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26 INTRODUCTION.
ahvays present with Machiavelli; and he differed from
others who shared the idea in his belief that, taking all
due account of the historical background of the nation,
the problem was not altogether insoluble. He had seen
Italy overrun by the foreigner, and the daily vicissitudes
of town after town; five kings of Naples in three years, the
Sforzas at Milan tossed from their throne at the caprice of
a ' barbarian '; Venice crushed, Pisa ruined, Florence enslaved.
In his own narrow zeal for Florence, he had co-operated to
destroy Pisa; he had rejoiced at the ruin of Venice l. Gradually
the idea was driven home to him, that the only hope of safety
was to get rid of foreign intervention, and then establish an
independent and ultimately a united nation. Though Italy was
a 'corrupt' nation, and could not be depended upon to reform
itself, he still thought that it might be restored to its ancient
vigour, might 'ritornare al segno,' if only a man could be
found who would not shrink from employing the means which
this very corruption rendered necessary.
The character of the man upon whom the work of reformation
is to devolve is sketched by Machiavelli in The
Prince. He must in the first place be entirely free from
emotional disturbance; he must be ready to take advantage
of the existing state of things; he must be strong enough
to sin boldly, if his country's welfare depends upon it;
he must be shrewd enough to understand human nature in
whatever form he finds it, and, overcoming evil by evil, play
with the passions and impulses of men, use them as he pleases,
force them to his purpose, manage them. And above all he
must be thorough: a single hesitation, a single half-measure
might compromise the whole result. He must depend upon
himself and his own soldiers; he must abolish all mercenaries,
and establish a national army of his own subjects. If such
a man could be found, of unflinching purpose, dead to every
sentiment but the love of his country, willing to save his fatherland
rather than his own soul, careless of justice or injustice,
of mercy or cruelty, of honour or disgrace, he might perhaps
i Tommasini, Op. cir. p 603: ')k visto eader Genova, e n' h goduto : Venezia,
e 1'/_procurato ; Pisa, e s' _ affaticato ad opprlmerla, ed ora oh' ei vede Firenze
mdotta al capestro anch' essa, si domanda se proprio non siavi rimedio al suo e
al eomune dolore.'