or an
army fight resolutely in the field, must before all things endeavour
to impress the minds of those whom he commands with the belief that
no other course is open to them. In like manner a prudent captain who
undertakes the attack of a city, will measure the ease or difficulty of
his enterprise, by knowing and considering the nature of the necessity
which compels the inhabitants to defend it; and where he finds that
necessity to be strong, he may infer that his task will be difficult,
but if otherwise, that it will be easy.

And hence it happens that cities are harder to be recovered after a
revolt than to be taken for the first time. Because on a first attack,
having no occasion to fear punishment, since they have given no ground
of offence, they readily surrender; but when they have revolted, they
know that they have given ground of offence, and, fearing punishment,
are not so easily brought under. A like stubbornness grows from the
natural hostility with which princes or republics who are neighbours
regard one another; which again is caused by the desire to dominate
over those who live near, or from jealousy of their power. This is more
particularly the case with republics, as in Tuscany for example; for
contention and rivalry have always made, and always will make it
extremely hard for one republic to bring another into subjection. And
for this reason any one who considers attentively who are the neighbours
of Florence, and who of Venice, will not marvel so much as some have
done, that Florence should have spent more than Venice on her wars and
gained less; since this results entirely from the Venetians finding
their neighbouring towns less obstinate in their resistance than the
Florentines theirs. For all the towns in the neighbourhood of Venice
have been used to live under princes and not in freedom; and those who
are used to servitude commonly think little of changing masters, nay are
often eager for the change. In this way Venice, though she has had more
powerful neighbours than Florence, has been able, from finding their
towns less stubborn, to subdue them more easily than the latter,
surrounded exclusively by free cities, has had it in her power to do.

But, to return to the matter in hand, the captain who attacks a town
should use what care he can, not to drive the defenders to extremities,
lest he render them stubborn; but when they fear punishment should
promise them pardon, and when they fear for the