《君主论·第十六章·慷慨与吝啬》第2节
We have not seen great things done in our time except by those who have been considered mean; the rest have failed. Pope Julius the Second was assisted in reaching the papacy by a reputation for liberality, yet he did not strive afterwards to keep it up, when he made war on the King of France; and he made many wars without imposing any extraordinary tax on his subjects, for he supplied his additional expenses out of his long thriftiness. The present King of Spain would not have undertaken or conquered in so many enterprises if he had been reputed liberal. A prince, therefore, provided that he has not to rob his subjects, that he can defend himself, that he does not become poor and abject, that he is not forced to become rapacious, ought to hold of little account a reputation for being mean, for it is one of those vices which will enable him to govern.
注释摘要
马基雅维利在这一段里进入了经验论证，他要证明的命题非常直白：在我们这个时代，成就大事的君主，无一例外都被视为吝啬之人；那些以慷慨闻名的，反倒都失败了。他用来支撑这个判断的，是两个当代君主——教皇尤利乌斯二世与西班牙国王费迪南。 先看尤利乌斯二世。这位教皇在当选之前，确实靠慷慨的名声聚拢了支持者，那是他通往权力顶峰的手段。但当他一坐上圣彼得的宝座，立刻就变了…