254 APPENDIX. 



'Tis the fashion of fortunate rebels, to feed 

 the people with shells and empty names, as if 

 their bare assertion could demonstrate to us 

 (against all experience) that 'tis freedom to be 

 slaves to quondam peasants, and slavery to be 

 subjects to a true and natural prince. And 

 therefore if the prince be severe, he gives them 

 Nero's brand, a man kneaded up of dirt and 

 blood : if he be of parts and contrivance, he 

 calls it pernicious ingenuity : if he be mild and 

 favourable to tender consciences, he declaims 

 against his toleration. If he urge uniformity 

 and decency in divine service, he rails at his 

 superstition. And because there is no such 

 equilibrious virtue, but has some flexure to one 

 of the extremes, he is very careful to publish 

 the extreme alone, and to silence the virtue. 



But if the prince hath by carriage of extraor- 

 dinary innocence, vindicated himself from ob- 

 loquy (which shall scarce be, if small faults be 

 rightly improved), then Machiavel's advice must 

 be followed, to calumniate stoutly, till the peo- 

 ple have entertained something to his preju- 



non quo plebem, cujus solius commodis inserviri videri volunt, 

 ab illo servitutis jugo asserant in libertatem j sed quo popular! 

 aurk subnixi, adituni sibi et januam ad earn ipsam dignitatem, 

 nequiora aliquando ausuri patefaciant. Barcklay co?itra Mo- 

 narch, 30. 



