the defence of him to their utmost, when the Prince
is not wanting in other matters to himself; and so
shall he gaine double glory to have given a beginning
to a new Principality, adornd, and strengthnd it with
good lawes, good arms, good friends, and good examples;
as he shall have double shame, that is born a Prince,
and by reason of his small discretion hath lost it.
And if we shall consider those Lords, that in Italy
have lost their States in our dayes, as the King of
Naples, the Duke of Milan, and others; first we shall
find in them a common defect, touching their armes,
for the reasons which have been above discoursd at
length. Afterwards we shall see some of them,
that either shall have had the people for their enemies;
or be it they had the people to friend, could never
know how to assure themselves of the great ones:
for without such defects as these, States are not
lost, which have so many nerves, that they are able
to maintaine an army in the feld. Philip of Macedon,
not the father of Alexander the Great, but he that
was vanquished by Titus Quintius, had not much State
in regard of the greatnesse of the Romanes and of Greece
that assail’d him; neverthelesse in that he was
a warlike man and knew how to entertaine the people,
and assure himself of the Nobles, for many yeares
he made the warre good against them: and though
at last some town perhaps were taken from him, yet
the Kingdome remaind in his hands still. Wherefore
these our Princes who for many yeares had continued
in their Principalities, for having afterwards lost
them, let them not blame Fortune, but their own sloth;
because they never having thought during the time
of quiet, that they could suffer a change (which is
the common fault of men, while faire weather lasts,
not to provide for the tempest) when afterwards mischiefes
came upon them, thought rather upon flying from them,
than upon their defence, and hop’d that the people,
weary of the vanquishers insolence, would recall them:
which course when the others faile, is good:
but very ill is it to leave the other remedies for
that: for a man wou’d never go to fall,
beleeving another would come to take him up:
which may either not come to passe, or if it does,
it is not for thy security, because that defence of
his is vile, and depends not upon thee; but those
defences only are good, certaine, and durable, which
depend upon thy owne selfe, and thy owne vertues.
CHAP. XXV
How great power Fortune hath in humane affaires, and what meanes there is to resist it.
It is not unknown unto me, how that many have held opinion, and still hold it, that the affaires of the world are so governd by fortune, and by God, that men by their wisdome cannot amend or alter them; or rather that there is no remedy for them: and hereupon they would think that it were of no availe to take much paines in any thing, but leave all to be governd by chance. This opinion hath gain’d