Niccolò Machiavelli · Complete work
Chapter VI
Chapter VI of 27. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
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De’ Principati nuovi, che con le proprie armi e virtù si acquistano.
Non si maravigli alcuno se nel parlare che io farò de’ Principati al tutto nuovi, e di Principe e di Stato, io addurrò grandissimi esempi; perchè, camminando gli uomini quasi sempre per le vie battute da altri, e procedendo nelle azioni loro con le imitazioni, nè si potendo le vie d’altri al tutto tenere, nè alla virtù di quelli che tu imiti, aggiugnere, debbe un uomo prudente entrare sempre per vie battute da uomini grandi, e quelli che sono stati eccellentissimi, imitare, acciochè se la sua virtù non v’arriva, almeno ne renda qualche odore; e fare come gli arcieri prudenti, ai quali parendo il luogo, dove disegnano ferire, troppo lontano, e cognoscendo fino a quanto arriva la virtù del loro arco, pongono la mira assai più alta, che il luogo destinato, non per aggiugnere con la loro forza o freccia a tanta altezza, ma per potere con lo aiuto di sì alta mira pervenire al disegno loro. Dico adunque, che ne’ Principati in tutto nuovi, dove sia un nuovo Principe, si trova più o meno difficultà a mantenergli, secondo che più o meno virtuoso è colui che gli acquista. E perchè questo evento di diventare di privato Principe presuppone o virtù o fortuna, pare che l’una o l’altra di queste due cose mitighino in parte molte difficultà. Nondimeno colui che è stato manco in su la fortuna, si è mantenuto più. Genera ancora facilità l’essere il Principe costretto, per avere altri Stati, venirvi personalmente ad abitare. Ma per venire a quelli, che per propria virtù e non per fortuna sono diventati Principi, dico, che li più eccellenti sono Moisè, Ciro, Romulo, Teseo, e simili. E benchè di Moisè non si debba ragionare, essendo stato un mero esecutore delle cose che gli erano ordinate da Dio; pure merita di essere ammirato solamente per quella grazia che lo faceva degno di parlare con Dio.
Ma considerando Ciro e gli altri, che hanno acquistato o fondato regni, si troveranno tutti mirabili; e se si considereranno le azioni e ordini loro particulari, non parranno differenti da quelli di Moisè, benchè egli ebbe sì gran precettore. Ed esaminando le azioni, e vita loro, non si vedrà che quelli avessino altro dalla fortuna, che l’occasione, la quale dette loro materia di potervi introdurre quella forma che a lor parse; e senza quella occasione la virtù dell’animo loro si saria spenta, e senza quella virtù l’occasione sarebbe venuta invano. Era adunque necessario a Moisè trovare il popolo d’Isdrael in Egitto schiavo, e oppresso dagli Egizi, acciocchè quelli, per uscire di servitù, si disponessino a seguirlo. Conveniva che Romulo non capesse in Alba, e fusse stato esposto al nascer suo, a volere che diventasse Re di Roma, e fondatore di quella patria. Bisognava che Ciro trovasse i Persi malcontenti dell’imperio de’ Medi, ed i Medi molli ed effeminati per lunga pace. Non poteva Teseo dimostrare la sua virtù, se non trovava gli Ateniesi dispersi. Queste occasioni pertanto feciono questi uomini felici, e l’eccellente virtù loro fece quella occasione esser cognosciuta: donde la loro patria ne fu nobilitata, e diventò felicissima. Quelli i quali per vie virtuose simili a costoro diventano Principi, acquistano il Principato con difficultà, ma con facilità lo tengono; e le difficultà che hanno nell’acquistare il Principato, nascono in parte da’ nuovi ordini e modi, che sono forzati introdurre per fondare lo Stato loro e la loro sicurtà. E debbesi considerare come non è cosa più difficile a trattare, nè più dubbia a riuscire, nè più pericolosa a maneggiare, che farsi capo ad introdurre nuovi ordini. Perchè l’introduttore ha per nimici tutti coloro che degli ordini vecchi fanno bene; e tepidi difensori tutti quelli che degli ordini nuovi farebbono bene; la qual tepidezza nasce, parte per paura degli avversari, che hanno le leggi in beneficio loro, parte dalla incredulità degli uomini, i quali non credono in verità le cose nuove, se non ne veggono nata esperienza ferma. Donde nasce che qualunque volta quelli che sono nimici, hanno occasione di assaltare, lo fanno parzialmente, e quelli altri difendono tepidamente, in modo che insieme con loro si periclita. È necessario pertanto, volendo discorrere bene questa parte, esaminare se questi innovatori stanno per lor medesimi, o se dipendano da altri; cioè, se per condurre l’opera loro bisogna che preghino, ovvero possono forzare. Nel primo caso capitano sempre male, e non conducono cosa alcuna; ma quando dipendono da loro proprii, e possono forzare, allora è che rade volte periclitano. Di qui nacque che tutti li Profeti armati vinsono, e li disarmati rovinarono; perchè, oltre le cose dette, la natura de’ popoli è varia, ed è facile a persuadere loro una cosa, ma è difficile fermargli in quella persuasione. E però conviene essere ordinato in modo, che, quando non credono più, si possa far lor credere per forza.
Moisè, Ciro, Teseo, e Romulo non arebbono potuto fare osservare lungamente le loro costituzioni, se fussero stati disarmati, come ne’ nostri tempi intervenne a Frate Girolamo Savonarola, il quale rovinò ne’ suoi ordini nuovi, come la moltitudine cominciò a non credergli, e lui non aveva il modo da tenere fermi quelli, che avevano creduto, nè a far credere i discredenti. Però questi tali hanno nel condursi gran difficultà, e tutti i loro pericoli sono tra via, e conviene che con la virtù gli superino; ma superati che gli hanno, e che cominciano ad essere in venerazione, avendo spenti quelli che di sua qualità gli avevano invidia, rimangono potenti, sicuri, onorati, felici. A sì alti esempi io voglio aggiugnere uno esempio minore; ma bene arà qualche proporzione con quelli, e voglio mi basti per tutti li altri simili: e questo è Ierone Siracusano. Costui di privato diventò Principe di Siracusa; nè ancor egli cognobbe altro dalla fortuna che l’occasione: perchè essendo i Siracusani oppressi l’elessono per loro capitano, donde meritò d’essere fatto loro Principe; e fu di tanta virtù ancora in privata fortuna, che chi ne scrive dice, che niente gli mancava a regnare eccetto il Regno. Costui spense la milizia vecchia, ordinò la nuova, lasciò le amicizie antiche, prese delle nuove; e come ebbe amicizie e soldati che fussero suoi, potette in su tale fondamento edificare ogni edificio; tantochè egli durò assai fatica in acquistare, e poca in mantenere.
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.
Of New Principalities Acquired by One’s Own Arms and Ability
No one should be surprised if, in speaking of wholly new principalities, new both in Prince and in state, I bring forward the greatest examples. For men almost always walk in paths beaten by others and proceed in their actions by imitation; yet they cannot follow those paths exactly or attain the ability of the people they imitate. A prudent man, therefore, should always take the paths of great men and imitate those who have excelled above all others, so that if his ability falls short of theirs, at least some trace of it may remain. He should do as skilled archers do: when the place they intend to strike seems too distant, and they know how far the power of their bow can reach, they aim much higher than the intended mark—not because they expect their arrow to rise so high, but so that by aiming high they may hit their target. I say, then, that in wholly new principalities under a new Prince, there is more or less difficulty in maintaining them according to the greater or lesser ability of the man who acquires them. And since the event of a private citizen becoming a Prince presupposes either ability or fortune, it seems that one or the other of these partly eases many difficulties. Nevertheless, the man who has relied less on fortune has held on longer. It also makes matters easier when a Prince, because he has other states, is compelled to come and live there in person. But to come to those who have become Princes by their own ability and not by fortune, I say that the most outstanding are Moses, Cyrus, Romulus, Theseus, and others like them. And although one should not reason about Moses, since he merely carried out what God commanded him, he deserves admiration for the grace alone that made him worthy to speak with God.
But if we consider Cyrus and the others who acquired or founded kingdoms, we shall find them all admirable; and if we consider their particular deeds and institutions, they will not seem different from those of Moses, though he had so great a teacher. Examining their deeds and lives, we see that fortune gave them nothing but the opportunity that furnished the material upon which they could impose the form they thought best. Without that opportunity their strength of spirit would have been wasted, and without their ability the opportunity would have come in vain. It was necessary, then, for Moses to find the people of Israel enslaved in Egypt and oppressed by the Egyptians, so that they would be ready to follow him out of servitude. For Romulus to become king of Rome and founder of his country, he had to have no place in Alba and to be exposed at birth. Cyrus needed to find the Persians discontented with the rule of the Medes, and the Medes softened and enfeebled by a long peace. Theseus could not have shown his ability if he had not found the Athenians scattered. These opportunities, then, made those men fortunate, and their outstanding ability made them recognize the opportunities; from this their countries were ennobled and became exceedingly prosperous. Men who become Princes through ability, as they did, acquire a principality with difficulty but hold it with ease; and the difficulties they face in acquiring it arise in part from the new institutions and ways they are forced to introduce in order to establish their state and their own security. We must consider that there is nothing more difficult to undertake, more doubtful of success, or more dangerous to manage than taking the lead in introducing new institutions. For the innovator has as enemies all those who prosper under the old institutions, and as lukewarm defenders all those who would prosper under the new. Their lukewarmness arises partly from fear of their adversaries, who have the laws on their side, and partly from the skepticism of men, who do not truly believe in new things until they have seen firm proof of them. Thus, whenever the enemies have a chance to attack, they do so with partisan zeal, while the others offer only lukewarm defense, so that the innovator is put in danger along with them. To examine this matter properly, then, we must ask whether these innovators stand on their own or depend on others: that is, whether they must plead in order to carry out their work, or can compel. In the first case they always come to grief and accomplish nothing; but when they depend on themselves and can compel, they seldom come to harm. This is why all armed prophets have prevailed and the unarmed have failed. For beyond what has been said, the nature of peoples is changeable: it is easy to persuade them of something, but hard to keep them persuaded. Therefore one must be prepared, when they no longer believe, to make them believe by force.
Moses, Cyrus, Theseus, and Romulus could not have made their institutions obeyed for long if they had been unarmed, as happened in our own time to Friar Girolamo Savonarola. He was ruined by his new institutions as soon as the multitude began to disbelieve him, for he had no means of keeping steadfast those who had believed, or of making believers of those who did not. Such men, therefore, meet with great difficulty on their way, and all their dangers lie along the road; they must overcome them by ability. But once they have overcome them and begun to be held in reverence, having eliminated those of their own standing who envied them, they remain powerful, secure, honored, and happy. To these lofty examples I wish to add a lesser one, though it bears some resemblance to them; let it stand for all others like it: Hiero of Syracuse. From a private citizen he became Prince of Syracuse, and he too owed nothing to fortune but opportunity. For when the Syracusans were oppressed, they elected him their commander, and in that post he earned the right to be made their Prince. Even as a private citizen he had such ability that a writer on his life says he lacked nothing needed to reign except a kingdom. He abolished the old militia and organized a new one; he abandoned his old friendships and made new ones. Once he had friends and soldiers who were his own, he could build any structure on such a foundation; thus he labored greatly to gain his position and little to keep it.
Plain English translation
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from the Italian text of all 26 chapters and the dedication.
New Principalities Won with One's Own Arms and Ability
No one should be surprised if I use the greatest examples when I discuss principalities that are entirely new, with a new Prince ruling a new state. People nearly always follow paths others have taken and imitate what others have done. Yet they cannot follow those paths exactly or match the ability of the people they imitate. A sensible person should therefore follow the paths taken by great people and imitate the very best. Then, even if he cannot reach their level of ability, he will show some trace of it. He should act like a skilled archer who knows that his target is far away and knows how far his bow can shoot. He aims much higher than the target, not because he expects the arrow to reach that height, but because aiming high will let him hit the target. So I say that in entirely new principalities, with a new Prince, the difficulty of holding them depends on how much ability the conqueror has. A private person who becomes a Prince must have either ability or fortune. Either one seems to ease many of the difficulties to some extent. Still, those who have relied less on fortune have kept their states longer. It also helps when a Prince has no other states and is therefore forced to live in the new one himself. Turning to those who became Princes through their own ability rather than fortune, the finest examples are Moses, Cyrus, Romulus, Theseus, and others like them. We should perhaps leave Moses out of the discussion, since he simply carried out God's commands. Even so, he deserves admiration for the grace that made him worthy of speaking with God.
Consider Cyrus and the others who conquered or founded kingdoms: all were remarkable. Look at what each of them did and the institutions they set up, and you will find that they were no different from Moses, although Moses had such a great teacher. If we examine their lives and deeds, we can see that fortune gave them only an opportunity. This gave them material they could shape as they wished. Without that opportunity, their inner ability would have gone to waste. Without their ability, the opportunity would have been wasted. Moses needed to find the people of Israel enslaved in Egypt and oppressed by the Egyptians, so that they would be willing to follow him out of slavery. For Romulus to become King of Rome and found that city, he had to be unable to stay in Alba and to be abandoned at birth. Cyrus needed to find the Persians unhappy under Median rule and the Medes weakened and softened by a long peace. Theseus could not have shown his ability unless he had found the Athenians scattered. Those opportunities let these men succeed, and their exceptional ability let them recognize the opportunities. As a result, their homelands gained distinction and became very prosperous. Men who become Princes by able means like theirs find it hard to gain a principality but easy to keep it. Part of the difficulty in gaining it comes from the new institutions and ways of doing things they have to introduce to establish their state and make it secure. We must remember that nothing is harder to undertake, less certain to succeed, or more dangerous to manage than taking the lead in introducing new institutions. Everyone who benefits from the old institutions becomes an enemy of the person introducing the new ones. Those who might benefit from the new institutions give him only lukewarm support. In part, they are afraid of their opponents, who have the law on their side. In part, they are skeptical: people do not really believe in new things until they have seen firm proof that those things work. So whenever the opponents get a chance to attack, they attack with the full force of their faction, while the others offer only weak support. Together with those supporters, the reformer is put in danger. To examine this matter properly, we must ask whether people introducing changes can stand on their own or depend on others. In other words, must they plead with others to carry out their work, or can they use force? Those who must plead always come to a bad end and achieve nothing. Those who can rely on their own power and use force rarely fail. That is why all the armed prophets won and the unarmed ones were ruined. There is another reason besides those already given: people change their minds. It is easy to persuade them of something, but hard to keep them convinced. So the reformer must be ready to make them believe by force when they no longer believe willingly.
Moses, Cyrus, Theseus, and Romulus could not have kept their institutions in place for long if they had been unarmed. We saw what happened in our own time to Friar Girolamo Savonarola. His new institutions failed as soon as the people began to doubt him. He had no way to keep those who had believed him firm in their belief or to persuade those who did not believe. Men like these face great difficulty on their way to power. All their dangers come before they have fully succeeded, and they must overcome those dangers through their own ability. Once they do, people begin to respect them. If they have removed those who envied their standing, they remain powerful, secure, honored, and successful. I want to add a less grand example to these great ones. It still bears some resemblance to them, and it will serve for all other examples of its kind: Hiero of Syracuse. He went from private citizen to Prince of Syracuse, and fortune gave him nothing but an opportunity. The Syracusans were under pressure, so they chose him as their commander. He then earned the position of their Prince. Even as a private citizen he had so much ability that a writer said he lacked nothing needed to rule except a kingdom. He disbanded the old army and organized a new one. He ended his old friendships and made new ones. Once he had friends and soldiers who belonged to him, he could build whatever he wanted on that foundation. So gaining power cost him great effort, but holding it cost him little.