Page:Readings in European History Vol 2.djvu/48

 lO Readings in liuropean History 232a. Whether it is prudent for a prince to keep his promises. A prince should not k<<-]> hit word when to keep it would injur'.- him. money of the Church and of his subjects he was able to maintain his armies, and during the prolonged contest to lay the foundations of that military discipline which afterwards marie him so famous. Moreover, to enable him to engage in still greater under takings, always covering himself with the cloak of religion, he had recourse to what may be called "pious cruelty," in driving out and clearing his kingdom of the Moors; than which exploit none could be more wonderful or uncommon. Using the same pretext, he made war on Africa, invaded Italy, and finally attacked Franc- : and being thus con« ,t intly busied in planning and executing va A designs, he kept the minds of his subjects in suspense and admiration, and occupied with the results of his actions, which arose one out of another in such close succession as left neither time nor opportunity to oppose them. . . . Every one understands how praiseworthy it is in a prince to keep faith, and to live uprightly and not craftily. Never- theless we see, from what has taken place in our own days, that princes who have set little store by their word, but have known how to overreach men by their cunning, have accom- plished great things, and in the end got the better of those who trusted to honest dealing. lie it known, then, that there are two ways of contend- ing, — one in accordam e with the laws, the other by force ; the first of which is proper to men, the second to beasts. iiut since the first method is often ineffectual, it becomes necessary to resort to the second. A prince should, there fore, understand how to use well both the man and the beast. . . . But inasmuch as a prince should know how to use the beast's nature wisely, he ought of beasts to choose both the lion and the fox ; for the lion cannot guard himself from the toils, nor the fox from wolves. He must therefore be a fox to discern toils, and a lion to drive off wolves. To rely wholly on the lion is unwise; and for this reason a prudent prince neither can nor ought to keep his word when to keep it is hurtful to him and the causes which led