ed other plans
and methods, and in the course of time, and without incurring danger,
have achieved their aim.

Conspirators against their country, whether trusting to their own forces
or to foreign aid, have had more or less success in proportion as they
have been favoured by Fortune. Catiline, of whom we spoke just now, was
overthrown. Hanno, who has also been mentioned, failing to accomplish
his object by poison, armed his partisans to the number of many
thousands; but both he and they came to an ill end. On the other hand,
certain citizens of Thebes conspiring to become its tyrants, summoned a
Spartan army to their assistance, and usurped the absolute control of
the city. In short, if we examine all the conspiracies which men have
engaged in against their country, we shall find that few or none have
been quelled in their inception, but that all have either succeeded,
or have broken down in their execution. Once executed, they entail no
further risks beyond those implied in the nature of a princedom. For the
man who becomes a tyrant incurs all the natural and ordinary dangers
in which a tyranny involves him, and has no remedies against them save
those of which I have already spoken.

This is all that occurs to me to say on the subject of conspiracies. If
I have noticed those which have been carried out with the sword rather
than those wherein poison has been the instrument, it is because,
generally speaking, the method of proceeding is the same in both. It is
true, nevertheless, that conspiracies which are to be carried out by
poison are, by reason of their uncertainty, attended by greater danger.
For since fewer opportunities offer for their execution, you must have
an understanding with persons who can command opportunities. But it is
dangerous to have to depend on others. Again, many causes may hinder a
poisoned draught from proving mortal; as when the murderers of Commodus,
on his vomiting the poison given him, had to strangle him.

Princes, then, have no worse enemy than conspiracy, for when a
conspiracy is formed against them, it either carries them off, or
discredits them: since, if it succeeds, they die; while, if it be
discovered, and the conspirators be put to death themselves, it will
always be believed that the whole affair has been trumped up by the
prince that he might glut his greed and cruelty with the goods and blood
of those whom he has made away with. Let me not, however, forget to warn
the princ