§ XXXVII
The Prince's Discernment of True Merit
The prince must not be dazzled by bold self-promoters but instead seek out the modest, hidden, and solid subjects who speak little, think deeply, and respectfully disagree, for such discernment reveals the strength of his judgment.
Aren't you letting yourself be dazzled by certain vain, bold men who know how to put themselves forward, while you neglect and keep far from you the merit that is simple, modest, shy, and hidden? A prince shows the coarseness of his taste and the weakness of his judgment when he fails to see how superficial those bold minds are—the ones so skilled at imposing themselves—and how full of contemptible faults.12 A wise and penetrating prince esteems neither flighty minds, nor big talkers, nor those who decide in a tone of confidence, nor disdainful critics, nor mockers who turn everything into a joke.3 He despises those who find everything easy, who applaud everything he wants, who consult only his eyes or the tone of his voice in order to guess his thought and approve it. He keeps far from posts of trust those men who have only a surface without substance.4 On the contrary, he seeks out, anticipates, and draws to himself judicious and solid people who have no eagerness to push forward, who distrust themselves, who fear high office, who promise little and try to do much, who speak little and always think, who speak in a doubtful tone, and who know how to contradict with respect.56
The Poison of Courtly Ambition
When a prince fails to discern hidden merit, the highest posts are filled by crude impostors, and the prince is answerable to God for every fault of those he appoints, because the craft of currying favor corrupts every profession and smothers true excellence.
Such people often remain overlooked in lower positions, while the highest posts are filled by crude, bold individuals who have deceived the prince and only serve to show how little discernment he has.7 As long as you neglect to seek out hidden merit and to restrain the pushy people who lack solid qualities, you'll be answerable before God for every fault committed by those who act under you. The craft of the clever courtier ruins everything in a state. The shallowest and most corrupt minds are often the ones who learn this unworthy craft best. This craft spoils every other: the physician neglects medicine; the prelate forgets the duties of his office; the army general thinks far more about currying favor at court than about defending the state; the ambassador negotiates far more for his own interests at his master's court than he does for his master's true interests at the court to which he is sent. The art of currying favor at court spoils men of every profession and smothers true merit.
The King's Duty to Restore Order
The prince must actively humble the flatterers and self-promoters, for if he does not, the offices will be filled unworthily and true merit will remain in obscurity; his sacred duty is to restrain the forward and advance the humble who faithfully perform their duty.
So bring these men down — men whose whole talent is nothing but pleasing, flattering, dazzling, and worming their way in to make their fortune. If you fail to do this, you'll fill the posts unworthily, and true merit will always stay behind. Your duty is to hold back those who push themselves too far ahead, and to advance those who stay in the rear while doing their duty.
Read the original French
Ne vous laissez-vous point éblouir par certains hommes vains, hardis, et qui ont l'art de se faire valoir ; pendant que vous négligez et laissez loin de vous le mérite simple, modeste, timide et caché? Un prince montre la -grossièreté de son goût et la foiblesse de son jugement, lorsqu'il ne sait pas discerner combien ces esprits si hardis, et qui ont l'art d'imposer, sont superficiels et pleins de défauts méprisables. Un prince sage et pénétrant n'estime ni les esprits évaporés, ni les grands parleurs, ni ceux qui décident d'un ton de confiance, ni les critiques dédaigneux, ni les moqueurs qui tournent tout en plaisanterie. Il méprise ceux qui trouvent tout facile, qui applaudissent à tout ce qu'il veut, qui ne consultent que ses yeux ou le ton de sa voix, pour deviner sa pensée, et pour l'approuver. Il recule loin des emplois de confiance, ces hommes qui n'ont que des dehors sans fond. Au contraire, il recherche, il prévient, il attire les personnes judicieuses et solides qui n'ont aucun empressement, qui se défient 'd'elles-mêmes, qui craignent les emplois, qui promettent peu et qui tachent de faire beaucoup, qui ne parlent guère et I qui pensent toujours, qui parlent d'un ton douteux, et qui savent contredire avec respect.
De tek sujets demeurent souvent obscurs dans les places inférieures, pendant que les premières sont occupées par des hommes grossiers et hardis, qui en ont imposé au prince, et qui ne servent qu'à montrer combien il manque de discernement. Tandis que vous négligerez de chercher le mérite obscur, et de réprimer les gens empressés et dépourvus de qualités solides, vous serez responsable devant Dieu de toutes les fautes qui seront faites par ceux qui agiront sous vous. Le métier d'adroit courtisan perd tout dans un Etat. Les esprits les plus courts et les plus corrompus, sont souvent ceux qui apprennent le mieux cet indigne métier. Ce métier gâte tous les autres : le médecin néglige la médecine ; le prélat oublie les devoirs de son ministère; le général d'armée songe bien plus à faire sa cour, qu'à défendre l'Etat ; l'ambassadeur négocie bien plus pour ses propres intérêts à la cour de son maître, qu'il ne négocie pour les véritables intérêts de son maître à la cour où il est envoyé. L'art de faire sa cour gâte les hommes de toutes les professions, et étouffe le vrai mérite.
Rabaissez donc ces hommes, dont tout le talent ne consiste qu'à plaire, qu'à flatter, qu'à éblouir, qu'à s'insinuer pour faire fortune. Si vous y manquez, vous remplirez indignement les places, et le vrai mérite demeurera toujours en arrière. Votre devoir est de reculer ceux qui s'avancent trop, et d'avancer ceux qui demeurent reculés en faisant leur devoir.
Notes
- 1 ↩Normalized reading takes «grossièreté» despite the stray hyphen in «la -grossièreté»; «foiblesse» is the older spelling of «faiblesse» and is rendered as weakness.
- 2 ↩«l'art d'imposer» is court idiom for overbearing self-presentation that imposes on others, not mere administrative authority.
- 3 ↩«esprits évaporés» is rendered as flighty minds (vapid, insubstantial temperaments), not merely 'evaporated' or literally volatile.
- 4 ↩«dehors sans fond» is rendered as surface without substance (mere exterior with no depth).
- 5 ↩Normalized reading ignores the stray «I» in «et I qui pensent» and the misplaced apostrophe in «se défient 'd'elles-mêmes»; «tachent» is read as «tâchent» (endeavor).
- 6 ↩«prévient» is taken as going out to meet/anticipate them (seeking them before they seek place), not merely 'prevents'.
- 7 ↩Source reading "De tek sujets" is treated as a corruption of "De tels sujets" ("such subjects"), continuing the previous section's portrait of modest, solid merit.
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