IL PRINCIPE

that Kingdom; or by a Prince, and by Barons, who hold that rank not by the grace of the Lord, but by antiquity of blood. These Barons have their own States and subjects, who recognize them as Lords and have a natural affection for them. Those states that are governed by a Prince and by servants have their Prince with more authority; because in all his Province there is no one who recognizes anyone as superior except him; and if they obey anyone else, they do it as to a minister and official, and they do not bear him particular love.

The examples of these two diversities of government are, in our times, the Turk and the King of France. The entire monarchy of the Turk is governed by one Lord; the others are his servants; and dividing his kingdom into Sanjaks administrative districts, he sends there different administrators, and he changes and varies them as he pleases. But the King of France is placed in the midst of an ancient multitude of Lords, recognized by their subjects and loved by them; they have their own prerogatives, and the King cannot take them away without his own danger.

Whoever therefore considers one and the other of these States will find difficulty in acquiring the State of the Turk; but once it is conquered, it is a great ease to hold it. The causes of the difficulties in being able to occupy the Kingdom of the Turk are: not being able to be called in by the Princes of that Kingdom, nor hoping to facilitate his enterprise by the rebellion of those whom he has around him; which arises from the aforementioned reasons. Because, being all slaves and beholden to him, they can be corrupted with more difficulty; and even if they were corrupted, one can hope for little utility, as they cannot pull the peoples along with them for the reasons assigned. Whence, to whoever assaults the Turk, it is necessary to think of having to find him united, and it behooves him to hope more in his own forces than in the disorders of others. But once he is conquered and broken in the field in such a way that he cannot reorganize armies, one has nothing to fear but the blood of the Prince; once he is extinguished, no one remains of whom one has to fear, the others having no credit with the people. And just as the victor could not hope in them before the victory, so he should not fear them after it.

The contrary happens in Kingdoms governed like that of France, because you can enter them with ease by winning over some Baron of the Kingdom; because one always finds malcontents and those who desire...