CONCERNINGACIVILPRINCIPALITY
Butcomingtotheotherpoint—wherealeadingcitizenbecomestheprinceofhiscountry, notbywickednessoranyintolerableviolence, butbythefavourofhisfellowcitizens—thismaybecalledacivilprincipality: norisgeniusorfortunealtogethernecessarytoattaintoit, , andfromthisitarisesthatthepeopledonotwishtoberulednoroppressedbythenobles, andthenobleswishtoruleandoppressthepeople; andfromthesetwooppositedesirestherearisesincitiesoneofthreeresults, eitheraprincipality, self-government, oranarchy.
Aprincipalityiscreatedeitherbythepeopleorbythenobles, accordinglyasoneorotherofthemhastheopportunity; forthenobles, seeingtheycannotwithstandthepeople, begintocryupthereputationofoneofthemselves, andtheymakehimaprince, , findingtheycannotresistthenobles, alsocryupthereputationofoneofthemselves, , becausetheformerfindshimselfwithmanyaroundhimwhoconsiderthemselveshisequals, , andhasnonearoundhim, orfew, whoarenotpreparedtoobeyhim.
