The Prince — Page 6
His first mission was in 1499 to Catherina Sforza, "my lady of Forli" of _The Prince_, from whose conduct and fate he drew the moral that it is far better to earn the confidence of the people than to rely on fortresses.
Su primera misión fue en 1499 ante Catalina Sforza, «mi señora de Forlì» de _El príncipe_, de cuya conducta y destino extrajo la moraleja de que es mucho mejor ganarse la confianza del pueblo que depender de las fortalezas.
This is a very noticeable principle in Machiavelli, and is urged by him in many ways as a matter of vital importance to princes.
Este es un principio muy destacado en Maquiavelo, y él lo defiende de muchas maneras como un asunto de vital importancia para los príncipes.
In 1500 he was sent to France to obtain terms from Louis XII for continuing the war against Pisa: this king it was who, in his conduct of affairs in Italy, committed the five capital errors in statecraft summarized in _The Prince_, and was consequently driven out.
En 1500 fue enviado a Francia para obtener condiciones de Luis XII para continuar la guerra contra Pisa: fue este rey quien, en su manejo de los asuntos en Italia, cometió los cinco errores capitales de gobierno resumidos en _El príncipe_, y fue consecuentemente expulsado.
He, also, it was who made the dissolution of his marriage a condition of support to Pope Alexander VI; which leads Machiavelli to refer those who urge that such promises should be kept to what he has written concerning the faith of princes.
Fue él también quien hizo de la disolución de su matrimonio una condición de su apoyo al papa Alejandro VI; lo que lleva a Maquiavelo a remitir a quienes insisten en que tales promesas deben cumplirse a lo que él ha escrito sobre la lealtad de los príncipes.
Machiavelli's public life was largely occupied with events arising out of the ambitions of Pope Alexander VI and his son, Cesare Borgia, the Duke Valentino, and these characters fill a large space of _The Prince_.
La vida pública de Maquiavelo estuvo en gran medida ocupada por los acontecimientos derivados de las ambiciones del papa Alejandro VI y su hijo, Cesare Borgia, el duque Valentino, y estos personajes ocupan un gran espacio en _El príncipe_.
Machiavelli never hesitates to cite the actions of the duke for the benefit of usurpers who wish to keep the states they have seized; he can, indeed, find no precepts to offer so good as the pattern of Cesare Borgia's conduct, insomuch that Cesare is acclaimed by some critics as the "hero" of _The Prince_.
Maquiavelo nunca duda en citar las acciones del duque en beneficio de los usurpadores que desean conservar los estados que han tomado; en efecto, no puede encontrar preceptos mejores que el ejemplo de la conducta de Cesare Borgia, tanto que Cesare es aclamado por algunos críticos como el «héroe» de _El príncipe_.
Vocabulary
- primera
- First, feminine form of the ordinal number
- misión
- Mission, assignment, or diplomatic task
- ante
- Before or in front of, a preposition
- señora
- Lady, madam, or married woman of rank
- El príncipe
- The Prince, Machiavelli's famous political treatise
- cuya
- Whose, a relative possessive pronoun feminine form
- conducta
- Conduct, behavior, or manner of acting
- destino
- Destiny, fate, or final destination of someone
- extrajo
- Extracted or drew out, past tense of extraer
- moraleja
- Moral lesson drawn from a story or event
- ganarse
- To earn or win for oneself, reflexive form
- confianza
- Trust, confidence, or reliance placed in someone
- pueblo
- People, population, or common folk of a nation
- depender
- To depend or rely on something or someone
- fortalezas
- Fortresses, strongholds, or strengths of character
- principio
- Principle, beginning, or foundational rule or belief
- destacado
- Outstanding, notable, or emphasized in importance
- defiende
- Defends or upholds, third-person singular present tense
- maneras
- Ways, manners, or methods of doing something
- asunto
- Matter, issue, or subject of concern or discussion
- vital
- Vital, essential, or critically important in nature
- importancia
- Importance, significance, or relevance of something
- príncipes
- Princes or rulers, plural of príncipe
- enviado
- Sent or envoy, past participle of enviar
- obtener
- To obtain, get, or secure something desired
- condiciones
- Conditions, terms, or requirements of an agreement
- continuar
- To continue, keep on, or carry on doing
- guerra
- War, armed conflict between nations or groups
- contra
- Against, in opposition to, a preposition
- rey
- King, a male monarch or ruler of state
- manejo
- Handling, management, or dealing with affairs
- asuntos
- Affairs, matters, or issues, plural of asunto
- cometió
- Committed or made, past tense of cometer
- errores
- Errors, mistakes, or blunders, plural of error
- capitales
- Capital or major, describing the most serious errors
- gobierno
- Government, governance, or the act of governing
- resumidos
- Summarized or condensed, past participle of resumir
- consecuentemente
- Consequently, as a result, or therefore logically
- expulsado
- Expelled or driven out, past participle of expulsar
- disolución
- Dissolution, annulment, or breaking apart of something
- matrimonio
- Marriage, matrimony, or the institution of being married
- condición
- Condition, requirement, or stipulation for an agreement
- apoyo
- Support, backing, or assistance given to someone
- papa
- Pope, the head of the Roman Catholic Church
- lleva
- Leads or takes, third-person singular present of llevar
- remitir
- To refer, submit, or send something to someone
- quienes
- Who, those who, plural relative pronoun for people
- insisten
- Insist, third-person plural present tense of insistir
- tales
- Such, those kinds of, plural demonstrative adjective
- promesas
- Promises, pledges, or commitments made to someone
- cumplirse
- To be fulfilled or kept, reflexive form of cumplir
- escrito
- Written, past participle of escribir
- lealtad
- Loyalty, faithfulness, or allegiance to someone
- vida
- Life, existence, or way of living
- pública
- Public, relating to the people or community affairs
- medida
- Measure, extent, or degree of something
- ocupada
- Occupied, busy, or taken up by something
- acontecimientos
- Events, happenings, or occurrences of significance
- derivados
- Derived or resulting from, past participle of derivar
- ambiciones
- Ambitions, desires for power or achievement
- hijo
- Son, male child of a parent
- duque
- Duke, a high-ranking nobleman or aristocratic title
- personajes
- Characters, figures, or notable persons in history
- ocupan
- Occupy or take up, third-person plural present tense
- espacio
- Space, room, or amount of attention given
- nunca
- Never, at no time, a negative adverb
- duda
- Doubt, hesitation, or uncertainty about something
- citar
- To cite, quote, or reference someone's actions
- acciones
- Actions, deeds, or acts performed by someone
- beneficio
- Benefit, advantage, or profit gained from something
- usurpadores
- Usurpers, those who seize power illegitimately
- desean
- Desire or wish, third-person plural present of desear
- conservar
- To conserve, preserve, or maintain something over time
- estados
- States, territories, or political entities governed
- tomado
- Taken, past participle of tomar
- efecto
- Effect, result, or consequence of an action
- encontrar
- To find or encounter something or someone
- preceptos
- Precepts, rules, or guiding principles of conduct
- ejemplo
- Example, model, or instance illustrating a point
- tanto
- So much or so many, indicating a great degree
- aclamado
- Acclaimed, praised, or celebrated by others
- críticos
- Critics, reviewers, or those who analyze works
- héroe
- Hero, a person admired for courage or achievements
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