《君主论·第十九章·应当避免受轻视与憎恨》第5节
Giovanni Bentivogli, born in Bologna 1438, died at Milan 1508. He ruled Bologna from 1462 to 1506. Machiavelli’s strong condemnation of conspiracies may get its edge from his own very recent experience (February 1513), when he had been arrested and tortured for his alleged complicity in the Boscoli conspiracy. For this reason I consider that a prince ought to reckon conspiracies of little account when his people hold him in esteem; but when it is hostile to him, and bears hatred towards him, he ought to fear everything and everybody. And well-ordered states and wise princes have taken every care not to drive the nobles to desperation, and to keep the people satisfied and contented, for this is one of the most important objects a prince can have.
注释摘要
在这一段里，马基雅维利以博洛尼亚的本蒂沃利奥家族为例，来巩固他关于阴谋的论证。老安尼巴莱·本蒂沃利奥被坎内斯基家族刺杀后，博洛尼亚人民随即群起而攻之，杀光了所有坎内斯基家的人。当时本蒂沃利奥家族只剩一个尚在幼年的乔瓦尼，后来因为佛罗伦萨传来消息，说那里还有一个本蒂沃利奥家族的后人（此前大家都以为他只是个铁匠的儿子），博洛尼亚人立刻把他接来，让他掌管这座城市…