The Prince (Byerley)/Chapter 16
CHAP. XVI.
Of Liberality and Economy.
To begin with the first quality of which I have just spoken, I must observe that it is politic to be deemed liberal, but dangerous so to exercise your liberality as thereby to become neither feared nor respected. I will explain myself. In fact, if a prince be only liberal as far as it suits his purposes, that is to say within certain bounds, he will please but few, and will be called selfish. A prince who wishes his liberality to be boasted of, is regardless of every expence; but then, to support this reputation, he finds himself often reduced to the necessity of levying taxes on his subjects, and to recur to all kinds of fiscal resource which cannot fail to make him odious. Besides exhausting the public treasure by his prodigality, his credit is destroyed, and he runs the risk of losing his. dominions on the first reverse of fortune, his liberality having, as it always happens, made him more enemies than friends. On the other hand, he cannot retrace his steps and restore order to his finances without being charged with avarice.
Seeing therefore that a prince cannot be liberal but at this price, he should not trouble himself much about being taxed with parsimony and avarice; so that when it shall be seen that his revenues are equal to his expences, that he is in a condițion to defend his dominions, and even to updertake useful enterprises without introducing new imposts, those from whom he takes nothing, and that is the greatest number, will find him sufficiently liberal, Those who would be tempted to accuse him of avarice, because he does not give them all they ask, are not very numerous. In pur own times we have seen no great exploits performed, except by those who have been accounted avaricious; all the others have failed. Julius II. attained the pontifical chair by means of his largesses; but he rightly judged that, to enable him to make war against the king of France, it would be useless for him to preserve that reputation which he bad acquired of liberality. His savings enabled him to support the expence of all his wars without įmposing new taxes. The present king of Spain had never been able to accomplish all his enterprises, if he had at all concerned himself of what night be said about his parsimony.
In this manner a prince, in order that he may not become impoverished, and that he may be able to defend his states, should they be attacked, without imposing new taxes on his subjects, ought to despise the dread of being taxed with avarice, since the pretended vice may secure the prosperity and the stability of his government.
It may however be alleged that Cæsar would pever have arrived at empire but for his largesses, and that by the same means many others have raised themselves to that high rank. My answer is, that the condition of a prince is very different from that of a man who is desirous to raise himself to that rank. If Cæsar had lived longer, he would have lost that reputation for liberality which had paved him the way to empire, or he would have lost himself in the attempt to preserve it.
There have been, however, some princes who have performed splendid actions, and who have distinguished themselves by their liberality, but then their prodigality did not come from the public purse. Such were Cyrus, Alexander, and Cæsar. A prince ought to be very sparing of his own and his subjects' property; but he should be equally lavish of that which he has taken from the enemy, if he would wish to be popular with his troops. It is not so mụch virtue itself that wears out, as generosity. He who is too liberal cannot long continue so; he will become poor and contemptible unless he grinds his subjects with new taxes—which cannot fail to render him odious to them. Now there is nothing a prince ought to dread so much as to be hated, except being despised; and liberality drives him on this double rock. If he must chuse between extremes, it is much better to be sparing in liberality, than to be too profuse; since the first, though it may not yield him honour, does not, like the other, draw after it contempt and hatred.