tious citizens can be impeached. For to
form a tribunal by which a powerful citizen is to be tried, eight judges
only are not enough; the judges must be numerous, because a few will
always do the will of a few. But had there been proper methods for
obtaining redress, either the people would have impeached Piero if
he was guilty, and thus have given vent to their displeasure without
calling in the Spanish army; or if he was innocent, would not have
ventured, through fear of being accused themselves, to have taken
proceedings against him. So that in either case the bitter spirit which
was the cause of all the disorder would have had an end. Wherefore, when
we find one of the parties in a State calling in a foreign power, we
may safely conclude that it is because the defective laws of that State
provide no escape for those malignant humours which are natural to
men; which can best be done by arranging for an impeachment before
a sufficient number of judges, and by giving countenance to this
procedure. This was so well contrived in Rome that in spite of the
perpetual struggle maintained between the commons and the senate,
neither the senate nor the commons, nor any single citizen, ever sought
redress at the hands of a foreign power; for having a remedy at home,
there was no need to seek one abroad.

Although the examples above cited be proof sufficient of what I affirm,
I desire to adduce one other, recorded by Titus Livius in his history,
where he relates that a sister of Aruns having been violated by a Lucumo
of Clusium, the chief of the Etruscan towns, Aruns being unable, from
the interest of her ravisher, to avenge her, betook himself to the Gauls
who ruled in the province we now name Lombardy, and besought them to
come with an armed force to Clusium; showing them how with advantage to
themselves they might avenge his wrongs. Now, had Aruns seen that he
could have had redress through the laws of his country, he never would
have resorted to these Barbarians for help.

But as the right to accuse is beneficial in a republic, so calumny, on
the other hand, is useless and hurtful, as in the following Chapter I
shall proceed to show.

CHAPTER VIII.--_That Calumny is as hurtful in a Commonwealth as the
power to accuse is useful._

Such were the services rendered to Rome by Furius Camillus in rescuing
her from the oppression of the Gauls, that no Roman, however high his
degree or station, held it derogatory to yield pla