《君主论·第七章·凭他人武力与命运获得的新君主国》第1节
Those who solely by good fortune become princes from being private citizens have little trouble in rising, but much in keeping atop; they have not any difficulties on the way up, because they fly, but they have many when they reach the summit. Such are those to whom some state is given either for money or by the favour of him who bestows it; as happened to many in Greece, in the cities of Ionia and of the Hellespont, where princes were made by Darius, in order that they might hold the cities both for his security and his glory; as also were those emperors who, by the corruption of the soldiers, from being citizens came to empire. Such stand simply elevated upon the goodwill and the fortune of him who has elevated them—two most inconstant and unstable things. Neither have they the knowledge requisite for the position; because, unless they are men of great worth and ability, it is not reasonable to expect that they should know how to command, having always lived in a private condition; besides, they cannot hold it because they have not forces which they can keep friendly and faithful. States that rise unexpectedly, then, like all other things in nature which are born and grow rapidly, cannot leave their foundations and correspondencies fixed in such a way that the first storm will not overthrow them; unless, as is said, those who unexpectedly become princes are men of so much ability that they know they have to be prepared at once to hold that which fortune has thrown into their laps, and that those foundations, which others have laid before they became princes, they must lay afterwards.
注释摘要
马基雅维利在这一段要论证的是一个看似悖论的现象：完全靠好运从私人身份一跃成为君主的人，上位的路最轻松，守住位置的难度却最大。他用了一个很形象的比喻，说这些人不是一步步爬上去的，而是飞上去的，所以到了顶点才发现脚下什么都没有。这段话的推理链条很清楚：他们之所以上得容易，是因为位置是别人给的；正因如此，他们既缺乏治国的实际历练，又没有一支真正忠于自己的武力，一…