Secret of Secrets

...and liberal to his subjects. A King liberal to himself and avaricious to his subjects. The Italians indeed said: it is not a vice in a king if he is avaricious to himself and liberal to his subjects. The Indians truly said: a king who is avaricious to himself and to his subjects is good. The Persians, however, asserting the contrary and contradicting the Indians and Italians, said that a king who is not liberal to himself and his subjects is worth nothing. But among all, in my judgment, he is worse and more to be reproached who is liberal to himself and avaricious to his subjects, because his kingdom will quickly be destroyed. It behooves us, therefore, to inquire subtly into these virtues and vices, and to show what liberality is and what avarice is, and where the error of liberality lies, and what evil follows in the abstinence of liberality. For it is plain that those qualities are to be reproached when they deviate much from the mean; and we know that the observance of liberality is difficult, and its transgression is easy, and for anyone it is easy to practice avarice and prodigality, and difficult to maintain liberality. If, therefore, you wish to acquire the virtue of liberality, consider your means, the times, necessities, and the merits of men. You ought, therefore, to give gifts according to your means with measure to those in need and who are worthy. He who gives otherwise, therefore, sins and transcends the rule of liberality; for he who bestows his gifts on those who are not in need acquires no praise, and he who gives out of his proper time is like one scattering false waters upon the seashore. And whatever is given to the unworthy is lost; and he who pours out his riches beyond measure will quickly come to the bitter shores of poverty. And it is limited for him who gives to his own enemies victory over himself. Therefore, he who gives from his goods in time of necessity to men in need, such a king is liberal to himself and to his subjects; his kingdom prospers, his command will be observed; the ancients praised such a king; such a one is called virtuous, liberal, and moderate. But he who pours out the goods of his kingdom upon the unworthy and those not in need, such a one is a despoiler of the commonwealth, a destroyer of the kingdom, incompetent of governance. Whence he is called a prodigal, in that his prudence is far from the kingdom. The name of avarice, however, greatly ill-befits a king and is discordant with royal majesty. If, therefore, any of the kings should have either of these...