As clever as he may be, he will hardly be able to find recommendation through any of these analyses. Surely those things which are virtuous or vicious maintain these qualities regardless of other circumstances. They are contingent on the will of God, or more simply, on the laws which God has laid down for mankind, and these laws do not change with the winds of time. However, the necessity of an action is clearly related to the circumstances in which the prince is acting. Similarly, the effect an act will have on his reputation is dependent on the mood of his constituency.
Fortune dictates which qualities are attained by various possible acts.
These qualities can be displayed by a drawing like the one in Figure 1, which shows the intersection of the options laid before the prince. However, Figure 1 shows the general case, wherein there are necessary acts which are detrimental, those that are beneficial, etc. Obviously, this does not always occur. Some circumstances tend to necessitate acts which are unpopular with the people. This is the result of fortune, or fate, defining a situation.