CONCERNINGCRUELTYANDCLEMENCY, ANDWHETHERITISBETTERTOBELOVEDTHANFEARED
Comingnowtotheotherqualitiesmentionedabove, ; notwithstanding, hiscrueltyreconciledtheRomagna, unifiedit, , hewillbeseentohavebeenmuchmoremercifulthantheFlorentinepeople, who, toavoidareputationforcruelty, permittedPistoiatobedestroyed.[1] Thereforeaprince, solongashekeepshissubjectsunitedandloyal, oughtnottomindthereproachofcruelty; becausewithafewexampleshewillbemoremercifulthanthosewho, throughtoomuchmercy, allowdisorderstoarise, fromwhichfollowmurdersorrobberies; forthesearewonttoinjurethewholepeople, whilstthoseexecutionswhichoriginatewithaprinceoffendtheindividualonly.
Andofallprinces, itisimpossibleforthenewprincetoavoidtheimputationofcruelty, , throughthemouthofDido, excusestheinhumanityofherreignowingtoitsbeingnew, saying:
"Resdura, etregninovitasmetaliacoguntMoliri, etlatefinescustodetueri."[2]
Neverthelessheoughttobeslowtobelieveandtoact, norshouldhehimselfshowfear, butproceedinatemperatemannerwithprudenceandhumanity, sothattoomuchconfidencemaynotmakehimincautiousandtoomuchdistrustrenderhimintolerable.
ChristopherPitt.
