《君主论·第十二章·军队有多少种·论雇佣军》第1节
Having discoursed particularly on the characteristics of such principalities as in the beginning I proposed to discuss, and having considered in some degree the causes of there being good or bad, and having shown the methods by which many have sought to acquire them and to hold them, it now remains for me to discuss generally the means of offence and defence which belong to each of them. We have seen above how necessary it is for a prince to have his foundations well laid, otherwise it follows of necessity he will go to ruin. The chief foundations of all states, new as well as old or composite, are good laws and good arms; and as there cannot be good laws where the state is not well armed, it follows that where they are well armed they have good laws. I shall leave the laws out of the discussion and shall speak of the arms.
注释摘要
这是全书结构上的一个转折段落。前十一章里，马基雅维利已经逐类分析了各种君主国的性质、获取方式与维持之道，现在他要转入一个更普遍也更根本的问题：无论哪种国家，要存活下去都必须有攻守的手段。所以他在这里先做一次收束，然后开启关于军队的讨论。 他的推理链条很清晰。开篇两句话交代完前文的任务之后，立刻提出全书反复出现的一个命题：君主必须把基础打牢，否则必然走向毁灭…