us, could
not endure that honest course that Pertinax sought to reduce them to:
Whereupon having gotten himself hatred, and to this hatred added
contempt, in that he was old, was ruind in the very beginning of his
government. Whence it ought to be observed, that hatred is gaind as well
by good deeds as bad; and therefore as I formerly said, when a Prince
would maintaine the State, he is often forced not to be good: for when
that generality, whether it be the people, or soldiers, or Nobility,
whereof thou thinkst thou standst in need to maintain thee, is
corrupted, it behoves thee to follow their humour, and content them, and
then all good deeds are thy adversaries. But let us come to Alexander
who was of that goodnesse, that among the prayses given him, had this
for one, that in fourteen yeers wherein he held the Empire, he never put
any man to death, but by course of justice; neverthelesse being held
effeminate, and a man that suffered himselfe to be ruled by his mother,
and thereupon fallen into contempt, the army conspird against him. Now
on the contrary discoursing upon the qualities of Commodus, Severus,
Antonius, Caracalla, and Maximinus, you shall find them exceeding
cruell, and ravinous, who to satisfie their soldiers, forbeare no kinde
of injury that could be done upon the people; and all of them, except
Severus, came to evill ends: for in Severus, there was such
extraordinary valour, that while he held the soldiers his freinds,
however the people were much burthend by him, he might alwayes reigne
happily: for his valour rendred him so admirable in the souldiers and
peoples sights; that these in a manner stood amazd and astonishd, and
those others reverencing and honoring him. And because the actions of
this man were exceeding great, being in a new Prince, I will briefly
shew how well he knew to act the Foxes and the Lions parts; the
conditions of which two, I say, as before, are very necessary for a
Prince to imitate. Severus having had experience of Julian the Emperours
sloth, perswaded his army (whereof he was commander in Sclavonia) that
they should doe well to goe to Rome to revenge Pertinax his death, who
was put to death by the Imperiall guard; and under this pretence, not
making any shew that he aspird unto the Empire, set his army in march
directly towards Rome, and was sooner come into Italy, than it was
knowne he had mov'd from his station. Being ariv'd at Rome, he was by
the Senate chosen Emperour fo