ed less
by acceding to his demand.

But of all courses the worst for a weak State is to be irresolute; for
then whatever it does will seem to be done under compulsion, so that if
by chance it should do anything well, this will be set down to necessity
and not to prudence. Of this I shall cite two other instances happening
in our own times, and in our own country. In the year 1500, King Louis
of France, after recovering Milan, being desirous to restore Pisa to the
Florentines, so as to obtain payment from them of the fifty thousand
ducats which they had promised him on the restitution being completed,
sent troops to Pisa under M. Beaumont, in whom, though a Frenchman, the
Florentines put much trust. Beaumont accordingly took up his position
with his forces between Cascina and Pisa, to be in readiness to attack
the town. After he had been there for some days making arrangements for
the assault, envoys came to him from Pisa offering to surrender their
city to the French if a promise were given in the king's name, not
to hand it over to the Florentines until four months had run. This
condition was absolutely rejected by the Florentines, and the siege
being proceeded with, they were forced to retire with disgrace. Now the
proposal of the Pisans was rejected by the Florentines for no other
reason than that they distrusted the good faith of the King, into whose
hands their weakness obliged them to commit themselves, and did not
reflect how much more it was for their interest that, by obtaining
entrance into Pisa, he should have it in his power to restore the town
to them, or, failing to restore it, should at once disclose his designs,
than that remaining outside he should put them off with promises for
which they had to pay. It would therefore have been a far better course
for the Florentines to have agreed to Beaumont taking possession on
whatever terms.

This was seen afterwards by experience in the year 1502, when, on the
revolt of Arezzo, M. Imbalt was sent by the King of France with French
troops to assist the Florentines. For when he got near Arezzo, and began
to negotiate with the Aretines, who, like the Pisans, were willing
to surrender their town on terms, the acceptance of these terms was
strongly disapproved in Florence; which Imbalt learning, and thinking
that the Florentines were acting with little sense, he took the entire
settlement of conditions into his own hands, and, without consulting
the Florentine commi