The works of the famous Nicholas Machiavel, citizen and secretary of Florence written originally in Italian, and from thence newly and faithfully translated into English.

CHAP. XLVII.

Though the people, in things that are discours'd in general, are many times mistaken, yet when they are reduced to particulars, they are more sensible and judicious.

THe Name of consul (as we said before) being grown odious to the people of Rome they resolved to have them created for the future out of the Populace; or else to limit and circumscribe their authority with such rulers as they should think fit. The Nobility, to prevent both inconveniences, took a way betwixt both, and was contented that they should create four Tribunes with consular authority, to be chosen indifferently out of the people, and Senate. The people were well enough satisfied, as thinking by that means the Consulship would extinguish, and that they should have a share of the supream dignity themselves. But observe what followed when they came to the creation of their Tribunes, and it was not only in their power, but expected, that they should have been all made out of the people, they chose them all out of the Nobility, which gave occasion to Livy to say, Quorum Comitiorum eventus docuit, alios animos in Contentione libertatis & honoris, alios secundum deposita Certamina in incorrupto judicio esse. The success of that Election did show, That when their honour and liberty were in controversie, the people were of one mind; when they were secure and free, they were of another. Con∣sidering with my self what might be the reason, I suppose it is because men are more apt to be mistaken in generals, than in particulars. The people thought themselves more worthy of the Cousulship than the Nobility, because they had the greatest interest in the City; They underwent the greatest difficulty in the Wars, and it was their Arms which defended its liberty, and propagated the Empire of Rome: according to which argument, their desires seeming but reasonable, they resolved they would have them in spight of all opposition: But when they came to particulars, and to examine their own private Ca∣pacities for Government, they found themselves so weak and defective, that though alto∣gether they thought themselves able enough, yet they could not find one man they judged proper for the employment; ashamed therefore of their incapacity, they gave their voices for such as they found were more really worthy; which Titus Livius admiring, has these words, Hanc modestiam, aequitatem{que} & altitudinem animi ubi nunc in uno inveneris, quae tunc populi universi fuit? Where will you find now-a-days, that Modesty, that Equity, that Magnanimity in one man, that was then obvious in the whole body of the people? To the same purpose there hapned another notable Example in Capua, after Hanibal had defeated the Romans at the Battel of Cannas. After that defeat, the Inhabitants of Capua began to mutiny against the Government (as indeed all Italy did at that time) the grounds of their discontent, was an old pique betwixt the people and Senate, which the first thought then to improve to the destruction of the other. Pacuvius Calanus being a very wise man, and at the Helm at that time, considering with himself of what dangerous conse∣quence a tumult might prove in so populous a City, resolved to find out some way to accommodate their difference. To this end, he assembled the Senate, and in few words remonstrated to them the implacable hatred which the people had to them; That they were in great danger of being murthered by them, and the City delivered up to Hanibal, by reason that the condition of Rome was become so deplorable; and at length he con∣cluded, that if they would commit the whole matter to him, he would find out an expe∣dient to unite them, and his expedient was to lock up the Senate in the Palace, and by putting them into the peoples power, to preserve them. The Senate submitted, were lock'd up in the Castle, and having assembled the people, he told them, That the hour was now come for redeeming their liberty, and chastising the insolence of their Nobility, who had so often abused them. He told them he had them all lock'd up in his Custody, to be disposed of as they pleased; but because he could not think it was their desire to leave the City without a Government, before they proceeded to the execution of the ancient Sena∣tors, it would be necessary, as he conceived, to think of creating a new one; to that purpose he had brought the Names of the old Senators in a Purse, would draw them out one by one, and as they resolved upon another to succeed in each place, he would see the old one delivered out to execution. The people were content, and Pacuvius drew one, and nam'd him aloud, upon which a great noise was raised, some said he was cruel, others he was proud, and others that he was arrogant: Then says Pacuvius, he is unfit to be continued, pray will you make choice of another in his stead. Silence was commanded, and one of the people was named; He was named no sooner, but some began to hum,

others to laugh, and all to revile, and so proceeding from one to another, they were all concluded unfit for so honourable a degree. Paccucius taking the occasion, told them, since you are sensible it is unfit that the City should be without a Senate; and since you cannot agree about the Election of a new; it would be expedient in my judgment, that you pro∣pose some way of reconciliation; for doubtless the fear in which the Senators have been, must of necessity have so humbled them, that that gentleness and humanity which you have sought for elsewhere, may now be found in them. The people began then to discover in particular, the fault which they had committed in judging in general, and declared they were ready for any reasonable reconciliation. And in this manner it is that most people deceive themselves in judging generally of things and their accidents, which upon parti∣cular examination they do easily discover.

After the year 1414. the chief of the Florentines being driven out of the City, it was left wholly without order or government, over-whelm'd with licentiousness and ambition, and the interest of the publick running headlong to ruine. Many of the popular party foreseeing the inevitable destruction of the City, and not knowing to what else to impute it, they charged it upon the ambition of some persons among the Nobility, which (as they pretended) formented their disorders, to take away their liberty, and model the State according to their own fancies, and designs. And these Mutineers were in all places; in the Streets, in the Houses, in the palaces, declaring publickly, and threatning that if ever they came to the government, they would look farther into the business, and punish all those which they should find conscious of it. It hapned afterwards that some of these Citizens were advanced as they desired; but when they were at that height, and saw things nearer than before, they became sensible of their error, and found that it was not the am∣bition of the Nobility, but the malignity of the times, which was the occasion of all their trouble and commotion; so as they became new men, and exercised a new way of administration; Insomuch that those who had heard them complain and threaten when they were in private capacity, seeing them now at the helm, and performing nothing that they had promised, did not look upon it as conviction of their judgment, so much as corruption of their minds. Which thing being frequent among them, gave occasion to the Proverb, Costoro hanno un animo in Piazza, et uno in Palazzo. They are of one mind in the Town, and another in the Throne. Thus, by serious consideration of what has been said we may see how to open the eyes of the people, and reduce them to a sence of their errors, if we take them from their general and abstracted notions, and fix them upon par∣ticulars, as in the case of Paccucius in Capua, and the Senate in Rome. Again, I am of opinion that no wise man is to decline the judgment of the people in the distribution of Offices and Honours, and such particular affairs; for in those things they are almost infallible, and when they do mistake, it is rather to be attributed to the obstinacy of some few, to whom that business is referred, than to the ignorance of the whole body; which being certainly so, I think it not superfluous to shew in my next Chapter the Order which the Senate observed to over-reach the people in those kinds of distributions.