re of the multitude against a single
citizen may find a vent. For when none such is regularly provided,
recourse will be had to irregular channels, and these will assuredly
lead to much worse results. For when a citizen is borne down by the
operation or the ordinary laws, even though he be wronged, little or no
disturbance is occasioned to the state: the injury he suffers not being
wrought by private violence, nor by foreign force, which are the causes
of the overthrow of free institutions, but by public authority and in
accordance with public ordinances, which, having definite limits
set them, are not likely to pass beyond these so as to endanger the
commonwealth. For proof of which I am content to rest on this old
example of Coriolanus, since all may see what a disaster it would have
been for Rome had he been violently put to death by the people. For,
as between citizen and citizen, a wrong would have been done affording
ground for fear, fear would have sought defence, defence have led to
faction, faction to divisions in the State, and these to its ruin. But
the matter being taken up by those whose office it was to deal with it,
all the evils which must have followed had it been left in private hands
were escaped.

In Florence, on the other hand, and in our own days, we have seen what
violent commotions follow when the people cannot show their displeasure
against particular citizens in a form recognized by the laws, in the
instance of Francesco Valori, at one time looked upon as the foremost
citizen of our republic. But many thinking him ambitious, and likely
from his high spirit and daring to overstep the limits of civil freedom,
and there being no way to oppose him save by setting up an adverse
faction, the result was, that, apprehending irregular attacks, he sought
to gain partisans for his support; while his opponents, on their side,
having no course open to them of which the laws approved, resorted
to courses of which the laws did not approve, and, at last, to open
violence. And as his influence had to be attacked by unlawful methods,
these were attended by injury not to him only, but to many other noble
citizens; whereas, could he have been met by constitutional restraints,
his power might have been broken without injury to any save himself. I
might also cite from our Florentine history the fall of Piero Soderini,
which had no other cause than there not being in our republic any law
under which powerful and ambi