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It has not been seen in our times that such fortresses have been

of use to any prince, unless to the Countess of Forli,[1] when

the Count Girolamo, her consort, was killed; for by that means

she was able to withstand the popular attack and wait for

assistance from Milan, and thus recover her state; and the

posture of affairs was such at that time that the foreigners

could not assist the people. But fortresses were of little value

to her afterwards when Cesare Borgia attacked her, and when the

people, her enemy, were allied with foreigners. Therefore, it

would have been safer for her, both then and before, not to have

been hated by the people than to have had the fortresses. All

these things considered then, I shall praise him who builds

fortresses as well as him who does not, and I shall blame

whoever, trusting in them, cares little about being hated by the

people.