# CHAPTER 35 — What Risks Are Run in Making Oneself the Leader by Counselling an Undertaking; and How Much Greater the Risks Are When the Undertaking Is an Extraordinary One

How dangerous it is to make oneself the leader of a new undertaking in the service of many people, and how difficult it is to direct and execute it and, once it is carried out, to maintain it, would be too long and too lofty a topic for discussion here; reserving it for a more convenient place, therefore, I shall speak only of those dangers incurred by citizens or those who advise a prince when they make themselves the leader in a serious and important deliberation, so that all of the suggestions on the matter will be ascribed to them. Since men judge things by their results, * all the evil that comes about is blamed upon the one who gave the advice, and if things turn out well, he is commended for it; but the reward is far from counterbalancing the blame. When the present Sultan Salì, called the Grand Turk, was making preparations (according to what those who come from his lands have related to us) for the enterprise in Syria and Egypt, he was encouraged by one of his pashas, whom he kept on the borders of Persia, to attack the Shah. * Prompted by this advice, he went with his enormous army to engage in this enterprise, and arriving in a vast country where there were numerous deserts and few rivers, he encountered so many of the obstacles that had already ruined many Roman armies and was so overwhelmed by them that, even though he was victorious in the war, he lost a large part of his forces from famine and plague; thus, enraged against the author of this advice, he killed him. We also read how many citizens, having been supporters of some enterprise, were sent into exile when it came to a sorry conclusion. Certain Roman citizens made themselves leaders when they selected the plebeian consul in Rome. It happened that the first consul who went out with his armies was defeated, as a result of which these advisers would have suffered some harm, if the faction on whose behalf the decision was made had not been so courageous.

It is, therefore, quite certain that those who give advice to a republic and those who give advice to a prince find themselves amidst these difficulties: that is, if they do not recommend without reservation the policies they believe to be useful, either to the city or the prince, they fail in their duties; and if they give such advice, they place their lives and their position at risk, because all men are blind in the sense that they judge good and bad advice by the results. After considering how to avoid either this infamy or this danger, I see no other path to follow than that of choosing moderate undertakings and never seizing upon any of them as your own, and that of speaking your mind without passion and, without passion, defending it with modesty; so that, if the city or the prince follows this advice, they follow it willingly, without it appearing that they are pulled along by your insistence. When you act in this fashion, it is not reasonable for a prince or a people to wish you ill because of your advice, since it was not followed against the will of many others; in fact, the danger arises where many have opposed you, who later, after an unhappy result, rush to destroy you. If in this case there is a lack of the glory that can be acquired by being one against many in recommending something when it produces a good result, there are, on the other hand, two benefits: first, you are in less danger; second, if you counsel a thing with modesty and, through opposition, your advice is not taken, while through the advice of someone else some disaster results from it, in this way you will achieve even greater glory. Although glory that is acquired through evils suffered by either your city or your prince cannot be enjoyed, it is, nevertheless, something to take into account.

I do not believe it possible to give men any other advice on this matter, because if I were to advise them to remain silent and to refrain from speaking their opinion, it would be useless to a republic or to their prince, and it would not avoid danger, since in a very short time, they would become suspect, and what happened to the friends of Persius, king of the Macedonians, could happen to them. After having been defeated by Paulus Emilius and fleeing with a few friends, it happened that, in going over past events, one of them began to tell Persius about the many errors he committed that were the reasons for his downfall; to this person Persius turned and exclaimed: ‘Traitor, so you have put off telling me until now when I have no other remedy!’ * With these words, he killed him with his own hand. Thus, the man suffered the punishment for keeping silent when he should have spoken out, and for having spoken when he should have remained silent; he did not avoid danger by refusing to give advice. I still believe that it is best to observe and respect the limits described above.