君主论-the prince(英文版)-第14章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


le；a　course　which　turned　out　advantageous　to　them　or　not；　accordingly　asthe　prince　knew　how　to　maintain　authority　over　them。From　these　causes　it　arose　that　Marcus　＇Aurelius＇；　Pertinax；　andAlexander；　being　all　men　of　modest　life；　lovers　of　justice；　enemies　tocruelty；　humane；　and　benignant；　came　to　a　sad　end　except　Marcus；　healone　lived　and　died　honoured；　because　he　had　succeeded　to　the　throne　byhereditary　title；　and　owed　nothing　either　to　the　soldiers　or　the　people；and　afterwards；　being　possessed　of　many　virtues　which　made　himrespected；　he　always　kept　both　orders　in　their　places　whilst　he　lived；and　was　neither　hated　nor　despised。But　Pertinax　was　created　emperor　against　the　wishes　of　the　soldiers；who；　being　accustomed　to　live　licentiously　under　modus；　could　notendure　the　honest　life　to　which　Pertinax　wished　to　reduce　them；　thus；having　given　cause　for　hatred；　to　which　hatred　there　was　added　contemptfor　his　old　age；　he　was　overthrown　at　the　very　beginning　of　hisadministration。　And　here　it　should　be　noted　that　hatred　is　acquired　asmuch　by　good　works　as　by　bad　ones；　therefore；　as　I　said　before；　a　princewishing　to　keep　his　state　is　very　often　forced　to　do　evil；　for　when　thatbody　is　corrupt　whom　you　think　you　have　need　of　to　maintain　yourself　……it　may　be　either　the　people　or　the　soldiers　or　the　nobles　……　you　have　tosubmit　to　its　humours　and　to　gratify　them；　and　then　good　works　will　doyou　harm。But　let　us　e　to　Alexander；　who　was　a　man　of　such　great　goodness；　thatamong　the　other　praises　which　are　accorded　him　is　this；　that　in　thefourteen　years　he　held　the　empire　no　one　was　ever　put　to　death　by　himunjudged；　nevertheless；　being　considered　effeminate　and　a　man　whoallowed　himself　to　be　governed　by　his　mother；　he　became　despised；　thearmy　conspired　against　him；　and　murdered　him。Turning　now　to　the　opposite　characters　of　modus；　Severus；　AntoninusCaracalla；　and　Maximinus；　you　will　find　them　all　cruel　and　rapacious　……men　who；　to　satisfy　their　soldiers；　did　not　hesitate　to　mit　everykind　of　iniquity　against　the　people；　and　all；　except　Severus；　came　to　abad　end；　but　in　Severus　there　was　so　much　valour　that；　keeping　thesoldiers　friendly；　although　the　people　were　oppressed　by　him；　he　reignedsuccessfully；　for　his　valour　made　him　so　much　admired　in　the　sight　ofthe　soldiers　and　people　that　the　latter　were　kept　in　a　way　astonishedand　awed　and　the　former　respectful　and　satisfied。　And　because　theactions　of　this　man；　as　a　new　prince；　were　great；　I　wish　to　show　brieflythat　he　knew　well　how　to　counterfeit　the　fox　and　the　lion；　whichnatures；　as　I　said　above；　it　is　necessary　for　a　prince　to　imitate。Knowing　the　sloth　of　the　Emperor　Julian；　he　persuaded　the　army　inSclavonia；　of　which　he　was　captain；　that　it　would　be　right　to　go　to　Romeand　avenge　the　death　of　Pertinax；　who　had　been　killed　by　the　praetoriansoldiers；　and　under　this　pretext；　without　appearing　to　aspire　to　thethrone；　he　moved　the　army　on　Rome；　and　reached　Italy　before　it　was　knownthat　he　had　started。　On　his　arrival　at　Rome；　the　Senate；　through　fear；elected　him　emperor　and　killed　Julian。　After　this　there　remained　forSeverus；　who　wished　to　make　himself　master　of　the　whole　empire；　twodifficulties；　one　in　Asia；　where　Niger；　head　of　the　Asiatic　army；　hadcaused　himself　to　be　proclaimed　emperor；　the　other　in　the　west　whereAlbinus　was；　who　also　aspired　to　the　throne。　And　as　he　considered　itdangerous　to　declare　himself　hostile　to　both；　he　decided　to　attack　Nigerand　to　deceive　Albinus。　To　the　latter　he　wrote　that；　being　electedemperor　by　the　Senate；　he　was　willing　to　share　that　dignity　with　him　andsent　him　the　title　of　Caesar；　and；　moreover；　that　the　Senate　had　madeAlbinus　his　colleague；　which　things　were　accepted　by　Albinus　as　true。But　after　Severus　had　conquered　and　killed　Niger；　and　settled　orientalaffairs；　he　returned　to　Rome　and　plained　to　the　Senate　that　Albinus；little　recognizing　the　benefits　that　he　had　received　from　him；　had　bytreachery　sought　to　murder　him；　and　for　this　ingratitude　he　waspelled　to　punish　him。　Afterwards　he　sought　him　out　in　France；　andtook　from　him　his　government　and　life。　He　who　will；　therefore；　carefullyexamine　the　actions　of　this　man　will　find　him　a　most　valiant　lion　and　amost　cunning　fox；　he　will　find　him　feared　and　respected　by　every　one；and　not　hated　by　the　army；　and　it　need　not　be　wondered　at　that　he；　thenew　man；　well；　because　his　supreme　renown　always　protected　him　from　thathatred　which　the　people　might　have　conceived　against　him　for　hisviolence。But　his　son　Antoninus　was　a　most　eminent　man；　and　had　very　excellentqualities；　which　made　him　admirable　in　the　sight　of　the　people　andacceptable　to　the　soldiers；　for　he　was　a　warlike　man；　most　enduring　offatigue；　a　despiser　of　all　delicate　food　and　other　luxuries；　whichcaused　him　to　be　beloved　by　the　armies。　Nevertheless；　his　ferocity　andcruelties　were　so　great　and　so　unheard　of　that；　after　endless　singlemurders；　he　killed　a　large　number　of　the　people　of　Rome　and　all　those　ofAlexandria。　He　became　hated　by　the　whole　world；　and　also　feared　by　thosehe　had　around　him；　to　such　an　extent　that　he　was　murdered　in　the　midstof　his　army　by　a　centurion。　And　here　it　must　be　noted　that　such…likedeaths；　which　are　deliberately　inflicted　with　a　resolved　and　desperatecourage；　cannot　be　avoided　by　princes；　because　any　one　who　does　not　fearto　die　can　inflict　them；　but　a　prince　may　fear　them　the　less　becausethey　are　very　rare；　he　has　only　to　be　careful　not　to　do　any　grave　injuryto　those　whom　he　employs　or　has　around　him　in　the　service　of　the　state。Antoninus　had　not　taken　this　care；　but　had　contumeliously　killed　abrother　of　that　centurion；　whom　also　he　daily　threatened；　yet　retainedin　his　bodyguard；　which；　as　it　turned　out；　was　a　rash　thing　to　do；　andproved　the　emperor's　ruin。But　let　us　e　to　modus；　to　whom　it　should　have　been　very　easy　tohold　the　empire；　for；　being　the　son　of　Marcus；　he　had　inherited　it；　andhe　had　only　to　follow　in　the　footsteps　of　his　father　to　please　hispeople　and　soldiers；　but；　being　by　nature　cruel　and　brutal；　he　gavehimself　up　to　amusing　the　soldiers　and　corrupting　them；　so　that　he　mightindulge　his　rapacity　upon　the　people；　on　the　other　hand；　not　maintaininghis　dignity；　often　descending　to　the　theatre　to　pete　with　gladiators；and　doing　other　vile　things；　little　worthy　of　the　imperial　majesty；　hefell　into　contempt　with　the　soldiers；　and　being　hated　by　one　party　anddespised　by　the　other；　he　was　conspired　against　and　killed。It　remains　to　discuss　the　character　of　Maximinus。　He　was　a　very　warlikeman；　and　the　armies；　being　disgusted　with　the　effeminacy　of　Alexander；of　whom　I　have　already　spoken；　killed　him　and　elected　Maximinus　to　thethrone。　This　he　did　not　possess　for　long；　for　two　things　made　him　hatedand　despised；　the　one；　his　having　kept　sheep　in　Thrace；　which　broughthim　into　contempt　（it　being　well　known　to　all；　and　considered　a　greatindignity　by　every　one）；　and　the　other；　his　having　at　the　accession　tohis　dominions　deferred　going　to　Rome　and　taking　possession　of　theimperial　seat；　he　had　also　gained　a　reputation　for　the　utmost　ferocityby　having；　through　his　prefects　in　Rome　and　elsewhere　in　the　empire；practised　many　cruelties；　so　that　the　whole　world　was　moved　to　anger　atthe　meanness　of　his　birth　and　to　fear　at　his　barbarity。　First　Africarebelled；　then　the　Senate　with　all　the　people　of　Rome；　and　all　Italyconspired　against　him；　to　which　may　be　added　his　own　army：　this　latter；besieging　Aquileia　and　meeting　with　difficulties　in　taking　it；　weredisgusted　with　his　cruelties；　and　fearing　him　less　when　they　found　somany　against　him；　murdered　him。I　do　not　wish　to　discuss　Heliogabalus；　Macrinus；　or　Julian；　who；　beingthoroughly　contemptible；　were　quickly　wiped　out；　but　I　will　bring　thisdiscourse　to　a　conclusion　by　saying　that　princes　in　our　times　have　thisdifficulty　of　giving　inordinate　satisfaction　to　their　soldiers　in　a　farless　degree；　because；　notwithstanding　one　has　to　give　them　someindulgence；　that　is　soon　done；　none　of　these　princes　have　armies　thatare　veterans　in　the　governance　and　administration　of　provinces；　as　werethe　armies　of　the　Roman　Empire；　and　whereas　it　was　then　more　necessaryto　give　satisfaction　to　the　soldiers　than　to　the　people；　it　is　now　morenecessary　to　all　princes；　except　the　Turk　and　the　Soldan；　to　satisfy　thepeople　rather　than　the　soldiers；　because　the　people　are　the　morepowerful。From　the　above　I　have　excepted　the　Turk；　who　always　keeps　round　himtwelve　infantry　and　fifteen　thousand　cavalry　on　which　depend　thesecurity　and　strength　of　the　kingdom；　and　it　is　necessary　that；　puttingaside　every　consideration　for　the　people；　he　should　keep　them　hisfriends。　The　kingdom　of　the　Soldan　is　similar；　being　entirely　in　thehands　of　soldiers；　follows　again　that；　without　regard　to　the　people；　hemust　keep　them　his　friends。　But　you　must　note　that　the　state　of　theSoldan　is　unlike　all　other　principalities；　for　the　reason　that　it　islike　the　Christian　pontificate；　which　cannot　be　called　either　anhereditary　or　a　newly　formed　principality；　because　the　sons　of　the　oldprince　not　the　heirs；　but　he　who　is　elected　to　that　position　by　thosewho　have　authority；　and　the　sons　remain　only　noblemen。　And　this　being　anancient　custom；　it　cannot　be　called　a　new　principality；　because　thereare　none　of　those　difficulties　in　it　that　are　met　with　in　new　ones；　foralthough　the　prince