Letter from Niccolo Machiavelli to Francesco Vettori, 10 December 1513On the coming of evening, I return to my house and enter my study; and at thedoor I take off the day's clothing, covered with mud and dust, and put on garmentsregal and courtly; and reclothed appropriately, I enter the ancient courts of ancientmen, where, received by them with affection, I feed on that food which only ismine and which I was born for, where I am not ashamed to speak with them andto ask them the reason for their actions; and they in their kindness answer me; andfor four hours of time I do not feel boredom, I forget every trouble, I do not dreadpoverty, I am not frightened by death; entirely I give myself over to them.And because Dante says it does not produce knowledge when we hear butdo not remember, I have noted everything in their conversation which has profitedme, and have composed a little work On Princedoms (De principatibus), where Igo as deeply as I can into considerations on this subject, debating what aprincedom is, of what kinds they are, how they are gained, how they are kept, whythey are lost.The Prince, by Nicolo Machiavelli (1513, 1532)Chapter VII, Concerning New Principalities Which Are Acquired Either By The Arms Of OthersOr By Good FortuneConcerning these two methods of rising to be a prince by ability or fortune, I wishto adduce two examples within our own recollection, and these are FrancescoSforza and Cesare Borgia. Francesco, by proper means and with great ability,from being a private person [a condotierri, mercenary army leader] rose to beDuke of Milan, and that which he had acquired with a thousand anxieties he keptwith little trouble. On the other hand, Cesare Borgia, called by the people DukeValentino, acquired his state during the ascendancy of his father [Pope AlexanderVI], and on its decline he lost it, notwithstanding that he had taken every measureand done all that ought to be done by a wise and able man to fix firmly his roots inthe states which the arms and fortunes of others had bestowed on him....And as this point [how he managed power below] is worthy of notice, andto be imitated by others, I am not willing to leave it out.When the duke occupied the Romagna he found it under the rule of weakmasters, who rather plundered their subjects than ruled them, and gave them morecause for disunion than for union, so that the country was full of robbery, quarrels,and every kind of violence; and so, wishing to bring back peace and obedience toauthority, he considered it necessary to give it a good governor. Thereupon hepromoted Messer Ramiro d'Orco [de Lorqua], a swift and cruel man, to whom hegave the fullest power. This man in a short time restored peace and unity with thegreatest success. Afterwards the duke considered that it was not advisable toconfer such excessive authority, for he had no doubt but that he would becomeodious, so he set up a court of judgment in the country, under a most excellentpresident, wherein all cities had their advocates. And because he knew that thepast severity had caused some hatred against himself, so, to clear himself in theminds of the people, and gain them entirely to himself, he desired to show that, ifany cruelty had been practiced, it had not originated with him, but in the naturalsternness of the minister. Under this pretense he took Ramiro, and one morningcaused him to be executed and left on the piazza at Cesena with the block and abloody knife at his side. The barbarity of this spectacle caused the people to be atonce satisfied and dismayed.Chapter XVII, Concerning Cruelty And Clemency, And Whether It Is Better To Be Loved ThanFearedComing now to the other qualities mentioned above, I say that every prince oughtto desire to be considered clement and not cruel. Nevertheless he ought to takecare not to misuse this clemency. Cesare Borgia was considered cruel;notwithstanding, his cruelty reconciled the Romagna, unified it, and restored it topeace and loyalty. And if this be rightly considered, he will be seen to have beenmuch more merciful than the Florentine people, who, to avoid a reputation forcruelty, permitted Pistoia to be destroyed. Therefore a prince, so long as he keepshis subjects united and loyal, ought not to mind the reproach of cruelty; becausewith a few examples he will be more merciful than those who, through too muchmercy, allow disorders to arise, from which follow murders or robberies; for theseare wont to injure the whole people, whilst those executions which originate witha prince offend the individual only....Upon this a question arises: whether it be better to be loved than feared orfeared than loved? It may be answered that one should wish to be both, but,because it is difficult to unite them in one person, is much safer to be feared thanloved, when, of the two, either must be dispensed with. Because this is to beasserted in general of men, that they are ungrateful, fickle, false, cowardly,covetous, and as long as you succeed they are yours entirely; they will offer youtheir blood, property, life and children, as is said above, when the need is fardistant; but when it approaches they turn against you. And that prince who, relyingentirely on their promises, has neglected other precautions, is ruined; becausefriendships that are obtained by payments, and not by greatness or nobility ofmind, may indeed be earned, but they are not secured, and in time of need cannotbe relied upon; and men have less scruple in offending one who is beloved thanone who is feared, for love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing tothe baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fearpreserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails.Chapter XXI, How A Prince Should Conduct Himself As To Gain RenownNothing makes a prince so much esteemed as great enterprises and setting a fineexample. We have in our time Ferdinand of Aragon, the present King of Spain.He can almost be called a new prince, because he has risen, by fame and glory,from being an insignificant king to be the foremost king in Christendom; and ifyou will consider his deeds you will find them all great and some of themextraordinary. In the beginning of his reign he attacked Granada, and thisenterprise was the foundation of his dominions. He did this quietly at first andwithout any fear of hindrance, for he held the minds of the barons of Castileoccupied in thinking of the war and not anticipating any innovations; thus they