《君主论·第十八章·君主应当如何守信·狮子与狐狸》第3节
“Contesting,” i.e. “striving for mastery.” Mr Burd points out that this passage is imitated directly from Cicero’s “De Officiis”: “Nam cum sint duo genera decertandi, unum per disceptationem, alterum per vim; cumque illud proprium sit hominis, hoc beluarum; confugiendum est ad posterius, si uti non licet superiore.” But it is necessary to know well how to disguise this characteristic, and to be a great pretender and dissembler; and men are so simple, and so subject to present necessities, that he who seeks to deceive will always find someone who will allow himself to be deceived. One recent example I cannot pass over in silence. Alexander the Sixth did nothing else but deceive men, nor ever thought of doing otherwise, and he always found victims; for there never was a man who had greater power in asserting, or who with greater oaths would affirm a thing, yet would observe it less; nevertheless his deceits always succeeded according to his wishes, because he well understood this side of mankind. “Nondimanco sempre gli succederono gli inganni (ad votum).” The words “ad votum” are omitted in the Testina addition, 1550. Alexander never did what he said, Cesare never said what he did. Italian Proverb.
注释摘要
这段注释点出了马基雅维利论证的一个关键思想来源，以及他所举的近期范例。编者伯德指出，马基雅维利关于两种斗争方式的著名区分，是直接模仿自西塞罗的《论责任》。在西塞罗那里，这两种方式是“通过讨论”与“通过暴力”，前者属于人，后者属于野兽；只有在无法运用前者时，才可诉诸后者。马基雅维利接过了这个框架，却悄然改变了它的重点。西塞罗的道德立场是明确的：暴力是次等的、…