CHAPTER XXII.

CONCERNING THE SECRETARIES OF PRINCES

The choice of servants is of no little importance to a prince, and they

are good or not according to the discrimination of the prince. And the

first opinion which one forms of a prince, and of his understanding, is

by observing the men he has around him; and when they are capable and

faithful he may always be considered wise, because he has known how to

recognize the capable and to keep them faithful. But when they are

otherwise one cannot form a good opinion of him, for the prime error

which he made was in choosing them.

There were none who knew Messer Antonio da Venafro as the servant of

Pandolfo Petrucci, Prince of Siena, who would not consider Pandolfo to

be a very clever man in having Venafro for his servant. Because there

are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself;

another which appreciates what others comprehended; and a third which

neither comprehends by itself nor by the showing of others; the first

is the most excellent, the second is good, the third is useless.

Therefore, it follows necessarily that, if Pandolfo was not in the

first rank, he was in the second, for whenever one has judgment to know

good and bad when it is said and done, although he himself may not have

the initiative, yet he can recognize the good and the bad in his

servant, and the one he can praise and the other correct; thus the

servant cannot hope to deceive him, and is kept honest.

But to enable a prince to form an opinion of his servant there is one

test which never fails; when you see the servant thinking more of his

own interests than of yours, and seeking inwardly his own profit in

everything, such a man will never make a good servant, nor will you

ever be able to trust him; because he who has the state of another in

his hands ought never to think of himself, but always of his prince,

and never pay any attention to matters in which the prince is not

concerned.

On the other hand, to keep his servant honest the prince ought to 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 alone, 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 trust each other, but when it is otherwise,

the end will always be disastrous for either one or the other.