CHAPTER III – CONCERNING MIXED

PRINCIPALITIES

Excerpts from The Prince by Niccolo

Machiavelli

By: Lorrin Hunt, Christina

Sargent, Lilia Bracey, & Aldrick

Cabrera

THIS POWERPOINT COVERS QUESTIONS 10 -14

#10. Why is it best to prepare for Future troubles with energy?

#11. What is a pensioner, and why would it have been better for

Louis to have left a pensioner of his own as King of Naples?

#12. Explain why there is sometimes praise in wanting to

acquire new territory and sometimes folly and blame in the same

desire.

#13. Why is committing a blunder to avoid war a mistake?

#14. In your own words, Explain the general rule that

Machiavelli gives at the end of this selection.

Machiavelli mentions that he saw the as Romans

discerning when they were striving for power,

because they always prepared for future troubles. In

this, they knew that if plans had not already been set

in motion to prepare for troubles in the future, then

the consequences to come would be tremendous and

fatal. Preparing for the future troubles makes it

much easier for you to remedy the troubles when

they come.

It would have been better for Louis to have left a

pensioner (a person who recieves a pension) of his

own as king of Naples because a person who needs

Louis’s pension payments in order to is more likely

to be loyal to Louis than one who can support

himself without the money that Louis provides him.

The desire to acquire new territory can have both

folly and blame within it. It is considered great if

you can attempt capturing territory and are

successful in doing it. However if your attempt is

failed it is perceived that you do not know your

limits, and people will look down on you.

Committing a blunder to avoid a war is a mistake

because Machiavelli is saying that he thinks that it is

inevitable; it cannot be avoided. Therefore,

avoiding war can only be deferred to your

disadvantage.

MACHIAVELLI ’S GENERAL RULE:

“He who is the cause of another becoming

powerful is ruined; because that predominancy has

been brought about either by astuteness or else by

force, and both are distrusted by him who has been

raised to power.”

TRANSLATION:

Machiavelli is basically saying that if you are the

reason why another person has gained power, you

are ruined because they are either very wise or very

strong. Even though all of their knowledge has come

from you, they now have used it to become stronger

than you are and take that power away from you.