ht road, becomes contemptible; while he who would be greatly feared,
if he go a jot too far, incurs hatred. And since it is impossible, our
nature not allowing it, to adhere to the exact mean, it is essential
that any excess should be balanced by an exceeding valour, as it was in
Hannibal and Scipio. And yet we find that even they, while they were
exalted by the methods they followed, were also injured by them. How
they were exalted has been shown. The injury which Scipio suffered was,
that in Spain his soldiers, in concert with certain of his allies, rose
against him, for no other reason than that they stood in no fear of him.
For men are so restless, that if ever so small a door be opened to their
ambition, they forthwith forget all the love they have borne their
prince in return for his graciousness and goodness, as did these
soldiers and allies of Scipio; when, to correct the mischief, he was
forced to use something of a cruelty foreign to his nature.

As to Hannibal, we cannot point to any particular instance wherein his
cruelty or want of faith are seen to have been directly hurtful to him;
but we may well believe that Naples and other towns which remained loyal
to the Roman people, did so by reason of the dread which his character
inspired. This, however, is abundantly clear, that his inhumanity made
him more detested by the Romans than any other enemy they ever had; so
that while to Pyrrhus, in Italy with his army, they gave up the traitor
who offered to poison him, Hannibal, even when disarmed and a fugitive,
they never forgave, until they had compassed his death.

To Hannibal, therefore, from his being accounted impious, perfidious,
and cruel, these disadvantages resulted; but, on the other hand,
there accrued to him one great gain, noticed with admiration by all
historians, namely, that in his army, although made up of men of every
race and country, no dissensions ever broke out among the soldiers
themselves, nor any mutiny against their leader. This we can only
ascribe to the awe which his character inspired, which together with the
great name his valour had won for him, had the effect of keeping his
soldiers quiet and united. I repeat, therefore, that it is of little
moment which method a captain may follow if he be endowed with such
valour as will bear him out in the course which he adopts. For, as I
have said, there are disadvantages incident to both methods unless
corrected by extraordinary valour.

An