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马基雅维里 君主论英文prince-第8部分

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them; because; being exalted and maintained by God; it would be the act

of a presumptuous and rash man to discuss them。



Nevertheless; if any one should ask of me how es it that the Church

has attained such greatness in temporal power; seeing that from

Alexander backwards the Italian potentates (not only those who have been

called potentates; but every baron and lord; though the smallest) have

valued the temporal power very slightly  yet now a king of France

trembles before it; and it has been able to drive him from Italy; and to

ruin the Venetians  although this may be very manifest; it does not

appear to me superfluous to recall it in some measure to memory。



Before Charles; King of France; passed into Italy; this country was

under the dominion of the Pope; the Venetians; the King of Naples; the

Duke of Milan; and the Florentines。 These potentates had two principal

anxieties: the one; that no foreigner should enter Italy under arms; the

other; that none of themselves should seize more territory。 Those about

whom there was the most anxiety were the Pope and the Venetians。 To

restrain the Venetians the union of all the others was necessary; as it

was for the defence of Ferrara; and to keep down the Pope they made use

of the barons of Rome; who; being divided into two factions; Orsini and

Colonna; had always a pretext for disorder; and; standing with arms in

their hands under the eyes of the Pontiff; kept the pontificate weak and

powerless。 And although there might arise sometimes a courageous pope;

such as Sixtus 'IV'; yet neither fortune nor wisdom could rid him of

these annoyances。 And the short life of a pope is also a cause of

weakness; for in the ten years; which is the average life of a pope; he

can with difficulty lower one of the factions; and if; so to speak; one

pope should almost destroy the Colonna; another would arise hostile to

the Orsini; who would support their opponents; and yet would not have

time to ruin the Orsini。 This was the reason why the temporal powers of

the pope were little esteemed in Italy。



Alexander VI arose afterwards; who of all the pontiffs that have ever

been showed how a pope with both money and arms was able to prevail; and

through the instrumentality of the Duke Valentino; and by reason of the

entry of the French; he brought about all those things which I have

discussed above in the actions of the duke。 And although his intention

was not to aggrandize the Church; but the duke; nevertheless; what he

did contributed to the greatness of the Church; which; after his death

and the ruin of the duke; became the heir to all his labours。



Pope Julius came afterwards and found the Church strong; possessing all

the Romagna; the barons of Rome reduced to impotence; and; through the

chastisements Alexander; the factions wiped out; he also found the way

open to accumulate money in a manner such as had never been practised

before Alexander's time。 Such things Julius not only followed; but

improved upon; and he intended to gain Bologna; to ruin the Venetians;

and to drive the French out of Italy。 All of these enterprises prospered

with him; and so much the more to his credit; inasmuch as he did

everything to strengthen the Church and not any private person。 He kept

also the Orsini and Colonna factions within the bounds in which he found

them; and although there was among them some mind to make disturbance;

nevertheless he held two things firm: the one; the greatness of the

church; with which he terrified them; and the other; not allowing them

to have their own cardinals; who caused the disorders among them。 For

whenever these factions have their cardinals they do not remain quiet

for long; because cardinals foster the factions in Rome and out of it;

and the barons are pelled to support them; and thus from the

ambitions of prelates arise disorders and tumults among the barons。 For

these reasons his Holiness Pope Leo found the pontificate most powerful;

and it is to be hoped that; if others made it great in arms; he will

make it still greater and more venerated by his goodness and infinite

other virtues。



CHAPTER XII



HOW MANY KINDS OF SOLDIERY THERE ARE; AND CONCERNING MERCENARIES



HAVING discoursed particularly on the characteristics of such

principalities as in the beginning I proposed to discuss; and having

considered in some degree the causes of their being good or bad; and

having shown the methods by which many have sought to acquire them and

to hold them; it now remains for me to discuss generally the means of

offence and defence which belong to each of them。



We have seen above how necessary it is for a prince to have his

foundations well laid; otherwise it follows of necessity he will go to

ruin。 The chief foundations of all states; new as well as old or

posite; are good laws and good arms; and as there cannot be good laws

where the state is not well armed; it follows that where they are well

armed they have good laws。 I shall leave the laws out of the discussion

and shall speak of the arms。



I say; therefore; that the arms with which a prince defends his state

are either his own; or they are mercenaries; auxiliaries; or mixed。

Mercenaries and auxiliaries are useless and dangerous; and if one holds

his state based on these arms; he will stand neither firm nor safe; for

they are disunited; ambitious and without discipline; unfaithful;

valiant before friends; cowardly before enemies; they have neither the

fear of God nor fidelity to men; and destruction is deferred only so

long as the attack is; for in peace one is robbed by them; and in war by

the enemy。 The fact is; they have no other attraction or reason for

keeping the field than a trifle of stipend; which is not sufficient to

make them willing to die for you。 They are ready enough to be your

soldiers whilst you do not make war; but if war es they take

themselves off or run from the foe; which I should have little trouble

to prove; for the ruin of Italy has been caused by nothing else than by

resting all her hopes for many years on mercenaries; and although they

formerly made some display and appeared valiant amongst themselves; yet

when the foreigners came they showed what they were。 Thus it was that

Charles; King of France; was allowed to seize Italy with chalk in hand;

'1' and he who told us that our sins were the cause of it told the

truth; but they were not the sins he imagined; but those which I have

related。 And as they were the sins of princes; it is the princes who

have also suffered the penalty。



I wish to demonstrate further the infelicity of these arms。 The

mercenary captains are either capable men or they are not; if they are;

you cannot trust them; because they always aspire to their own

greatness; either by oppressing you; who are their master; or others

contrary to your intentions; but if the captain is not skilful; you are

ruined in the usual way。



And if it be urged that whoever is armed will act in the same way;

whether mercenary or not; I reply that when arms have to be resorted to;

either by a prince or a republic; then the prince ought to go in person

and perform the duty of captain; the republic has to send its citizens;

and when one is sent who does not turn out satisfactorily; it ought to

recall him; and when one is worthy; to hold him by the laws so that he

does not leave the mand。 And experience has shown princes and

republics; single…handed; making the greatest progress; and mercenaries

doing nothing except damage; and it is more difficult to bring a

republic; armed with its own arms; under the sway of one of its citizens

than it is to bring one armed with foreign arms。 Rome and Sparta stood

for many ages armed and free。 The Switzers are pletely armed and

quite free。



Of ancient mercenaries; for example; there are the Carthaginians; who

were oppressed by their mercenary soldiers after the first war with the

Romans; although the Carthaginians had their own citizens for captains。

After the death of Epaminondas; Philip of Macedon was made captain of

their soldiers by the Thebans; and after victory he took away their

liberty。



Duke Filippo being dead; the Milanese enlisted Francesco Sforza against

the Venetians; and he; having overe the enemy at Caravaggio; allied

himself with them to crush the Milanese; his masters。 His father;

Sforza; having been engaged by Queen Johanna of Naples; left her

unprotected; so that she was forced to throw herself into the arms of

the King of Aragon; in order to save her kingdom。 And if the Venetians

and Florentines formerly extended their dominions by these arms; and yet

their captains did not make themselves princes; but have defended them;

I reply that the Florentines in this case have been favoured by chance;

for of the able captains; of whom they might have stood in fear; some

have not conquered; some have been opposed; and others have turned their

ambitions elsewhere。 One who did not conquer was Giovanni Acuto; '2' and

since he did not conquer his fidelity cannot be proved; but every one

will acknowledge that; had he conquered; the Florentines would have

stood at his discretion。 Sforza had the Bracceschi always against him;

so they watched each other。 Francesco turned his ambition to Lombardy;

Braccio against the Church and the kingdom of Naples。 But let us e to

that which happened a short while ago。 The Florentines appointed as

their captain Paolo Vitelli; a most prudent man; who from a private

position had risen to the greatest renown。 If this man had taken Pisa;

nobody can deny that it would have been proper for the Florentines to

keep in with him; for if he became the soldier of their enemies they had

no means of resisting; and if they held to him they must obey him。 The

Venetians; if their achievements are considered; will be seen to have

acted safely and gloriously so long as they sent to war their own men;

when with armed

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