Pagina 187 van 310

But when it cannot be avoided, as happened to the Florentines

when the Pope and Spain sent armies to attack Lombardy, then in

such a case, for the above reasons, the prince ought to favour

one of the parties.

Never let any Government imagine that it can choose perfectly

safe courses; rather let it expect to have to take very doubtful

ones, because it is found in ordinary affairs that one never

seeks to avoid one trouble without running into another; but

prudence consists in knowing how to distinguish the character of

troubles, and for choice to take the lesser evil.