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And as experience shows, many have been the conspiracies, but few

have been successful; because he who conspires cannot act alone,

nor can he take a companion except from those whom he believes to

be malcontents, and as soon as you have opened your mind to a

malcontent you have given him the material with which to content

himself, for by denouncing you he can look for every advantage;

so that, seeing the gain from this course to be assured, and

seeing the other to be doubtful and full of dangers, he must be a

very rare friend, or a thoroughly obstinate enemy of the prince,

to keep faith with you.