Page:The Book of the Courtier.djvu/430

 THE FOURTH BOOK OF THE COURTIER municate with the council of nobles concerning the affairs of the city, both public and private. And in this way there would be made of the prince (as of the head) and of the nobles and com- monalty (as of the members) a single united body, the govern- ment of which would spring chiefly from the prince and yet include the others also ; and this state would thus have the form of the three good kinds of government, which are Monarchy, Optimates, and People."' 32.—" Next I should show him that of the cares which belong to the prince, the most important is that of justice; for the main- tenance of which wise and well-tried men ought to be chosen to office, whose foresight is true foresight accompanied by good- ness, for else it is not foresight, but cunning; and when this goodness is lacking, the pleaders' skill and subtlety always work nothing but ruin and destruction to law and justice, and the guilt of all their errours must be laid on him who put them in office. " I should tell how justice also fosters that piety towards God which is the duty of all men, and especially of princes, who ought to love Him above every other thing and direct all their actions to Him as to the true end; and as Xenophon said, to honour and love Him always, but much more when they are in prosperity, so that afterwards they may the more reasonably have confidence to ask Him for mercy when they are in some adversity,*" For it is impossible to govern rightly either one's self or others without the help of God; who to the good some- times sends good fortune as His minister to relieve them from grievous perils; sometimes adverse fortune, to prevent their being so lulled by prosperity as to forget Him or human fore- sight, which often repairs evil fortune, as a good player repairs bad throws of the dice by placing his board well.*" Moreover I should not cease reminding the prince to be truly religious — not superstitious or given to the vanities of incantation and sooth- saying; for by adding divine piety and true religion to human foresight, he would have good fortune too and a protecting God always to increase his prosperity in peace and in war. 33—" Next I should tell how he ought to love his land and people, not holding them too much in bondage, lest he make 270