# 41. A Sudden Transition from Humility to Pride or from Kindness to Cruelty without Appropriate Steps in between is both Imprudent and Futile

Among other stupid things which Appius did in order to maintain his tyranny, his too sudden change from one character to another is of no small moment. He did well in being so astute as to deceive the plebs by pretending that he was a man of the people. He also effectively employed the means he used to get the Decemviri re-elected. He did well, too, in being so bold as again to stand for office, contrary to the expectation of the nobility. He did well again to appoint colleagues that suited his purpose.

But, though in this he did well, he did not do at all well, as I have pointed out above, in suddenly changing his character from that of a friend of the plebs to that of an open enemy, from being humane to being arrogant, from being easy going to being difficult; and in doing this so quickly that no one had any excuse for failing to recognize the crookedness of his mind. For he who has at one time seemed to be good, and proposes for his own purposes to become bad, should make the change by appropriate stages, so adapting his conduct to circumstances that, before the change in character has robbed you of your old supporters, it may have brought you so many new ones that your power will not be lessened. Otherwise you will find yourself at large without friends, and so will be undone.