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16. It has been a custom with princes, in order to hold their states more securely, to build fortresses that may serve as
2a bridle and bit to those who might design to work against them, and as a place of refuge from a first attack. I praise
3this system because it has been made use of formerly. Notwithstanding that, Messer Nicolo Vitelli in our times has been
4seen to demolish two fortresses in Citta di Castello so that he might keep that state; Guido Ubaldo, Duke of Urbino, on
5returning to his dominion, whence he had been driven by Cesare Borgia, razed to the foundations all the fortresses in
6that province, and considered that without them it would be more difficult to lose it; the Bentivogli returning to
7Bologna came to a similar decision. Fortresses, therefore, are useful or not according to circumstances; if they do you
8good in one way they injure you in another. And this question can be reasoned thus: the prince who has more to fear from
9the people than from foreigners ought to build fortresses, but he who has more to fear from foreigners than from the
10people ought to leave them alone. The castle of Milan, built by Francesco Sforza, has made, and will make, more trouble
11for the house of Sforza than any other disorder in the state. For this reason the best possible fortress is--not to be
12hated by the people, because, although you may hold the fortresses, yet they will not save you if the people hate you,
13for there will never be wanting foreigners to assist a people who have taken arms against you. It has not been seen in
14our times that such fortresses have been of use to any prince, unless to the Countess of Forli,[1] when the Count
15Girolamo, her consort, was killed; for by that means she was able to withstand the popular attack and wait for
16assistance from Milan, and thus recover her state; and the posture of affairs was such at that time that the foreigners
17could not assist the people. But fortresses were of little value to her afterwards when Cesare Borgia attacked her, and
18when the people, her enemy, were allied with foreigners. Therefore, it would have been safer for her, both then and
19before, not to have been hated by the people than to have had the fortresses. All these things considered then, I shall
20praise him who builds fortresses as well as him who does not, and I shall blame whoever, trusting in them, cares little
21about being hated by the people. [1] Catherine Sforza, a daughter of Galeazzo Sforza and Lucrezia Landriani, born 1463,
22died 1509. It was to the Countess of Forli that Machiavelli was sent as envoy on 1499. A letter from Fortunati to the
23countess announces the appointment: "I have been with the signori," wrote Fortunati, "to learn whom they would send and
24when. They tell me that Nicolo Machiavelli, a learned young Florentine noble, secretary to my Lords of the Ten, is to
25leave with me at once." Cf. "Catherine Sforza," by Count Pasolini, translated by P. Sylvester, 1898.
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