《君主论·第二十四章·意大利君主为何丧失邦国》第2节
Philip of Macedon, not the father of Alexander the Great, but he who was conquered by Titus Quintius, had not much territory compared to the greatness of the Romans and of Greece who attacked him, yet being a warlike man who knew how to attract the people and secure the nobles, he sustained the war against his enemies for many years, and if in the end he lost the dominion of some cities, nevertheless he retained the kingdom. Therefore, do not let our princes accuse fortune for the loss of their principalities after so many years’ possession, but rather their own sloth, because in quiet times they never thought there could be a change (it is a common defect in man not to make any provision in the calm against the tempest), and when afterwards the bad times came they thought of flight and not of defending themselves, and they hoped that the people, disgusted with the insolence of the conquerors, would recall them. This course, when others fail, may be good, but it is very bad to have neglected all other expedients for that, since you would never wish to fall because you trusted to be able to find someone later on to restore you. This again either does not happen, or, if it does, it will not be for your security, because that deliverance is of no avail which does not depend upon yourself; those only are reliable, certain, and durable that depend on yourself and your valour.
注释摘要
马基雅维利在这一节里要解决一个很具体的问题：意大利那些长期拥有邦国的君主，怎么就在短时间内把国家丢了呢？前文他刚刚点了名，那不勒斯国王、米兰公爵以及其他几位，都在近代意大利的战乱中丧失了原有的领土。现在他搬出一个历史上的反例，以便让他的读者看清，真正的祸根不在别处，就在君主自身的懈怠。 他举出的是马其顿国王腓力五世。马基雅维利特意交代，这不是亚历山大大帝的…