he neck by a poor and
miserable Spaniard; and though the wound was not mortal, it sufficed
to show that neither courage nor opportunity were wanting to the
would-be-assassin. A Dervish, or Turkish priest, drew his scimitar on
Bajazet, father of the Sultan now reigning, and if he did not wound him,
it was from no lack either of daring or of opportunity. And I believe
that there are many who in their minds desire the deed, no punishment or
danger attending the mere wish, though there be but few who dare do it.
For since few or none who venture, escape death, few are willing to go
forward to certain destruction.

But to pass from these solitary attempts to those in which several are
engaged, I affirm it to be shown by history that all such plots have
been contrived by men of great station, or by those who have been on
terms of close intimacy with the prince, since no others, not being
downright madmen, would ever think of conspiring. For men of humble
rank, and such as are not the intimates of their prince, are neither
fed by the hopes nor possessed of the opportunities essential for such
attempts. Because, in the first place, men of low degree will never find
any to keep faith with them, none being moved to join in their schemes
by those expectations which encourage men to run great risks; wherefore,
so soon as their design has been imparted to two or three, they are
betrayed and ruined. Or, assuming them fortunate enough to have no
traitor of their number, they will be so hampered in the execution of
their plot by the want of easy access to the prince, that they are sure
to perish in the mere attempt. For if even men of great position, who
have ready access to the prince, succumb to the difficulties which I
shall presently notice, those difficulties must be infinitely increased
in the case of men who are without these advantages. And because
when life and property are at stake men are not utterly reckless, on
perceiving themselves to be weak they grow cautious, and though cursing
the tyrant in their hearts, are content to endure him, and to wait until
some one of higher station than they, comes forward to redress their
wrongs. So that should we ever find these weaklings attempting anything,
we may commend their courage rather than their prudence.

We see, however, that the great majority of conspirators have been
persons of position and the familiars of their prince, and that their
plots have been as often the consequen