hall
alledge very famous examples: for seeing men almost alwayes walk in the
pathes beaten by others, and proceed in their actions by imitation; and
being that others wayes cannot bee exactly follow'd, nor their vertues,
whose patterne thou set'st before thee, attain'd unto; a wise man ought
alwayes to tread the footsteps of the worthiest persons, and imitate
those that have been the most excellent: to the end that if his vertue
arrive not thereto, at least it may yeeld some favour thereof, and doe
as good Archers use, who thinking the place they intend to hit, too
farre distant, and knowing how farr the strength of their bow will
carry, they lay their ayme a great deale higher than the mark; not for
to hit so high with their arrow, but to bee able with the help of so
high an aime to reach the place they shoot at. I say, that in
Principalities wholly new, where there is a new Prince, there is more
and lesse difficulty in maintaining them, as the vertue of their
Conquerour is greater or lesser. And because this successe, to become a
Prince of a private man, presupposes either vertue, or fortune; mee
thinks the one and other of these two things in part should mitigate
many difficulties; however he that hath lesse stood upon fortune, hath
maintain'd himselfe the better. Moreover it somewhat facilitates the
matter in that the Prince is constrain'd, because he hath not other
dominions, in person to come and dwell there. But to come to these who
by their own vertues, and not by fortune, attain'd to be Princes; the
excellentest of these are Moses, Cyrus, Romulus, Theseus, and such like;
and though of Moses we are not to reason, he onely executing the things
that were commanded him by God; yet merits he well to be admir'd, were
it only for that grace that made him worthy to converse with God. But
considering Cyrus, and the others, who either got or founded Kingdomes,
we shall find them all admirable; and if there particular actions and
Lawes be throughly weigh'd, they will not appeare much differing from
those of Moyses, which he receiv'd from so Sovraigne an instructer. And
examining their lives and actions, it will not appeare, that they had
other help of fortune, than the occasion, which presented them with the
matter wherein they might introduce what forme they then pleas'd; and
without that occasion, the vertue of their mind had been extinguish'd;
and without that vertue, the occasion had been offer'd in vaine. It was
then