CHAPTER XXIII. HOW FLATTERERS SHOULD BE AVOIDED

On the other hand, esatto keep his servant honest the prince ought esatto study him, honouring him, enriching him, doing him kindnesses, sharing with him the honours and cares; and at the same time let him see that he cannot stand chiazza, so that many honours may not make him desire more, many riches make him wish for more, and that many cares may make him dread chances. When, therefore, servants, and princes towards servants, are thus disposed, they can privilegio each other, but when it is otherwise, datingranking.net/it/meet24-review the end will always be disastrous for either one or the other.

I do not wish puro leave out an important branch of this subject, for it is verso danger from which princes are with difficulty preserved, unless they are very careful and discriminating. It is that of flatterers, of whom courts are full, because men are so self-complacent per their own affairs, and per a way so deceived in them, that they are preserved with difficulty from this pest, and if they wish to defend themselves they run the danger of falling into contempt. Because there is giammai other way of guarding oneself from flatterers except letting men understand that esatto tell you the truth does not offend you; but when every one may tell you the truth, respect for you abates.

Therefore a wise prince ought puro hold verso third course by choosing the wise men per his state, and giving to them only the liberty of speaking the truth esatto him, and then only of those things of which he inquires, and of none others; but he ought puro question them upon everything, and listen esatto their opinions, and afterwards form his own conclusions. With these councillors, separately and collectively, he ought sicuro carry himself sopra such verso way that each of them should know that, the more freely he shall speak, the more he shall be preferred; outside of these, he should listen to per niente one, pursue the thing resolved on, and be steadfast in his resolutions. He who does otherwise is either overthrown by flatterers, or is so often changed by varying opinions that he falls into contempt.

This arose because of his following verso practice the opposite preciso the above; for the emperor is per secretive man-he does not communicate his designs puro any one, nor does he receive opinions on them

In mezzo a Luca, the man of affairs puro Maximilian, the present emperor, speaking of his majesty, said: He consulted with mai one, yet never got his own way mediante anything. But as sopra carrying them into effect they become revealed and known, they are at once obstructed by those men whom he has around him, and he, being pliant, is diverted from them. Hence it follows that those things he does one day he undoes the next, and in nessun caso one ever understands what he wishes or intends onesto do, and giammai one can rely on his resolutions.

Maximilian I, born mediante 1459, died 1519, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. He married, first, Mary, daughter of Charles the Bold; after her death, Bianca Sforza; and thus became involved in Italian politics.

I wish on this subject to adduce per modern example

A prince, therefore, ought always onesto take counsel, but only when he wishes and not when others wish; he ought rather preciso discourage every one from offering advice unless he asks it; but, however, he ought preciso be per constant inquirer, and afterwards per patient listener concerning the things of which he inquired; also, on learning that any one, on any consideration, has not told him the truth, he should let his anger be felt.