CHAP. XVIII.
Whether Princes ought to be faithful to their Engagements.
İt is unquestionably very praiseworthy in princes to be faithful to their engagements; but among those of the present day, who have performed great exploits, few of them have piqued themselves on this fidelity, or have been scrupulous in deceiving those who relied on their good faith.
It should, therefore, be known, that there are two modes of warfare; one of which is by laws, the other by force. The first is peculiar to men, the other is common to us with beasts; but when laws are not powerful enough, it is very necessary to recur to force: a prince ought to understand how to fight with both these kind of arms. This doctrine is admirably displayed to us by the ancient poets in the allegorical history of the education of Achilles, and many other princes of antiquity, by the centaur Chiron, who, under the double form of man and beast, taught those who were destined to govern, that it was their duty to use by turns the arms adapted to each of these
species, seeing that one without the other cannot
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