# 51. A Republic or a Prince should ostensibly do out of Generosity what Necessity constrains them to do

Prudent men always and in all their actions make a favour of doing things even though they would of necessity be constrained to do them anyhow. The Roman Senate made good use of prudence deciding to use public money to pay men on military service. It had been the custom for soldiers to pay their own expenses, but the senate saw that in such case they could not make war for long, and, in consequence, would neither be able to lay siege to towns, nor to lead their armies far afield. Since, therefore, they thought it necessary to be able to do both these things, they decided that the troops should be paid a stipend; but did it in such a way that they made a favour of doing what necessity had constrained them to do.

So acceptable was this gift to the plebs that Rome went mad with delight; for it seemed to them that they had received a great benefaction which they had never expected, and which they would never have asked for themselves. And, though the tribunes tried hard to remove this impression, pointing out that it would increase the burden on the plebs instead of lightening it since it would be necessary to levy taxes to be able to defray the cost; none the less they were quite unable to prevent the plebs welcoming the change. It was made the more welcome, too, by the way in which the taxes were distributed; for those imposed on the nobility were heavier and greater, and they had to be paid first.