toms of the two States. And of this we have fufficient proof in the examples of Burgundy, Bretagne, Gafcony, and Normandy, which provinces have continued fo long united with France: for though indeed there is fome little difference in their refpective languages, yet their manners and customs are nearly alike, and of confequence easily adjusted betwixt them. Whofoever therefore would keep poffeffion of a new acquifition, muft have a particular regard to two points. In the firft place, he must take care to extinguish the whole family of the last reigning Prince: and in the next, he must neither alter its laws, nor augment the taxes: by which manner of proceeding, that State will foon become firmly confolidated with his other dominions."

Machiavel is certainly ferious in recommending "the ut-.. ter extirpation and extinction of the whole family of the last reigning Prince," as may be concluded from the words imme-. diately following, which exprefs that the Conqueror "must neither alter the laws, nor augment the taxes." This laft is moft prudent, wholefome, and generous advice; which cannot, without the higheft abfurdity, be coupled with an ironical recommendation, to murder the whole family of the conquered Prince.

As there is no doubt, but that Machiavel was ferious in this cruel propofition, we may venture to add, that there is as little true policy as humanity in this horrible expedient. For, as the royal Examiner very juftly remarks, "Suppose an ambitious Prince fhould forcibly and unjustly deprive another of his dominions, has he therefore a right to poifon and affaffinate him and his whole family? A Conqueror by such a manner of proceeding, is fure to introduce a practice that will at last turn to his own deftruction. Another, equally ambitious, and more powerful than himself, may invade his territories, and retaliate his barbarity, by extinguishing him and his family, with the fame unrelenting rigour that he murdered his predeceflors. Of which Machiavel's own times. will afford us too many examples*.

That

In the courfe of his animadverfions on this chapter, the royal Examiner very juftly obferves, that "the dominions which a Roman enjoyed before, are not enriched by new conquefts; his fubjects are not all the better for them; and he is much deceived, himself, if he imagines they will make him any happier than he was." Thefe: are judicious and noble fentiments; and may ferve as a leffon to

teach

That Machiavel was a fincere Apologift for tyranny and inhumanity, in order to obtain or fecure dominion, may be farther concluded from his panegyric on Cæfar Borgia. Every one knows, that this fon of Pope Alexander the fixth, was a prodigy of wickedness. He affaffinated his own brother, because he was his rival in glory and love; and that too almost under the eyes of their fifter. He caufed the Pope's Swifs 'guards to be maffacred, to revenge himself upon fome of that nation who had affronted his mother. He violently deprived several of the Cardinals of all they had, to fatiate his avarice. He depofed the Duke of Urbino, the lawful poffeffor of Romagna, and put Renino d' Orco, his own bloody Sub-tyrant, to a barbarous and unexampled kind of death. He murdered feveral Lords of the Urfini family, whom he had looked upon as obftacles to his greatnefs, after he had decoyed them in the moft perfidious manner to an interview at Sinigaglia. He caused a Venetian Lady of quality, whom he had ravished, to be thrown into the Tiber, and drowned. In fhort, there is no kind of cruelty and iniquity of which he was not guilty; and yet Machiavel commends this monster in the following terms.

"Upon a thorough review of the Duke's conduct and actions, I fee nothing worthy of reprehenfion in them; on the contrary, I have propofed them, and here propofe them again, as a pattern for the imitation of all fuch, as arrive at dominion by the arms or fortune of others. For as he had a great fpirit, and vaft defigns, he could not well have acted otherwife in his circumftances: and if he miscarried in them, it was entirely owing to the fudden death of his father, and the defperate condition in which he happened to be himself at that critical juncture."-If this is intended as fatirical irony, it is difficult to determine when the Writer utters serious truths; and, indeed, fuch a fuppofition is the more groundless, when we confider that Machiavel was a kind of familiar and confidant of Cæfar Borgia's. It is probable, however, that Machiavel, who lived in those horrid times when murders and affaffinations were frequent, did not fee thefe bloody crimes in the fame light in which we regard them; at least he did not think them so heinous, when they were committed to acquire dominion:—and the best apology which can be made for

teach Princes hereafter to be content with fuch territories as they receive at their accession to fovereignty, without feeking to enlarge them by new claims, or by reviving old pritenfions.

him, is, that he reafons upon this unjust and nefarious prin

ciple,

Si violandum eft fus, Regnandi gratia violandum est.

A good man, however, and a wife Politician, instead of laying down rules for acquiring and maintaining unjust dominion, would apply himfelf to expofe the wickedness and folly of attempting fuch acquifitions; and to prove, that it is no Jefs the intereft of Princes than of private men, to be moderate, humane, and juft. The truth is, that Machiavel, who was a man of business and intrigue, had adopted a maxim, which has unhappily fwayed moft Statesmen, except Sully, and a very few more. The fubtle Italian thought that the end fanctified the means: though it must be confeffed, that there are some paffages in his works, which may lead us to a different conclufion. But, as we have already obferved, Machiavel is fometimes inconfiftent and contradictory: as in the following inftance.

Speaking of Agathocles, who, from a low condition, made himfelf King of Syracufe, he fays,-" When I reflect on the intrepidity and addrefs of Agathocles, both in encountring and extricating himself out of all dangers, as well as his invincible magnanimity in adverfity, I fee no reason why he may not be ranked among the greatest Captains: but if we confider the horrid barbarities, and innumerable other crimes he was guilty of, he certainly does not deferve to be numbered with truly virtuous or excellent men. We must not then attribute to Virtue or good Fortune, what he accomplished without the affittance either of one or the other."

Thefe are the fentiments of an honeft man, and fuch fentiments as no one would expect from the panegyrist of Cæsar Borgia. But the fentiments of justice and humanity are fo firmly rooted even in the moft depraved minds, that however they may be fubdued by unnatural refinement, they will fometimes rife involuntarily, and the native principles of the man, will contradict the artificial maxims of the Politician.

It is faid, however, that Machiavel was a zealous and determined Republican, and a great admirer of Brutus and Caffius: therefore it has been thought impoffible that he fhould deliver, as his own real principles, a fet of maxims fo contradictory to his character, and profeffed regard for the liberties of his country; in the government of which his family had born fome fhare.

This, by the way, is but a bad apology for his writings; for if he did not difclofe his real fentiments, as we are perfuaded he did not conftantly, he is ftill the more culpable, fince he has delivered them in fuch a manner, that they cannot, without the most flagrant inconfiftence and abfurdity, be confidered otherwife than as ferious precepts. At the fame time we can easily conceive that a man, who profeffes republican principles, may, from particular views and confiderations, ftoop to the base office of being an advocate for tyranny and ufurpation. In truth, if we make a fevere fcrutiny into the human heart, we shall find that many of those who are, or at leaft who fancy themselves to be Republicans, adopt thofe principles rather from a spirit of pride, than of equality. When they talk loud in behalf of public freedom, they are only contending for their own independence and pre-eminence. Place them in office; let them be deputy Tyrants, and they will prove the most zealous partizans for lawless and arbitrary dominion*. We may form a good judgment of the temper of thefe men, from their conduct during the troubles of the laft century. As to Machiavel, therefore, admitting him to have inclined to republican principles, yet it was his interest to inculcate a different doctrine; and to be an advocate for the principles of arbitrary power, in the adminiftration of which he took fome part himself.

Machiavel is likewife fometimes weak, as well as inconfiftent, in his reafoning. In the feventeenth chapter, he difcuffes the following query, viz. Whether it is better to be loved or feared? which he anfwers thus. "One would wish to be both. But fince that is a very hard matter to accomplish, it is fafer to be feared than beloved, if one fide or other of the queftion muft neceffarily be taken. For it may be truly affirmed of mankind in general, that they are ungrateful, inconftant, hypocritical, felf-interested, and ready to fly

*

Experience affords abundant proofs, that they who are most. restless and turbulent under a government in which they have no fhare of influence, are always the moft fervile tools of prerogative, and the greatest oppreflors of Liberty, when they are admitted into the adminiftration. We could point out a certain great and learned body, who, for many years, flood in oppofition to government, and treated their Sovereign with unparalleled infolence; but when at length their party prevailed, and they had hopes of creeping into power, they were the first to fet a pattern of DREAD fervility, and to exprefs themselves in fuch abject terms, as are beneath the dignity of hu

man nature.

L 4

from

from any appearance of danger: whilft you are fecure, and in a capacity of doing them any good, their lives and fortunes, and children (if you believe them) are all at your service: but if fortune turns her back upon you, they will foon follow her example, as I faid before. The Prince then who has no other foundation to rely upon but their profeffions, will certainly be ruined: for though, indeed, he may think he has reafon to depend upon the affection of thofe who follow him, (if not from motives of generofity and difintereftedness, or regard to his perfonal merit) at leaft from a fenfe of the favours and benefactions they have received; yet he will find himself deceived when he has occafion for their affiftance. Befides, people are apt to be lefs cautious of offending those who take pains to make themselves beloved, than those who endeavour to make themfelves feared, as love of that fort generally proceeds from obligations, which mankind, out of the depravity and corruption of their hearts, ufually take the firft opportunity of breaking, whenever felf-intereft interferes but fear being caufed by an apprehenfion of punishment and fufferings, is feldom or never to be fhaken off."

Here, it is evident, that his conclufions are not fairly drawn from the premifes. He tells us, that "a Prince who has no other foundation to rely upon, but his fubjects profeffions, will be ruined."-Who doubts it? But the true state of the queftion is, whether a Prince who enjoys the real affections of his people, is in any fuch danger? And it requires no fkill in Cafuiftry, to pronounce, that fuch an one will ne ver be ruined, while they can prevent his deftruction.

The moft pernicious and execrable doctrine, however, to be met with throughout Machiavel's works, is contained in the eighteenth chapter of his Prince; where he obferves, that there are two ways of deciding a conteft; the one by Laws, the other by Force; the former being proper to men, the latter to beafts. "But as laws are not always fufficient to end the difference, it becomes necefiary fometimes to make use of force. A Prince, therefore, ought to know how to resemble a beast as well as a man, upon occafion: and this is obfcurely hinted to us by ancient Writers, who relate that Achilles, and feveral other Princes in former times, were fent to be educated by Chiron the Centaur; that as their Preceptor was half-man and half-beaft, they might be taught to imitate both natures, fince one cannot long fupport itfelf without the other, Now, because it is fo neceflary for a Prince to learn how to act the part of a beaft fometimes, he fhould make the