《君主论·第十四章·君主与军事》第2节
As regards action, he ought above all things to keep his men well organized and drilled, to follow incessantly the chase, by which he accustoms his body to hardships, and learns something of the nature of localities, and gets to find out how the mountains rise, how the valleys open out, how the plains lie, and to understand the nature of rivers and marshes, and in all this to take the greatest care. Which knowledge is useful in two ways. Firstly, he learns to know his country, and is better able to undertake its defence; afterwards, by means of the knowledge and observation of that locality, he understands with ease any other which it may be necessary for him to study hereafter; because the hills, valleys, and plains, and rivers and marshes that are, for instance, in Tuscany, have a certain resemblance to those of other countries, so that with a knowledge of the aspect of one country one can easily arrive at a knowledge of others. And the prince that lacks this skill lacks the essential which it is desirable that a captain should possess, for it teaches him to surprise his enemy, to select quarters, to lead armies, to array the battle, to besiege towns to advantage.
注释摘要
这一段讲的是君主在军事上该如何通过行动来锻炼自己，这个行动的核心被归结为两件事：组织训练部队和持续地狩猎。马基雅维利把狩猎抬到了极高的位置，不是因为它是贵族消遣，而是因为它在当时是最接近实战侦察的模拟训练。一个君主带着人马在野外追逐猎物，必然要穿越各种地形，身体要忍受疲劳与恶劣天气，这本身就磨炼了统帅所需的体魄。更关键的是，在狩猎过程中，他必须留心山势如何…