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第5章

君主论-the prince(英文版)-第5章

小说: 君主论-the prince(英文版) 字数: 每页4000字

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ing back the French into Italy; he would not only not oppose this; buthe would render it more easy by dissolving the former marriage of KingLouis。 Therefore the king came into Italy with the assistance of theVeians and the consent of Alexander。 He was no sooner in Milan thanthe Pope had soldiers from him for the attempt on the Romagna; whichyielded to him on the reputation of the king。 The duke; therefore;having acquired the Romagna and beaten the Colonna; while wishing tohold that and to advance further; was hindered by two things: the one;his forces did not appear loyal to him; the other; the goodwill ofFrance: that is to say; he feared that the forces of the Orsini; whichwas using; would not stand to him; that not only might they hinder himfrom winning more; but might themselves seize what he had won; and thatthe King might also do the same。 Of the Orsini he had a warning when;after taking Faenza and attacking Bologna; he saw them go veryunwillingly to that attack。 And as to the king; he learned his mind whenhe himself; after taking the duchy of Urbino; attacked Tuscany; and theking made him desist from that undertaking; hence the duke decided todepend no more upon the arms and the luck of others。For the first thing he weakened the Orsini and Colonna parties in Rome;by gaining to himself all their adherents who were gentlemen; makingthem his gentlemen; giving them good pay; and; according to their rank;honouring them with office and mand in such a way that in a fewmonths all attachment to the factions was destroyed and turned entirelyto the duke。 After this he awaited an opportunity to crush the Orsini;having scattered the adherents of the Colonna。 This came to him soon andhe used it well; for the Orsini; perceiving at length that theaggrandizement of the duke and the Church was ruin to them; called ameeting at Magione; in the territory of Perugia。 From this sprung therebellion at Urbino and the tumults in the Romagna; with endless dangersto the duke; all of which he overcame with the help of the French。Having restored his authority; not to leave it at risk by trustingeither to the French or other outside forces; he had recourse to hiswiles; and he knew so well how to conceal his mind that; by themediation of Signor Paolo 'Orsini' …… whom the duke did not fail tosecure with all kinds of attention; giving him money; apparel; andhorses …… the Orsini were reconciled; so that their simplicity broughtthem into his power at Sinigaglia。 Having exterminated the leaders; andturned their partisans into his friends; the duke had laid sufficientlygood foundations to his power; having all the Romagna and the duchy ofUrbino; and the people now beginning to appreciate their prosperity; hegained them all over to himself。 And as this point is worthy of notice;and to 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 gavethem more cause for disunion than for union; so that the country wasfull of robbery; quarrels; and every kind of violence; and so; wishingto bring back peace and obedience to authority; he considered itnecessary to give it a good governor。 Thereupon he promoted MesserRamiro d'Orco 'de Lorqua'; a swift and cruel man; to whom he gave thefullest power。 This man in a short time restored peace and unity withthe greatest success。 Afterwards the duke considered that it was notadvisable to confer such excessive authority; for he had no doubt butthat he would bee odious; so he set up a court of judgment in thecountry; under a most excellent president; wherein all cities had theiradvocates。 And because he knew that the past severity had caused somehatred against himself; so; to clear himself in the minds of the people;and gain them entirely to himself; he desired to show that; if anycruelty had been practised; it had not originated with him; but in thenatural sternness of the minister。 Under this pretence he took Ramiro;and one morning caused him to be executed and left on the piazza atCesena with the block and a bloody knife at his side。 The barbarity ofthis spectacle caused the people to be at once satisfied and dismayed。But let us return whence we started。 I say that the duke; findinghimself now sufficiently powerful and partly secured from immediatedangers by having armed himself in his own way; and having in a greatmeasure crushed those forces in his vicinity that could injure him if hewished to proceed with his conquest; had next to consider France; for heknew that the king; who too late was aware of his mistake; would notsupport him。 And from this time he began to seek new alliances and totemporize with France in the expedition which she was making towards thekingdom of Naples against the Spaniards who were besieging Gaeta。 It washis intention to secure himself against them; and this he plished had Alexander lived。Such was his line of action as to present affairs。 But as to the futurehe had to fear; in the first place; that a new successor to the Churchmight not be friendly to him and might seek to take from him that whichAlexander had given him; so he decided to act in four ways。 Firstly; byexterminating the families of those lords whom he had despoiled; so asto take away that pretext from the Pope。 Secondly; by winning to himselfall the gentlemen of Rome; so as to be able to curb the Pope with theiraid; as has been observed。 Thirdly; by converting the college more tohimself。 Fourthly; by acquiring so much power before the Pope should diethat he could by his own measures resist the first shock。 Of these fourthings; at the death of Alexander; he had acplished three。 For he hadkilled as many of the dispossessed lords as he could lay hands on; andfew had escaped; he had won over the Roman gentlemen; and he had themost numerous party in the college。 And as to any fresh acquisition; heintended to bee master of Tuscany; for he already possessed Perugiaand Piombino; and Pisa was under his protection。 And as he had no longerto study France (for the French were already driven out of the kingdomof Naples by the Spaniards; and in this way both were pelled to buyhis goodwill); he pounced down upon Pisa。 After this; Lucca and Sienayielded at once; partly through hatred and partly through fear of theFlorentines; and the Florentines would have had no remedy had hecontinued to prosper; as he was prospering the year that Alexander died;for he had acquired so much power and reputation that he would havestood by himself; and no longer have depended on the luck and the forcesof others; but solely on his own power and ability。But Alexander died five years after he had first drawn the sword。 Heleft the duke with the state of Romagna alone consolidated; with therest in the air; between two most powerful hostile armies; and sick untodeath。 Yet there were in the duke such boldness and ability; and he knewso well how men are to be won or lost; and so firm were the foundationswhich in so short a time he had laid; that if he had not had thosearmies on his back; or if he had been in good health; he would haveovere all difficulties。 And it is seen that his foundations weregood; for the Romagna awaited him for more than a month。 In Rome;although but half alive; he remained secure; and whilst the Baglioni;the Vitelli; and the Orsini might e to Rome; they could not effectanything against him。 If he could not have made Pope him whom he wished;at least the one whom he did not wish would not have been elected。 Butif he had been in sound health at the death of Alexander; everythingwould have been easy to him。 On the day that Julius II was elected; hetold me that he had thought of everything that might occur at the deathof his father; and had provided a remedy for all; except that he hadnever anticipated that; when the death did happen; he himself would beon the point to die。When all the actions of the duke are recalled; I do not know how toblame him; but rather it appears to me; as I have said; that I ought tooffer him for imitation to all those who; by the fortune or the arms ofothers; are raised to government。 Because he; having a lofty spirit andfar…reaching aims; could not have regulated his conduct otherwise; andonly the shortness of the life of Alexander and his own sicknessfrustrated his designs。 Therefore; he who considers it necessary tosecure himself in his new principality; to win friends; to overeeither by force or fraud; to make himself beloved and feared by thepeople; to be followed and revered by the soldiers; to exterminate thosewho have power or reason to hurt him; to change the old order of thingsfor new; to be severe and gracious; magnanimous and liberal; to destroya disloyal soldiery and to create new; to maintain friendship with kingsand princes in such a way that they must help him with zeal and offendwith caution; cannot find a more lively example than the actions of thisman。Only can he be blamed for the election of Julius II; in whom he made abad choice; because; as is said; not being able to elect a Pope to hisown mind; he could have hindered any other from being elected Pope; andhe ought never to have consented to the election of any cardinal whom hehad injured or who had cause to fear him if they became pontiff

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