《君主论·第七章·凭他人武力与命运获得的新君主国》第9节
But Alexander died five years after he had first drawn the sword. He left the duke with the state of Romagna alone consolidated, with the rest in the air, between two most powerful hostile armies, and sick unto death. Yet there were in the duke such boldness and ability, and he knew so well how men are to be won or lost, and so firm were the foundations which in so short a time he had laid, that if he had not had those armies on his back, or if he had been in good health, he would have overcome all difficulties. And it is seen that his foundations were good, for the Romagna awaited him for more than a month. In Rome, although but half alive, he remained secure; and whilst the Baglioni, the Vitelli, and the Orsini might come to Rome, they could not effect anything against him. If he could not have made Pope him whom he wished, at least the one whom he did not wish would not have been elected. But if he had been in sound health at the death of Alexander, everything would have been different to him. On the day that Julius the Second was elected, he told me that he had thought of everything that might occur at the death of his father, and had provided a remedy for all, except that he had never anticipated that, when the death did happen, he himself would be on the point to die. Alexander VI died of fever, 18th August 1503.
注释摘要
这段文字是本章论证的一个高潮。马基雅维利在这里要完成一个关键判断：切萨雷·博尔贾的失败，不是因为他在权术或谋划上犯了错，而是因为命运以一种超乎寻常的恶意，在最关键的时刻给了他三重几乎不可能同时承受的打击。论证的展开非常紧凑：他先回顾亚历山大六世拔剑开疆仅仅五年，就突然去世，留给公爵一个只有罗马涅一处真正巩固、其他领地都悬在半空的局面，而且身后站着法、西两支…