《君主论·第八章·以邪恶之道获得君权者》第1节
Although a prince may rise from a private station in two ways, neither of which can be entirely attributed to fortune or genius, yet it is manifest to me that I must not be silent on them, although one could be more copiously treated when I discuss republics. These methods are when, either by some wicked or nefarious ways, one ascends to the principality, or when by the favour of his fellow-citizens a private person becomes the prince of his country. And speaking of the first method, it will be illustrated by two examples—one ancient, the other modern—and without entering further into the subject, I consider these two examples will suffice those who may be compelled to follow them.
注释摘要
这段话是第八章的开篇，马基雅维利在这里交代了本章要讨论的主题，也为全章定下了一个既冷酷又严谨的基调。他承接前几章对依靠德性与命运获得君权的分析，指出还有两种由私人身份崛起为君主的方式，既不完全依靠命运，也不完全依靠个人德性。这两种方式，一个是他所谓的以邪恶之道获取君权，另一个是依靠同胞公民的拥戴成为本国君主。他在此明确指出，后一种方式将在讨论共和国时更充分…