A sovereign social network
powered by Bitcoin

Besides this, one cannot by fair dealing, and without injury to others, satisfy the nobles, but you can satisfy the people, for their object is more righteous than that of the nobles, the latter wishing to oppress, while the former only desire not to be oppressed. It is to be added also that a prince can never secure himself against a hostile people, because of there being too many, whilst from the nobles he can secure himself, as they are few in number. The worst that a prince may expect from a hostile people is to be abandoned by them; but from hostile nobles he has not only to fear abandonment, but also that they will rise against him; for they, being in these affairs more far-seeing and astute, always come forward in time to save themselves, and to obtain favours from him whom they expect to prevail. Further, the prince is compelled to live always with the same people, but he can do well without the same nobles, being able to make and unmake them daily, and to give or take away authority when it pleases him.

If so be that the souls remain after death (say they that will not believe it); how is the air from all eternity able to contain them? How is the earth (say I) ever from that time able to Contain the bodies of them that are buried? For as here the change and resolution of dead bodies into another kind of subsistence (whatsoever it be;) makes place for other dead bodies: so the souls after death transferred into the air, after they have conversed there a while, are either by way of transmutation, or transfusion, or conflagration, received again into that original rational substance, from which all others do proceed: and so give way to those souls, who before coupled and associated unto bodies, now begin to subsist single. This, upon a supposition that the souls after death do for a while subsist single, may be answered. And here, (besides the number of bodies, so buried and contained by the earth), we may further consider the number of several beasts, eaten by us men, and by other creatures. For notwithstanding that such a multitude of them is daily consumed, and as it were buried in the bodies of the eaters, yet is the same place and body able to contain them, by reason of their conversion, partly into blood, partly into air and fire. What in these things is the speculation of truth? to divide things into that which is passive and material; and that which is active and formal.

Schrecker. (LLA 94) .90 *Lessing: Laocoön. Tr. E. A. McCormick. (LLA 78) .95 The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes. Tr. J. G. Markley. (LLA 37) .50 Locke: A Letter Concerning Toleration. (LLA 22) .40 ——: The Second Treatise of Government. (LLA 31) cl. $2.50 .80 Longinus: On Great Writing (On the Sublime). Tr. G. M. A. Grube. (LLA 79) .60 Machiavelli: Mandragola. Tr. A. & H. Paolucci. (LLA 58) .60 Mill, J.: An Essay on Government. (LLA 47) .50 Mill, J. S.: Autobiography. (LLA 91) .90 *——: Nature and Utility of Religion; Two Essays. (LLA 81) .60 ——: On Liberty. (LLA 61) .65 ——: Considerations on Representative Government. (LLA 71) .90 Mill, J. S. (cont’d): Theism. (LLA 64) .75 ——: Utilitarianism. (LLA 1) .50 *Moliere: Tartuffe. Tr. R. W. Hartle. (LLA 87) .50 Nietzsche: The Use and Abuse of History. (LLA 11) .50 Paine: The Age of Reason. (LLA 5) .50 Plato: Euthyphro, Apology, Crito. Tr. F. J. Church. (LLA 4) .50 ——: Gorgias. Tr. W. C. Helmbold. (LLA 20) .75 ——: Meno. Tr. B. Jowett. (LLA 12) .40 ——: Phaedo. Tr. F. J. Church. (LLA 30) .50 ——: Phaedrus. Tr. W. C. Helmbold & W. G. Rabinowitz. (LLA 40) .60 *——: Philebus. Tr. K. Herbert. (LLA 41) .75 ——: Protagoras. Tr. B. Jowett. (LLA 59) .75 ——: Statesman. Tr. J. B. Skemp. (LLA 57) .75 ——: Symposium. Tr. B. Jowett. (LLA 7) .40 *——: Theaetetus. Tr. F. M. Cornford. (LLA 105) .80 ——: Timaeus. Tr. F. M. Cornford. (LLA 106) .80 Plautus: The Haunted House (Mostellaria). Tr. F. O. Copley. (LLA 42) .45 ——: The Menaechmi. Tr. F. O. Copley. (LLA 17) .45 ——: The Rope (Rudens). Tr. F. O. Copley. (LLA 43) .45 *Pope: Essay on Man. (LLA 103) .50 Post: Significant Cases in British Constitutional Law. (LLA 66) cl. $3.50 1.25 *Rousseau: Two Discourses. Tr. V. Gourevitch. (LLA 109) .80 *Russell: Selected Essays. (LLA 74) .90 Schneider: Sources of Contemporary Philosophical Realism in America. (LLA 92) .60 *Schopenhauer: Essay on the Freedom of the Will. Tr. K. Kolenda.

Some may wonder how it can happen that Agathocles, and his like, after infinite treacheries and cruelties, should live for long secure in his country, and defend himself from external enemies, and never be conspired against by his own citizens; seeing that many others, by means of cruelty, have never been able even in peaceful times to hold the state, still less in the doubtful times of war. I believe that this follows from severities[2] being badly or properly used. Those may be called properly used, if of evil it is possible to speak well, that are applied at one blow and are necessary to one’s security, and that are not persisted in afterwards unless they can be turned to the advantage of the subjects. The badly employed are those which, notwithstanding they may be few in the commencement, multiply with time rather than decrease. Those who practise the first system are able, by aid of God or man, to mitigate in some degree their rule, as Agathocles did. It is impossible for those who follow the other to maintain themselves.

The cities of Germany are absolutely free, they own but little country around them, and they yield obedience to the emperor when it suits them, nor do they fear this or any other power they may have near them, because they are fortified in such a way that every one thinks the taking of them by assault would be tedious and difficult, seeing they have proper ditches and walls, they have sufficient artillery, and they always keep in public depots enough for one year’s eating, drinking, and firing. And beyond this, to keep the people quiet and without loss to the state, they always have the means of giving work to the community in those labours that are the life and strength of the city, and on the pursuit of which the people are supported; they also hold military exercises in repute, and moreover have many ordinances to uphold them.

The cities of Germany are absolutely free, they own but little country around them, and they yield obedience to the emperor when it suits them, nor do they fear this or any other power they may have near them, because they are fortified in such a way that every one thinks the taking of them by assault would be tedious and difficult, seeing they have proper ditches and walls, they have sufficient artillery, and they always keep in public depots enough for one year’s eating, drinking, and firing. And beyond this, to keep the people quiet and without loss to the state, they always have the means of giving work to the community in those labours that are the life and strength of the city, and on the pursuit of which the people are supported; they also hold military exercises in repute, and moreover have many ordinances to uphold them.

Consider in my mind, for example's sake, the times of Vespasian: thou shalt see but the same things: some marrying, some bringing up children, some sick, some dying, some fighting, some feasting, some merchandising, some tilling, some flattering, some boasting, some suspecting, some undermining, some wishing to die, some fretting and murmuring at their present estate, some wooing, some hoarding, some seeking after magistracies, and some after kingdoms. And is not that their age quite over, and ended? Again, consider now the times of Trajan. There likewise thou seest the very self-same things, and that age also is now over and ended. In the like manner consider other periods, both of times and of whole nations, and see how many men, after they had with all their might and main intended and prosecuted some one worldly thing or other did soon after drop away, and were resolved into the elements. But especially thou must call to mind them, whom thou thyself in thy lifetime hast known much distracted about vain things, and in the meantime neglecting to do that, and closely and unseparably (as fully satisfied with it) to adhere unto it, which their own proper constitution did require. And here thou must remember, that thy carriage in every business must be according to the worth and due proportion of it, for so shalt thou not easily be tired out and vexed, if thou shalt not dwell upon small matters longer than is fitting.

Therefore, one who becomes a prince through the favour of the people ought to keep them friendly, and this he can easily do seeing they only ask not to be oppressed by him. But one who, in opposition to the people, becomes a prince by the favour of the nobles, ought, above everything, to seek to win the people over to himself, and this he may easily do if he takes them under his protection. Because men, when they receive good from him of whom they were expecting evil, are bound more closely to their benefactor; thus the people quickly become more devoted to him than if he had been raised to the principality by their favours; and the prince can win their affections in many ways, but as these vary according to the circumstances one cannot give fixed rules, so I omit them; but, I repeat, it is necessary for a prince to have the people friendly, otherwise he has no security in adversity.

You argue like an informer, Socrates. Do you mean, for example, that he who is mistaken about the sick is a physician in that he is mistaken? or that he who errs in arithmetic or grammar is an arithmetician or grammarian at the time when he is making the mistake, in respect of the mistake? True, we say that the physician or arithmetician or grammarian has made a mistake, but this is only a way of speaking; for the fact is that neither the grammarian nor any other person of skill ever makes a mistake in so far as he is what his name implies; they none of them err unless their skill fails them, and then they cease to be skilled artists. No artist or sage or ruler errs at the time when he is what his name implies; though he is commonly said to err, and I adopted the common mode of speaking. But to be perfectly accurate, since you are such a lover of accuracy, we should say that the ruler, in so far as he is a ruler, is unerring, and, being unerring, always commands that which is for his own interest; and the subject is required to execute his commands; and therefore, as I said at first and now repeat, justice is the interest of the stronger.