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. XXXI.

Powerful States, and excellent Persons, retain the same mind and dignity in all kind of conditions.

AMong the rest of the great actions and words which our Author commemorates, and mentions as certain arguments of the great virtue and excellence of Camillus, in a speech of his to his Souldiers, he brings him in with this expression; Nec mihi Dictatura animos fecit, nec exilium ademit; I was neither elated with my Dictatorship, nor dejected with my Banishment. From whence we may observe that great men are never discomposed; let fortune vary as she pleases, let her advance them sometimes, and depress them at others, they are in the same settlement and tranquillity, so quiet and firm in their minds, that every man may see it's not in the power of fortune to disorder them; whereas pusillanimous and mean spirited persons, inebriated with their good fortune, and attributing all to their own virtue and good conduct, make themselves odious and insupportable to all that are about them, and that arrogance exposes them to many revolutions, which coming upon them on a sudden, do so terrifie and dismay them, that they run into the other extreme, and become as abject and vile. Hence it is that in time of adversity such Princes think more of their escape than defence, having made themselves uncapable of that by their ill management be∣fore. And as this diversity of temper is many times to be found in particular Persons, and Princes; so it is incident to Commonwealths, as may be seen by the example of the Ro∣mans and Venetians. The first were never dejected by any ill fortune, nor transported by any good; as appears by their defeat at the Battle of Cannas, and their Victory against An∣tiochus: their defeat at Cannas was the third which they had received, and for that reason was very considerable; yet they were not so terrified, or cowed, as to commit any thing con∣trary to the old dignity of the Romans; for they resolved to continue the war; they raised more forces; they refused to redeem their prisoners upon any new terms; and could not be brought to make any overtures of Peace, either to Hanibal, or the Senate at Carthage; but for want of others, they arm'd their old men, and their servants. and resolved wholly upon war; for which obstinacy and refractoriness, when Hanno was told, he made a speech to the Senate, and remonstrated how little they were to presume upon their Victory at Cannas: we see then the Romans were not to be terrified or discouraged by any adversity of fortune; we shall shew now how far they were on the other side from insulting in their good. Antiochus, before he came to a Battel, sent Embassadors to Scipio to desire a Treaty: Scipio sent him these Conditions, that he should return with his Army into Syria, and leave the rest to the Romans. Autiochus thought that unreasonable, fought him, was beaten, and afterwards sent Embassadors again to Scipio, with instructions to accept of whatever terms the Conqueror should give: Scipio never thought of altering his first propositions, though made before the Battel was won, but told them, Quod Romani si vincuntur, non minuuntur animis, nec si vincunt insolescere solent; That 〈◊〉〈◊〉 mans were never dejected by ill for••une, nor elated by good. The Venetians acted quite the other way, who having got a little good fortune, (ascribing it to a wrong cause, as if it had proceeded from their own power and virtue) had the insolence to call the King of France Son of St. Mark, and ta∣king a fancy that they should bring their Commonwealth to as great a condition of gran∣deur and power as the Romans, they despis'd the Church, and all the Princes of Italy be∣sides. Afterwards, when their fortune began to change, and they received a small defeat at Vaila by the French; they lost their whole Empire in a day; part revolted, and part they gave up themselves to the Pope, and King of Spain; and so much had they abandoned themselves to fear and consternation, that they sent Embassadors to the Emperor to make themselves his Tributaries, and writ poor and mean Letters to the Pope to move him to compassion, and to this extremity of dejection they were brought in four days time, by the loss but of one half of their Army; for the other of their Proveditory retreated, and came off safe to Verona with more than 25000 horse and foot; so that had there been any courage either in the Citizens or Senate, they might quickly have recruited, and shewn their force again; and if they could not have conquered, they might at least have lost all with more reputation, or possibly have brought the enemy to some honourable accord: but the poorness of their spirit, and the illness of their military discipline took from them at one time both their courage and state: and so it will be with whosoever follows the example of the Venetians: for this insolence in good fortune, and dejection in bad, proceeds from their manner of education; which if vain and idle, will make you so too; whereas if it be otherwise, it will give you a better notion of the World, and teach you in both for∣tunes to behave your self with more moderation: and as this is true in single persons, so it is in

Commonwealths, which are good or bad according to their manner of living. We have often said it before, and think it not amiss to repeat it again, that the foundation of all Governments consists in their Military discipline; and that where that is defective, nei∣ther their Laws, nor any thing else can be good; for thorow the whole tract of this Hi∣story, it appears that there is a necessity your Militia should be good, and that cannot be good, but by continual exercise, which you cannot be sure of unless it consists of your own Subjects. and because you are not always in War, and it is impossible you shall be, therefore it is necessary that they be exercised in times of Peace, which is not to be done by any but your own Subjects, in respect of the charge.

Camillus (as is said before) marched out with his Army against the Tuscans, but his Sol∣diers having had a sight of the Enemy, found their Army so great, that they were discou∣raged and dismay'd, and thought themselves so much inferior, that they were not able to fight the••. Camillus understanding this terror in his Camp, went up and down among the Soldiers, and having reprehended their fear, and said many things to encourage them, and drive that fancy out of their heads, at last without further directions, Come (said he) Courage! Quod quisque didicit aut consuevit, faciat. Do what you have been taught and accustomed, I desire no more. From whence it may be collected that he would not have used those words, had not his Army been exercised before, and that in times of Peace as well as War: For no good is to be expected, nor no General to trust himself to an unexperi∣enced or undisciplined Army, which will certainly be his ruine, though he were as good a Commander as Hanibal himself. And the reason is, because when an Army is engaged the General cannot be present in all places, to supply all defects, and remedy all errors; so that he must necessarily miscarry, unless he has such persons disposed up and down in the Army, as are capable of understanding his mind, and executing his Orders. Which being so, the Roman discipline is to be followed, and the Citizens of every City are to be inured to their Arms in times of Peace as well as war, that when they are brought to fight, they may not be at a loss, or meet with any thing new, or unaccustomed to them; by which means it will come to pass, that they will not be surprized or terrified in any condition, but retain still the same courage and sence of their dignity; But where the Citizens are undisciplin'd, and rely more upon their fortune, than experience, their hearts will change with their fortune, and they will give the same testimony of themselves, as the Venetians have done.