s, as I said, as his extortion of his
subjects goods, and abuse of their women, from which he ought to
forbear; and so long as he wrongs not his whole people, neither in their
goods, nor honors, they live content, and he hath only to strive with
the Ambition of some few: which many waies and easily too, is
restrain'd. To be held various, light, effeminate, faint-hearted,
unresolv'd, these make him be contemnd and thought base, which a Prince
should shun like rocks, and take a care that in all his actions there
appear magnanimity, courage, gravity, and valor; and that in all the
private affairs of his subjects, he orders it so, that his word stand
irrevocable: and maintain himself in such repute, that no man may think
either to deceive or wind and turn him about: that Prince that gives
such an opinion of himself, is much esteemed, and against him who is so
well esteemed, hardly are any conspiracies made by his subjects, or by
forreiners any invasion, when once notice is taken of his worth, and how
much he is reverenced by his subjects: For a Prince ought to have two
fears, the one from within, in regard of his subjects; the other from
abroad, in regard of his mighty neighbors; from these he defends himself
by good armes and good friends; and alwayes he shall have good friends,
if he have good armes; and all things shall alwaies stand sure at home,
when those abroad are firme, in case some conspiracy have not disturbed
them; and however the forrein matters stand but ticklishly; yet if he
have taken such courses at home, and liv'd as we have prescribed, he
shall never be able (in case he forsake not himself) to resist all
possibility, force and violence, as I said Nabis the Spartan did: but
touching his subjects, even when his affairs abroad are setled, it is to
be fear'd they may conspire privily; from which a Prince sufficiently
secure himself by shunning to be hated or contemned, and keeping himself
in his peoples good opinion, which it is necessary for him to compass,
as formerly we treated at large. And one of the powerfullest remedies a
Prince can have against conspiracies, is, not to be hated nor dispised
by the universality; for alwaies he that conspires, beleeves the Princes
death is acceptable to the subject: but when he thinks it displeases
them, he hath not the heart to venture on such a matter; for the
difficulties that are on the conspirators side, are infinite. By
experience it is plain, that many times plots