Pagina 297 di 310

Therefore, thou hast no hope in anything but in thine own

abilities, and in the memory of my valour, and in the prestige

which this latest victory has brought thee; which, as thou

knowest how to use it with prudence, will assist thee to come to

terms with the Florentines, who, as they are suffering under this

great defeat, should be inclined to listen to thee. And whereas I

have sought to make them my enemies, because I believed that war

with them would conduce to my power and glory, thou hast every

inducement to make friends of them, because their alliance will

bring thee advantages and security. It is of the greatest

important in this world that a man should know himself, and the

measure of his own strength and means; and he who knows that he

has not a genius for fighting must learn how to govern by the

arts of peace.