《君主论·第十九章·应当避免受轻视与憎恨》第12节
But his son Antoninus was a most eminent man, and had very excellent qualities, which made him admirable in the sight of the people and acceptable to the soldiers, for he was a warlike man, most enduring of fatigue, a despiser of all delicate food and other luxuries, which caused him to be beloved by the armies. Nevertheless, his ferocity and cruelties were so great and so unheard of that, after endless single murders, he killed a large number of the people of Rome and all those of Alexandria. He became hated by the whole world, and also feared by those he had around him, to such an extent that he was murdered in the midst of his army by a centurion. And here it must be noted that such-like deaths, which are deliberately inflicted with a resolved and desperate courage, cannot be avoided by princes, because any one who does not fear to die can inflict them; but a prince may fear them the less because they are very rare; he has only to be careful not to do any grave injury to those whom he employs or has around him in the service of the state. Antoninus had not taken this care, but had contumeliously killed a brother of that centurion, whom also he daily threatened, yet retained in his bodyguard; which, as it turned out, was a rash thing to do, and proved the emperor’s ruin.
注释摘要
马基雅维利在这里分析安东尼努斯·卡拉卡拉这个案例，是为了论证他在本章反复强调的一个基本道理：君主必须避免被治下的臣民普遍憎恨，尤其要避免激怒身边那些近在咫尺的人，否则就是再强盛的武力也保不住他的性命。在正式讨论卡拉卡拉之前，他已经把塞维鲁当作一个成功的新君主来分析——塞维鲁既有狮子的勇猛，又有狐狸的狡诈，能够同时驾驭士兵与人民，最终保住大位。但塞维鲁的儿子…