feat_summary_path: finished_summaries/cliffnotes/The Prince/section_15_part_0.txt
feat_book_id: The Prince.chapter 17
feat_summary_id: chapter 17
feat_summary: {"name": "Chapter 17", "url": "https://web.archive.org/web/20201108110625/https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/p/the-prince/summary-and-analysis/chapter-17", "summary": "Every prince will want to be considered merciful, but mercy should not be mismanaged. Cesare Borgia, by being cruel, restored peace and order to the Romagna. No prince should mind being called cruel for keeping his subjects peaceful and loyal. Punishing a few, and thus averting disorder, is better than allowing troubles to develop that will hurt many. New rulers cannot avoid seeming cruel, because their states are insecure. Still, a prince should not be too rash or too fearful. If you cannot be both loved and feared, then it is better to be feared than loved. Men are generally fickle, afraid of danger, and greedy. When a prince benefits them, they will do anything for the prince, but when trouble comes, they will desert the prince. People will break ties of love if it is to their advantage, but fear of punishment they will never transgress. A prince must be careful not to make himself hated, even though he is feared; to do this, he must keep his hands off his subjects' property and their women. People will sooner forget the death of a father than the loss of an inheritance. However, when a prince commands an army, he must be cruel in order to control his troops. In conclusion, people love at their own wish, but fear at the prince's will, so a wise ruler will rely on what he can best control.", "analysis": "Continuing his discussion of virtues that are not virtues, Machiavelli considers mercy and cruelty. As with generosity and miserliness, he comes down on the side of the supposedly bad quality. He bases his judgment on consideration of what benefits the most people. It is no use to be merciful if by doing so, a prince allows disorder in his state to get out of control. A controlled amount of cruelty, which harms a few, can avert widespread violence and lawlessness, which harms many. Mercy that allows the majority to suffer cannot properly be called mercy. This is an extremely old idea in Western jurisprudence, and one can still hear it cited as a justification for the imposition of punishment for crimes: Failing to punish wrongdoers penalizes the innocent people who would be harmed by the criminal's future actions. As an example, Machiavelli praises Cesare Borgia's policy of subduing the lawless Romagna region, described in Chapter 8. He also criticizes the Florentine government for failing to intervene when civil war broke out in Pistoia, a Florentine possession. Though the Florentines sent Machiavelli to investigate the situation, they did nothing, and as a result, many citizens died in the fighting. Machiavelli is careful not to advocate cruelty for cruelty's sake. As in Chapter 8, he warns the prince not to constantly injure his subjects, because this will make him hated. Instead, he must be cruel only when necessary to avoid greater wrongs. Even his assertion that the leaders of armies must be cruel is based on the maintenance of discipline, for undisciplined armies harm innocent citizens--or even the ruler himself. This philosophy leads him to the logical conclusion that if a prince has to choose between being loved and being feared, being feared is at least safer, for both the ruler and his subjects. Machiavelli's typically dark view of human nature is on display in this chapter, as seen in his warning about those who swear they love you in good times, but then desert you in bad times. The most cynical of Machiavelli's statements in this chapter is his assertion that people are quicker to forgive the death of a loved one than the confiscation of their property--there could be no bleaker assessment of raw human selfishness. Surrounded by people like these, a prince is indeed safer if he can control them by fear, because love is so fleeting and unreliable. Glossary Dido founder and queen of Carthage: in the Aeneid she falls in love with Aeneas and kills herself when he leaves her. Hannibal  Carthaginian general: crossed the Alps to invade Italy in 218. He was defeated by Scipio Africanus in 202 B.C. Fabius Maximus, more conservative in his tactics than Scipio, also fought against Hannibal. Locri a city captured by Scipio and brutally treated by one of his commanders."}
text: Coming now to the other qualities mentioned above, I say that every
  prince ought to desire to be considered clement and not cruel.
  Nevertheless he ought to take care not to misuse this clemency. Cesare
  Borgia was considered cruel; notwithstanding, his cruelty reconciled the
  Romagna, unified it, and restored it to peace and loyalty. And if this
  be rightly considered, he will be seen to have been much more merciful
  than the Florentine people, who, to avoid a reputation for cruelty,
  permitted Pistoia to be destroyed.(*) Therefore a prince, so long as he
  keeps his subjects united and loyal, ought not to mind the reproach of
  cruelty; because with a few examples he will be more merciful than those
  who, through too much mercy, allow disorders to arise, from which follow
  murders or robberies; for these are wont to injure the whole people,
  whilst those executions which originate with a prince offend the
  individual only.
  
       (*) During the rioting between the Cancellieri and
       Panciatichi factions in 1502 and 1503.
  
  And of all princes, it is impossible for the new prince to avoid the
  imputation of cruelty, owing to new states being full of dangers. Hence
  Virgil, through the mouth of Dido, excuses the inhumanity of her reign
  owing to its being new, saying:
  
       "Res dura, et regni novitas me talia cogunt
       Moliri, et late fines custode tueri."(*)
  
  Nevertheless he ought to be slow to believe and to act, nor should he
  himself show fear, but proceed in a temperate manner with prudence and
  humanity, so that too much confidence may not make him incautious and
  too much distrust render him intolerable.
  
       (*) . . . against my will, my fate
       A throne unsettled, and an infant state,
       Bid me defend my realms with all my pow'rs,
       And guard with these severities my shores.
  
       Christopher Pitt.
  
  Upon this a question arises: whether it be better to be loved than
  feared or feared than loved? It may be answered that one should wish to
  be both, but, because it is difficult to unite them in one person, it
  is much safer to be feared than loved, when, of the two, either must be
  dispensed with. Because this is to be asserted in general of men, that
  they are ungrateful, fickle, false, cowardly, covetous, and as long as
  you succeed they are yours entirely; they will offer you their blood,
  property, life, and children, as is said above, when the need is far
  distant; but when it approaches they turn against you. And that
  prince who, relying entirely on their promises, has neglected other
  precautions, is ruined; because friendships that are obtained by
  payments, and not by greatness or nobility of mind, may indeed be
  earned, but they are not secured, and in time of need cannot be relied
  upon; and men have less scruple in offending one who is beloved than one
  who is feared, for love is preserved by the link of obligation which,
  owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their
  advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never
  fails.
  
  Nevertheless a prince ought to inspire fear in such a way that, if he
  does not win love, he avoids hatred; because he can endure very well
  being feared whilst he is not hated, which will always be as long as he
  abstains from the property of his citizens and subjects and from their
  women. But when it is necessary for him to proceed against the life of
  someone, he must do it on proper justification and for manifest cause,
  but above all things he must keep his hands off the property of others,
  because men more quickly forget the death of their father than the loss
  of their patrimony. Besides, pretexts for taking away the property are
  never wanting; for he who has once begun to live by robbery will always
  find pretexts for seizing what belongs to others; but reasons for taking
  life, on the contrary, are more difficult to find and sooner lapse. But
  when a prince is with his army, and has under control a multitude of
  soldiers, then it is quite necessary for him to disregard the reputation
  of cruelty, for without it he would never hold his army united or
  disposed to its duties.
  
  Among the wonderful deeds of Hannibal this one is enumerated: that
  having led an enormous army, composed of many various races of men,
  to fight in foreign lands, no dissensions arose either among them or
  against the prince, whether in his bad or in his good fortune. This
  arose from nothing else than his inhuman cruelty, which, with his
  boundless valour, made him revered and terrible in the sight of
  his soldiers, but without that cruelty, his other virtues were not
  sufficient to produce this effect. And short-sighted writers admire
  his deeds from one point of view and from another condemn the principal
  cause of them. That it is true his other virtues would not have been
  sufficient for him may be proved by the case of Scipio, that most
  excellent man, not only of his own times but within the memory of man,
  against whom, nevertheless, his army rebelled in Spain; this arose from
  nothing but his too great forbearance, which gave his soldiers more
  license than is consistent with military discipline. For this he was
  upbraided in the Senate by Fabius Maximus, and called the corrupter of
  the Roman soldiery. The Locrians were laid waste by a legate of Scipio,
  yet they were not avenged by him, nor was the insolence of the legate
  punished, owing entirely to his easy nature. Insomuch that someone in
  the Senate, wishing to excuse him, said there were many men who knew
  much better how not to err than to correct the errors of others.
  This disposition, if he had been continued in the command, would have
  destroyed in time the fame and glory of Scipio; but, he being under the
  control of the Senate, this injurious characteristic not only concealed
  itself, but contributed to his glory.
  
  Returning to the question of being feared or loved, I come to the
  conclusion that, men loving according to their own will and fearing
  according to that of the prince, a wise prince should establish himself
  on that which is in his own control and not in that of others; he must
  endeavour only to avoid hatred, as is noted.
  
  
  
feat_summary_name: Chapter 17
target: Every prince will want to be considered merciful, but mercy should not be mismanaged. Cesare Borgia, by being cruel, restored peace and order to the Romagna. No prince should mind being called cruel for keeping his subjects peaceful and loyal. Punishing a few, and thus averting disorder, is better than allowing troubles to develop that will hurt many. New rulers cannot avoid seeming cruel, because their states are insecure. Still, a prince should not be too rash or too fearful. If you cannot be both loved and feared, then it is better to be feared than loved. Men are generally fickle, afraid of danger, and greedy. When a prince benefits them, they will do anything for the prince, but when trouble comes, they will desert the prince. People will break ties of love if it is to their advantage, but fear of punishment they will never transgress. A prince must be careful not to make himself hated, even though he is feared; to do this, he must keep his hands off his subjects' property and their women. People will sooner forget the death of a father than the loss of an inheritance. However, when a prince commands an army, he must be cruel in order to control his troops. In conclusion, people love at their own wish, but fear at the prince's will, so a wise ruler will rely on what he can best control.
feat_summary_analysis: Continuing his discussion of virtues that are not virtues, Machiavelli considers mercy and cruelty. As with generosity and miserliness, he comes down on the side of the supposedly bad quality. He bases his judgment on consideration of what benefits the most people. It is no use to be merciful if by doing so, a prince allows disorder in his state to get out of control. A controlled amount of cruelty, which harms a few, can avert widespread violence and lawlessness, which harms many. Mercy that allows the majority to suffer cannot properly be called mercy. This is an extremely old idea in Western jurisprudence, and one can still hear it cited as a justification for the imposition of punishment for crimes: Failing to punish wrongdoers penalizes the innocent people who would be harmed by the criminal's future actions. As an example, Machiavelli praises Cesare Borgia's policy of subduing the lawless Romagna region, described in Chapter 8. He also criticizes the Florentine government for failing to intervene when civil war broke out in Pistoia, a Florentine possession. Though the Florentines sent Machiavelli to investigate the situation, they did nothing, and as a result, many citizens died in the fighting. Machiavelli is careful not to advocate cruelty for cruelty's sake. As in Chapter 8, he warns the prince not to constantly injure his subjects, because this will make him hated. Instead, he must be cruel only when necessary to avoid greater wrongs. Even his assertion that the leaders of armies must be cruel is based on the maintenance of discipline, for undisciplined armies harm innocent citizens--or even the ruler himself. This philosophy leads him to the logical conclusion that if a prince has to choose between being loved and being feared, being feared is at least safer, for both the ruler and his subjects. Machiavelli's typically dark view of human nature is on display in this chapter, as seen in his warning about those who swear they love you in good times, but then desert you in bad times. The most cynical of Machiavelli's statements in this chapter is his assertion that people are quicker to forgive the death of a loved one than the confiscation of their property--there could be no bleaker assessment of raw human selfishness. Surrounded by people like these, a prince is indeed safer if he can control them by fear, because love is so fleeting and unreliable. Glossary Dido founder and queen of Carthage: in the Aeneid she falls in love with Aeneas and kills herself when he leaves her. Hannibal  Carthaginian general: crossed the Alps to invade Italy in 218. He was defeated by Scipio Africanus in 202 B.C. Fabius Maximus, more conservative in his tactics than Scipio, also fought against Hannibal. Locri a city captured by Scipio and brutally treated by one of his commanders.