ught alwayes to take counsell,
but at his owne pleasure, and not at other mens; or rather should take
away any mans courage to advise him of any thing, but what he askes: but
he ought well to aske at large, and then touching the things inquird of,
be a patient hearer of the truth; and perceiving that for some respect
the truth were conceald from him, be displeased thereat. And because
some men have thought that a Prince that gaines the opinion to bee wise,
may bee held so, not by his owne naturall indowments, but by the good
counsells he hath about him; without question they are deceivd; for this
is a generall rule and never failes, that a Prince who of himselfe is
not wise, can never be well advised, unlesse he should light upon one
alone, wholly to direct and govern him, who himself were a very wise
man. In this case it is possible he may be well governd: but this would
last but little: for that governor in a short time would deprive him of
his State; but a Prince not having any parts of nature, being advised of
more then one, shall never be able to unite these counsels: of himself
shall he never know how to unite them; and each one of the Counsellers,
probably will follow that which is most properly his owne; and he shall
never find the meanes to amend or discerne these things; nor can they
fall out otherwise, because men alwayes prove mischievous, unlesse upon
some necessity they be forc'd to become good: we conclude therefore,
that counsells from whencesoever they proceed, must needs take their
beginning from the Princes wisdome, and not the wisdome of the Prince
from good counsells.

In this Chapter our Authour prescribes some rules how to avoyd
flattery, and not to fall into contempt. The extent of these two
extreames is so large on both sides, that there is left but a
very narrow path for the right temper to walke between them
both: and happy were that Prince, who could light on so good a
Pilote as to bring him to Port between those rocks and those
quicksands. Where Majesty becomes familiar, unlesse endued with
a super-eminent vertue, it loses all awfull regards: as the
light of the Sunne, because so ordinary, because so common, we
should little value, were it not that all Creatures feele
themselves quickned by the rayes thereof. On the other side,
_Omnis insipiens arrogantia et plausibus capitur_, Every foole
is taken with his owne pride and others flatteryes: