ifficulty secure himself, he who has an entire people against him can
never feel safe and the greater the severity he uses the weaker his
authority becomes; so that his best course is to strive to make the
people his friends.

But since these views may seem to conflict with what I have said above,
treating there of a republic and here of a prince, that I may not have
to return to the subject again, I will in this place discuss it briefly.
Speaking, then of those princes who have become the tyrants of their
country, I say that the prince who seeks to gain over an unfriendly
people should first of all examine what it is the people really desire,
and he will always find that they desire two things: first, to be
revenged upon those who are the cause of their servitude; and second, to
regain their freedom. The first of these desires the prince can gratify
wholly, the second in part. As regards the former, we have an instance
exactly in point. Clearchus, tyrant of Heraclea, being in exile, it so
happened that on a feud arising between the commons and the nobles
of that city, the latter, perceiving they were weaker than their
adversaries, began to look with favour on Clearchus, and conspiring with
him, in opposition to the popular voice recalled him to Heraclea and
deprived the people of their freedom. Clearchus finding himself thus
placed between the arrogance of the nobles, whom he could in no way
either satisfy or correct, and the fury of the people, who could not put
up with the loss of their freedom, resolved to rid himself at a stroke
from the harassment of the nobles and recommend himself to the people.
Wherefore, watching his opportunity, he caused all the nobles to be put
to death, and thus, to the extreme delight of the people, satisfied one
of those desires by which they are possessed, namely, the desire for
vengeance.

As for the other desire of the people, namely, to recover their freedom,
the prince, since he never can content them in this, should examine what
the causes are which make them long to be free; and he will find a very
few of them desiring freedom that they may obtain power, but all the
rest, whose number is countless, only desiring it that they may live
securely. For in all republics, whatever the form of their government,
barely forty or fifty citizens have any place in the direction of
affairs; who, from their number being so small, can easily be reckoned
with, either by making away with them, or