he would recover whatever credit he had
lost in Spain; while if he failed, and his attempt had an untoward
issue, he would be revenged on that city and On those citizens who had
so ungratefully and indiscreetly wronged him.

But if resentment for an offence like this so deeply moved a Roman
citizen at a time when Rome was still uncorrupted, we should consider
how it may act on the citizen of a State not constituted as Rome then
was. And because there is no certain remedy we can apply to such
disorders when they arise in republics, it follows that it is impossible
to establish a republic which shall endure always; since in a thousand
unforeseen ways ruin may overtake it.

CHAPTER XVIII.--_That it is the highest Quality of a Captain to be able
to forestall the designs of his Adversary._

It was a saying of Epaminondas the Theban that nothing was so useful and
necessary for a commander as to be able to see through the intentions
and designs of his adversary. And because it is hard to come at this
knowledge directly, the more credit is due to him who reaches it by
conjecture. Yet sometimes it is easier to fathom an enemy's designs than
to construe his actions; and not so much those actions which are done
at a distance from us, as those done in our presence and under our very
eyes. For instance, it has often happened that when a battle has lasted
till nightfall, the winner has believed himself the loser, and the loser
has believed himself the winner and that this mistake has led him who
made it to follow a course hurtful to himself. It was from a mistake
of this sort, that Brutus and Cassius lost the battle of Philippi. For
though Brutus was victorious with his wing of the army Cassius, whose
wing was beaten, believed the entire army to be defeated, and under this
belief gave way to despair and slew himself. So too, in our own days, in
the battle fought by Francis, king of France, with the Swiss at Santa
Cecilia in Lombardy, when night fell, those of the Swiss who remained
unbroken, not knowing that the rest had been routed and slain, thought
they had the victory; and so believing would not retreat, but, remaining
on the field, renewed the combat the following morning to their great
disadvantage. Nor were they the only sufferers from their mistake,
since the armies of the Pope and of Spain were also misled by it, and
well-nigh brought to destruction. For on the false report of a victory
they crossed the Po, and had the