hen the Medici returned to Florence in 1512;
imprisoned and tortured in 1513 on suspicion of being a
conspirator; retired to a country estate, where he took up
literary work; author of "The Prince," "The History of
Florence," essays and comedies.

OUGHT PRINCES TO KEEP THEIR PROMISES[30]

It is unquestionably very praiseworthy in princes to be faithful to
their engagements; but among those of the present day, who have been
distinguished for great exploits, few indeed have been remarkable for
this virtue, or have scrupled to deceive others who may have relied
on their good faith.

[Footnote 30: From Chapter XVIII of "The Prince." Machiavelli's
writings appear not to have been translated into English until some
years had elapsed after his death. The first work mentioned by Lowndes
is "The Arte of Warre," as "set forth in Englisshe" by Peter
Whitehaorne, published in 1560. Another translation appeared in 1608,
under the title "Discourse upon the Meanes of wel Governing and
Maintaining in good peace a Kingdome." A more modern translation is by
Ellis Farnsworth. The most recent of all, by Christian E. Detmold, was
published in Boston in 1882.

The earliest English translation of the "History of Florence" appears
to be one made by Thomas Bedingfield, published in 1594. Another early
translation was issued in 1675. In 1752 the translation by Ellis
Farnsworth was published.]

It should, therefore, be known that there are two ways of deciding any
contest; the one by laws, the other by force. The first is peculiar to
men, the second to beasts; but when laws are not sufficiently
powerful, it is necessary to recur to force; a prince ought,
therefore, to understand how to use both these descriptions of arms.
This doctrine is admirably illustrated to us by the ancient poets in
the allegorical history of the education of Achilles, and many other
princes of antiquity, by the centaur Chiron, who, under the double
form of man and beast, taught those who were destined to govern that
it was their duty to use by turns the arms adapted to both these
natures, seeing that one without the other can not be of any durable
advantage. Now, as a prince must learn how to act the part of a beast
sometimes, he should make the fox and the lion his patterns. The first
can but feebly defend himself against the wolf, and the latter readily
falls into such snares as are laid for him. From the fox, therefore, a
prince will