it; and most of all, when he who breaks is he that made it.

After the year 1494, the city of Florence reformed its government with
the help of the Friar Girolamo Savonarola, whose writings declare his
learning, his wisdom, and the excellence of his heart. Among other
ordinances for the safety of the citizens, he caused a law to be passed,
allowing an appeal to the people from the sentences pronounced by "the
Eight" and by the "Signory" in trials for State offences; a law he had
long contended for, and carried at last with great difficulty. It so
happened that a very short time after it was passed, five citizens were
condemned to death by the "Signory" for State offences, and that when
they sought to appeal to the people they were not permitted to do so,
and the law was violated. This, more than any other mischance, helped to
lessen the credit of the Friar; since if his law of appeal was salutary,
he should have caused it to be observed; if useless, he ought not to
have promoted it. And his inconsistency was the more remarked, because
in all the sermons which he preached after the law was broken, he
never either blamed or excused the person who had broken it, as though
unwilling to condemn, while unable to justify what suited his purposes.
This, as betraying the ambitious and partial turn of his mind, took from
his reputation and exposed him to much obloquy.

Another thing which greatly hurts a government is to keep alive bitter
feelings in men's minds by often renewed attacks on individuals, as was
done in Rome after the decemvirate was put an end to. For each of the
decemvirs, and other citizens besides, were at different times accused
and condemned, so that the greatest alarm was spread through the whole
body of the nobles, who came to believe that these prosecutions would
never cease until their entire order was exterminated. And this must
have led to grave mischief had not Marcus Duilius the tribune provided
against it, by an edict which forbade every one, for the period of a
year, citing or accusing any Roman citizen, an ordinance which had the
effect of reassuring the whole nobility. Here we see how hurtful it is
for a prince or commonwealth to keep the minds of their subjects in
constant alarm and suspense by continually renewed punishments and
violence. And, in truth, no course can be more pernicious. For men
who are in fear for their safety will seize on every opportunity for
securing themselves against the d