A fraudulent intent, however carefully concealed at the outset, will generally, in the end, betray itself.
This interpretation focuses on Machiavelli’s various pro-republican remarks, such as his statement that the multitude is wiser and more constant than a prince and his emphasis in the Discourses on Livy on the republican virtue of self-sacrifice as a way of combating corruption. Luck is of little moment to the great general, for it is under the control of his intellect and his judgment. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Biography of Niccolo Machiavelli, Age of the Sage - Transmitting the Wisdoms of the Ages - Biography of Niccolo Machiavelli, The Catholic Encyclopedia - Biography of Nicol� Machiavelli, Niccolò Machiavelli - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). He called for “new modes and orders” and compared himself to the explorers of unknown lands in his time. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Whoever desires to found a state and give it laws, must start with assuming that all men are bad and ever ready to display their vicious nature, whenever they may find occasion for it. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Like The Prince, the Discourses on Livy admits of various interpretations. Quotations by Livy, Roman Historian, Born 59 BC. Under the influence of fear, which always leads men to take a pessimistic view of things, they magnified their enemies' resources, and minimized their own. Men are slower to recognize blessings than misfortunes.
Comparing the practice of the ancient Romans with that of his contemporaries provided Machiavelli with a consistent point of view in all his works. Enjoy the best Livy Quotes at BrainyQuote. Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times. The populace is like the sea motionless in itself, but stirred by every wind, even the lightest breeze.
By using our website, you agree to our, Find more about Discourses on Livy on Amazon. The people as a body are courageous, but individually they are cowardly and feeble. Like the Discourses on Livy, the Florentine Histories contains (less bold) criticism of the church and popes and revealing portraits of leading characters, especially of the Medici (the book is organized around the return of Cosimo de’ Medici [1389–1464] to Florence in 1434 after his exile). Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Rome has grown since its humble beginnings that it is now overwhelmed by its own greatness.
It is notable that, in both The Prince and the Discourses on Livy, the longest chapters are on conspiracy. It is easy at any moment to surrender a large fortune; to build one up is a difficult and an arduous task. In difficult and desperate cases, the boldest counsels are the safest. Yet, since republics become corrupt when the people lose the fear that compels them to obey, the people must be led back to their original virtue by sensational executions reminding them of punishment and reviving their fear. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. The result showed that fortune helps the brave. How often the judgments of men in important matters are erroneous. Men are driven chiefly by two things: love and fear. Republics need the kind of leaders that Machiavelli describes in The Prince. One view, elaborated separately in works by the political theorists J.G.A. In all human affairs, we cannot rid ourselves of one inconvenience without running into another. No law can possibly meet the convenience of every one: we must be satisfied if it be beneficial on the whole and to the majority. Good men, Machiavelli claims, will almost never get power, and bad men will almost never use power for a good end. There is nothing worse than being ashamed of parsimony or poverty. The old Romans all wished to have a king over them because they had not yet tasted the sweetness of freedom. “The early history of Rome: Books I-V of The history of Rome from its foundation” Resistance to criminal rashness comes better late than never. This above all makes history useful and desirable; it unfolds before our eyes a glorious record of exemplary actions. Envy like fire always makes for the highest points.
These “princes in a republic” cannot govern in accordance with justice, because those who get what they deserve from them do not feel any obligation. The faults of the people spring from the faults of their rulers. Many difficulties which nature throws in our way, may be smoothed away by the exercise of intelligence. Discourses on Livy (1531) is as essential to an understanding of Machiavelli as his famous treatise, The Prince. The moderns are weak because they have been formed by Christianity, and, in three places in the Discourses on Livy, Machiavelli boldly and impudently criticizes the Roman Catholic church and Christianity itself.
It also features an exaggeratedly “Machiavellian” oration by a plebeian leader, apparently Michele di Lando, who was head of the 1378 Revolt of the Ciompi (“wool carders”), a rebellion of Florence’s lower classes that resulted in the formation of the city’s most democratic (albeit short-lived) government.