THE WAY TO GOVERN CITIES OR DOMINIONS THAT, PREVIOUS TO BEING OCCUPIED,
LIVED UNDER THEIR OWN LAWS.
When those states which have been acquired are accustomed to live at
liberty under their own laws, there are three ways of holding them. The
first is to ruin them; the second is to go and live there in person;
the third is to allow them to live under their own laws, taking tribute
of them, and creating there within the country a state composed of a
few who will keep it friendly to you. Because this state, being created
by the prince, knows that it cannot exist without his friendship and
protection, and will do all it can to keep them, and a city used to
liberty can be more easily held by means of its citizens than in
any other way, if you wish to preserve it. There is the example of
the Spartans and the Romans. The Spartans held Athens and Thebes by
creating within them a state of a few people; nevertheless they lost
them. The Romans, in order to hold Capua, Carthage, and Numantia,
destroyed them, but did not lose them. They wanted to hold Greece in
almost the same way as the Spartans held it, leaving it free and under
its own laws, but they did not succeed; so that they were compelled
to destroy many cities in that province in order to keep it, because
in truth there is no sure method of holding them except by ruining
them. And whoever becomes the ruler of a free city and does not destroy
it, can expect to be destroyed by it, for it can always find a motive
for rebellion in the name of liberty and of its ancient usages, which
are forgotten neither by lapse of time nor by benefits received, and
whatever one does or provides, so long as the inhabitants are not
separated or dispersed, they do not forget that name and those usages,
but appeal to them at once in every emergency, as did Pisa after being
so many years held in servitude by the Florentines. But when cities or
provinces have been accustomed to live under a prince, and the family
of that prince is extinguished, being on the one hand used to obey, and
on the other not having their old prince, they cannot unite in choosing
one from among themselves, and they do not know how to live in freedom,
so that they are slower to take arms, and a prince can win them over
with greater facility and establish himself securely. But in republics
there is greater life, greater hatred, and more desire for vengeance;
they do not and cannot cast aside the memory of their ancient liberty,
so that the surest way is either to destroy them or reside in them.