legitimate grounds for disguising his failure to keep it.
Countless modern examples of this could be given, showing how many treaties of peace and how many promises have been rendered void and worthless by the faithlessness of Princes; and the one who best knew how to play the fox has fared best. But he must know how to disguise this nature well, and be a great pretender and concealer. Men are so simple, and so governed by their immediate needs, that anyone who deceives will always find someone willing to be deceived. I will not pass over one recent example. Pope Alexander never did anything but deceive men, nor did he ever think of anything else, and he always found people he could deceive. No man ever asserted a thing more persuasively or confirmed it with greater oaths, yet no man kept his word less; nevertheless, his deceptions always succeeded, for he understood this side of the world well. A Prince, then, need not actually possess all the qualities mentioned above, but he must appear to possess them. Indeed, I will venture to say that to possess them and always practice them is harmful, while to appear to possess them is useful: to appear merciful, faithful, humane, religious, and upright, and to be so, but to have a mind so disposed that, when necessity requires, you can and know how to turn to their opposites. It must be understood that a Prince, and especially a new Prince, cannot observe everything for which men are held to be good, since he is often compelled, to preserve the state, to act against humanity, against charity, against religion. He must therefore have a mind ready to turn as the winds and changes of fortune command; and, as I said above, not depart from good when he can, but know how to enter into evil when compelled.
A Prince, then, must take great care that nothing ever passes his lips which is not full of the five qualities mentioned above, so that, to see and hear him, he appears all mercy, all integrity, all humanity, all religion. Of these, none is more necessary to appear to have than the last; for men in general judge more with their eyes than with their hands, since everyone can see, but few can feel. Everyone sees what you seem to be; few experience what you are, and those few dare not oppose the opinion of the many, who have the majesty of the state to defend them. In the actions of all men, and especially of Princes, where there is no court to which one can appeal, people look to the outcome. Let a Prince, then, make it his aim to live and preserve the state: his means will always be judged honorable and praised by everyone. For the common people are always taken in by appearances and by the result, and the world is made up of common people; the few find a place only when the many have nothing to lean on. A certain Prince of our times, whom it is better not to name, preaches nothing but peace and fidelity; yet had he kept either, he would have lost his state and his reputation many times over.
Plain English translation
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from the Italian text of all 26 chapters and the dedication.
How Princes Should Keep Their Word
Everyone understands how praiseworthy it is for a Prince to keep his word, live honestly, and avoid trickery. Still, experience in our own time shows that the Princes who have done great things have cared little about keeping their word. They have known how to outwit people, and in the end they have beaten those who relied on loyalty. You should know, then, that there are two ways to fight: through laws and through force. The first is the way of human beings; the second is the way of animals. But because the first often is not enough, one must turn to the second. A Prince must therefore know how to use both the human and the animal side. Ancient writers taught Princes this lesson indirectly. They wrote that Achilles and many other ancient Princes were entrusted to Chiron the centaur to be brought up under his guidance. Having a teacher who is half animal and half human means only this: a Prince must know how to use both natures, because neither can last without the other. Since a Prince must know how to act like an animal, he should choose the fox and the lion. The lion cannot protect itself from traps, and the fox cannot protect itself from wolves. So he must be a fox to spot traps and a lion to frighten wolves. Those who rely on the lion alone do not understand this. A sensible ruler therefore cannot and should not keep his word when doing so would work against him and the reasons he made his promise no longer exist. If everyone were good, this rule would be wrong. But because people are bad and would not keep their word to you, you do not have to keep yours to them. A Prince will never lack plausible reasons to disguise his failure to keep a promise.
Countless recent examples could be given of peace agreements and promises made worthless by Princes who broke their word. Those who knew best how to act like a fox had the most success. But a Prince must know how to hide this side of himself. He must be very good at pretending to be what he is not and concealing what he is. People are so easily fooled and so driven by their immediate needs that someone who deceives will always find people willing to be deceived. I will mention one recent example. Pope Alexander never did anything but deceive people, and never thought about anything else. He always found people he could deceive. No one ever made claims more convincingly, backed them up with more solemn oaths, or kept them less often. Yet his tricks always worked because he understood this part of human nature so well. A Prince does not actually need to have all the qualities listed above, but he does need to appear to have them. In fact, I will go further: always having and practicing those qualities is harmful, while appearing to have them is useful. He should appear merciful, faithful, humane, religious, and honest, and he should be these things. But he must be ready in his mind to do the opposite when he needs to, and know how to do it. Understand this: a Prince, especially a new Prince, cannot always do the things for which people are considered good. To preserve his state, he is often forced to act against humanity, charity, and religion. He must therefore be ready to change course as the winds and shifts of fortune demand. As I said above, he should not turn away from doing good when he can, but he must know how to do wrong when he has to.
A Prince must therefore take great care never to say anything that does not sound full of those five qualities. Anyone who sees or hears him should think he is wholly merciful, wholly honest, wholly humane, and wholly religious. Of all these qualities, appearing religious is the most necessary. People generally judge more by what they see than by what they experience firsthand. Everyone can see what you seem to be; few find out what you really are. Those few do not dare challenge the opinion of the many, who have the power of the state on their side. In judging what anyone does, especially a Prince, there is no court to appeal to, so people look at the outcome. Let a Prince focus on staying alive and preserving his state. His methods will always be judged honorable and praised by everyone. Ordinary people are always taken in by appearances and by how things turn out. The world is made up almost entirely of such people, and the few have no influence when the many have someone to support them. One Prince of our time, whom it would be better not to name, preaches nothing but peace and good faith. If he had ever kept either, he would have lost his state and his reputation many times over.