《君主论·第十九章·应当避免受轻视与憎恨》第2节
That prince is highly esteemed who conveys this impression of himself, and he who is highly esteemed is not easily conspired against; for, provided it is well known that he is an excellent man and revered by his people, he can only be attacked with difficulty. For this reason a prince ought to have two fears, one from within, on account of his subjects, the other from without, on account of external powers. From the latter he is defended by being well armed and having good allies, and if he is well armed he will have good friends, and affairs will always remain quiet within when they are quiet without, unless they should have been already disturbed by conspiracy; and even should affairs outside be disturbed, if he has carried out his preparations and has lived as I have said, as long as he does not despair, he will resist every attack, as I said Nabis the Spartan did.
注释摘要
马基雅维利在这一段里要建立一条关键的因果链：君主的崇高声望是他防范阴谋的最有效屏障。推理线路很清晰——一个被人民视为卓越且受敬重的君主，攻击他极其困难。由此他引出君主必须面对的两重恐惧：来自内部的臣民，和来自外部的列强。对外要靠精良武备和可靠盟友来防御；只要武装充足，朋友自然不缺，外部安宁时内部一般也会保持安静，除非事先已被阴谋搅动。即使外部生乱，只要君主…