Liber I, Pars IV — Quot mores iuvenum sunt vituperabiles, et quomodo reges et principes ad huiusmodi mores debeant se habere. Cap. II

Liber I, Pars IV — Quot mores iuvenum sunt vituperabiles, et quomodo reges et principes ad huiusmodi mores debeant se habere. Cap. II

As we have already listed the six commendable traits of youth, we can also enumerate six blameworthy ones, which the Philosopher discusses in his Rhetoric. First, young people are driven by their passions. Second, they are easily swayed. Third, they are overly trusting. Fourth, they are prone to insults. Fifth, they are deceitful, often presenting falsehoods with stubborn insistence. Sixth, in their actions, they lack moderation and do everything excessively. For young people are primarily followers of their passions, and they especially pursue desires related to the body. For they are uncontrolled and pursue sensual pleasures. This happens for two reasons. For when young people are hot-blooded and their bodies are heated, a natural desire for sensual pleasures arises, urging them toward such desires. Again, this is true because in all our actions we either follow our passions or reason. And the less reason thrives within us, the more our passions are stirred up. Therefore, young people, because they are inexperienced and lack strength in understanding and wisdom, are more governed by passion than by reason. For this reason, they are mostly followers of their passions. Secondly, they are easily swayed. For the soul follows the conditions of the body. Just as the humors in the bodies of young people are in great motion, so they have very changeable desires and passions. Therefore, it is said that... The young people eagerly desire rhetoric, but they are quickly satisfied. They want things passionately, but they are easily swayed. Thirdly, they are overly credulous. This happens for two reasons. First, because they are not of a wicked nature. For they don't think others are bad, but they measure others by their own innocence. Since it is natural for someone to easily believe in the goodness of another whom they think is good and not to suspect malice in their words, young people easily believe that everyone is innocent. This also happens due to inexperience. For from many sermons, the uneducated, looking only at a few, easily judge. Hence it is proverbially said, 'He who knows little judges quickly.' Young people, therefore, because they are inexperienced in many matters, immediately judge any business proposed to them, not being able to consider many things, since they are ignorant of many, and they believe it to be as it is presented to them. For if they knew many things, they would understand the conditions of humanity and would not immediately assent in their hearts to everything that is said to them, but would carefully examine whether those things should be believed. Fourth, they are contemptuous. For, as was said above, young people greatly desire to excel; therefore, it seems to them that they excel, and they bring insults upon others. And so they are easily contemptuous. Fifth, they are deceitful, and in a way, they stubbornly assert everything. For since they are inexperienced, they are unaware of themselves and think they know everything. Therefore, they respond about everything, and they want to appear to know everything, and they assert everything so that they seem to know everything. And because they assert what they do not know, they easily lie. After they have lied, seeking glory, they are stubborn in their deceit, for they think they are ignoble if it appears that they are not as they say. Sixth, in their actions, they have no moderation, but they do everything excessively. Therefore, it is said that... It is said. They love intensely, hate intensely, and do everything intensely. This happens because they have sharp tempers and intense desires. For anger and desires are always intense unless they are moderated by reason. Young people, therefore, because they live more by passion than by reason, do not have moderated desires, but do everything intensely. It is easy to see that the behaviors of young people are blameworthy; thus, it can be seen how kings and princes should conduct themselves regarding such behaviors. For if such behaviors are blameworthy in young people, they are much more blameworthy in adults; and even more so in kings and princes, who ought to be the head and standard for others. It's inappropriate for kings and princes to be driven by passions and to have intense desires for pleasures, because reason and understanding should dominate them. Those who behave this way don't live by reason, but by passion. Again, it's disgraceful for them to be changeable and fickle. For it is inappropriate for a ruler to be crooked; kings and princes, who should be a model of living and a standard for others, should not easily be led astray, but rather they ought to be firm and stable. Thirdly, it's inappropriate for them to be overly credulous. For when they have many flatterers, and many whisper in their ears, they should think with the utmost diligence about who speaks, whether they are wise or ignorant, whether they are virtuous, because they should trust wise and good people more than foolish and wicked ones. Fourthly, it's disgraceful for them to be injurious and abusive. For they should impose penalties, not injustices, nor insults, nor wickedness; but for the sake of justice and the common good. Fifth, rulers and leaders, and indeed all those in authority, must avoid lying, so they don't make themselves contemptible; for if lying makes people contemptible, how much more indecent is it for royal majesty to be contemptible? Therefore, they should take greater care to adhere to the truth. Sixth, it is indecent for them not to have moderation in their actions; because while other things should be moderated by measure, it is especially fitting that kings and princes should have a measured and moderate rule: therefore, since they ought to be a rule and measure for others, they must especially strive to be moderate themselves.