ssioners, concluded an arrangement to his own
satisfaction, in execution of which he entered Arezzo with his army. And
he let the Florentines know that he thought them fools and ignorant of
the ways of the world; since if they desired to have Arezzo, they could
signify their wishes to the King, who would be much better able to give
it them when he had his soldiers inside, than when he had them outside
the town. Nevertheless, in Florence they never ceased to blame and abuse
M. Imbalt, until at last they came to see that if Beaumont had acted
in the same way, they would have got possession Of Pisa as well as of
Arezzo.

Applying what has been said to the matter in hand, we find that
irresolute republics, unless upon compulsion, never follow wise courses;
for wherever there is room for doubt, their weakness will not suffer
them to come to any resolve; so that unless their doubts be overcome by
some superior force which impels them forward, they remain always in
suspense.

CHAPTER XXXIX.--_That often the same Accidents are seen to befall
different Nations._

Any one comparing the present with the past will soon perceive that
in all cities and in all nations there prevail the same desires and
passions as always have prevailed; for which reason it should be an easy
matter for him who carefully examines past events, to foresee those
which are about to happen in any republic, and to apply such remedies as
the ancients have used in like cases; or finding none which have been
used by them, to strike out new ones, such as they might have used
in similar circumstances. But these lessons being neglected or not
understood by readers, or, if understood by them, being unknown to
rulers, it follows that the same disorders are common to all times.

In the year 1494 the Republic of Florence, having lost a portion of its
territories, including Pisa and other towns, was forced to make war
against those who had taken possession of them, who being powerful, it
followed that great sums were spent on these wars to little purpose.
This large expenditure had to be met by heavy taxes which gave occasion
to numberless complaints on the part of the people; and inasmuch as the
war was conducted by a council of ten citizens, who were styled "the Ten
of the War," the multitude began to regard these with displeasure, as
though they were the cause of the war and of the consequent expenditure;
and at last persuaded themselves that if they got rid