《君主论·第十一章·教会的君主国》第3节
Charles VIII invaded Italy in 1494. Alexander the Sixth arose afterwards, who of all the pontiffs that have ever been showed how a pope with both money and arms was able to prevail; and through the instrumentality of the Duke Valentino, and by reason of the entry of the French, he brought about all those things which I have discussed above in the actions of the duke. And although his intention was not to aggrandize the Church, but the duke, nevertheless, what he did contributed to the greatness of the Church, which, after his death and the ruin of the duke, became the heir to all his labours.
注释摘要
马基雅维利在教会的君主国这一章进行到这里时，正面临一个表面上的矛盾：他刚才说，教会君主国一旦获得便极易维持，因为它们依靠的是古老而无所不能的宗教制度，世俗君主无论品行如何，国家都不会被夺走。但历史呈现的景象恰恰相反——为什么在亚历山大六世之前，历任教皇在意大利的世俗权力被人轻看，而到了写作的年代，却连法国国王都因它而颤抖？这一段话正是为了回答这个疑问而回溯…