efs and what they say they believe, they fill you with
false impressions, on which if you build, your labour is in vain, and
you are led to engage in enterprises from which nothing but ruin can
result.

To this instance of Alexander I shall add only one other, that, namely,
of Themistocles the Athenian, who, being proclaimed a traitor, fled into
Asia to Darius, to whom he made such lavish promises if he would only
attack Greece, that he induced him to undertake the enterprise. But
afterwards, when he could not fulfil what he had promised, either from
shame, or through fear of punishment, he poisoned himself. But, if such
a mistake as this was made by a man like Themistocles, we may reckon
that mistakes still greater will be made by those who, being of a
feebler nature, suffer themselves to be more completely swayed by their
feelings and wishes Wherefore, let a prince be careful how he embarks in
any enterprise on the representations of an exile; for otherwise, he is
likely either to be put to shame, or to incur the gravest calamities.

Because towns are sometimes, though seldom, taken by craft, through
secret practices had with their inhabitants, I think it not out of place
to discuss the matter in the following Chapter, wherein I shall likewise
show in how many ways the Romans were wont to make such acquisitions.

CHAPTER XXXII.--_In how many Ways the Romans gained Possession of
Towns._

Turning their thoughts wholly to arms, the Romans always conducted their
military enterprises in the most advantageous way, both as to cost
and every other circumstance of war. For which reason they avoided
attempting towns by siege, judging the expense and inconvenience of this
method of carrying on war greatly to outweigh any advantage to be gained
by it. Accordingly, they thought it better and more for their interest
to reduce towns in any other way than this; and in all those years
during which they were constantly engaged in wars we find very few
instances of their proceeding by siege.

For the capture of towns, therefore, they trusted either to assault or
to surrender. Assaults were effected either by open force, or by force
and stratagem combined. When a town was assailed by open force, the
walls were stormed without being breached, and the assailants were said
"_aggredi urbem corona,_" because they encircled the city with their
entire strength and kept up an attack on all sides. In this way they
often succeeded in carr