# CHAPTER 43 — Those Who Fight for Their Own Glory Are Good and Faithful Soldiers

It should also be considered, concerning the argument above, what a difference there is between a happy army that fights for its own glory and one that is poorly organized and fights for the ambition of others. Roman armies were always accustomed to being victorious under the consuls, while under the decemvirs they always lost. From this example one can understand, in part, some of the reasons for the uselessness of mercenary troops, who have no other reason to stand firmly behind you than the bit of salary you give them. This is not, nor can it be, a sufficient cause to make them faithful to you, nor to make them such good friends that they will want to die for you. In those armies lacking any affection toward the man for whom they are fighting that would make them his strong supporters, there can never be enough of that exceptional skill to withstand a rather unskilful enemy, and because this affection and this spirit of rivalry can arise only from your own subjects, it is necessary, in order to hold on to a government and to maintain a republic or a kingdom, to arm oneself with one’s own subjects: this is evident in the actions of all those who have gained great advantages with their armies. The Roman armies under the decemvirs were possessed of the same ability, but because there was no longer the same disposition among them, they did not produce their usual results. But as soon as the magistracy of the decemvirs was eliminated and the Romans began to soldier as free men, the same courageous spirit returned among them and, as a consequence, their undertakings produced the same happy results, in accord with their ancient practice.