《君主论·第十七章·残酷与仁慈·被爱戴与被畏惧孰优》第4节
Among the wonderful deeds of Hannibal this one is enumerated: that having led an enormous army, composed of many various races of men, to fight in foreign lands, no dissensions arose either among them or against the prince, whether in his bad or in his good fortune. This arose from nothing else than his inhuman cruelty, which, with his boundless valour, made him revered and terrible in the sight of his soldiers, but without that cruelty, his other virtues were not sufficient to produce this effect. And short-sighted writers admire his deeds from one point of view and from another condemn the principal cause of them. That it is true his other virtues would not have been sufficient for him may be proved by the case of Scipio, that most excellent man, not only of his own times but within the memory of man, against whom, nevertheless, his army rebelled in Spain; this arose from nothing but his too great forbearance, which gave his soldiers more license than is consistent with military discipline. For this he was upbraided in the Senate by Fabius Maximus, and called the corrupter of the Roman soldiery. The Locrians were laid waste by a legate of Scipio, yet they were not avenged by him, nor was the insolence of the legate punished, owing entirely to his easy nature. Insomuch that someone in the Senate, wishing to excuse him, said there were many men who knew much better how not to err than to correct the errors of others. This disposition, if he had been continued in the command, would have destroyed in time the fame and glory of Scipio; but, he being under the control of the Senate, this injurious characteristic not only concealed itself, but contributed to his glory.
注释摘要
在这一段里，马基雅维利将此前对残酷与仁慈的讨论，收窄到一个他极为关切的特殊情境：君主亲自统率军队，面对众多士卒时的纪律与团结问题。他要论证的是，一个带兵的新君主，必须乐于背上残酷的名声，否则再多的德行也撑不起一支军队。他不是在抽象地赞美残酷，而是在分析军事指挥中一种令人不安却无法回避的效果逻辑。 他的正面例证是汉尼拔。第二次布匿战争期间，汉尼拔率领一支由阿…