the greatness of cities-第13部分

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ber　of　people　to　it　as　it　hath　made　that　place；　of　a　village；　one　of　the　most　populous　places　now　of　Spain。　　　　　Cracow　and　Vilna　are　the　most　populous　cities　of　Poland。　The　reason　is　because　Cracow　was　the　seat　of　the　Duke　of　Poland　and　Vilna　the　seat　of　the　great　Duke　of　Lithuania。　　　　　In　the　Empire　of　the　Muscovites　there　are　three　great　and　famous　cities；　Vladimir；　the　great　Novgorod；　and　Moscow；　which　have　gotten　their　reputation　because　they　have　been　all　three　of　them　the　seats　of　great　dukes　and　princes　of　great　dominions。　The　most　renowned　of　them　at　this　day　is　Moscow；　through　the　residence　the　Duke　holdeth　there。　It　is　in　length　five　miles；　but　not　so　wide。　There　is　unto　it　a　very　great　castle　that　serves　for　a　court　and　palace　to　that　same　prince；　and　it　is　so　populous　that　some　have　reckoned　it　amongst　the　four　cities　of　the　first　and　chiefest　ranks　of　Europe；　which　to　their　judgments　are　Moscow　itself；　Constantinople；　Paris　and　Lisbon。　　　　　In　Sicily；　in　ancient　times　past　the　greatest　city　there　was　Syracuse　which；　as　Cicero　doth　write；　consisted　of　four　parts　divided　asunder；　which　might　be　said　to　be　four　cities。　And　the　cause　of　her　greatness　was　the　residence　of　the　kings；　or　of　the　tyrants　（as　they　were　termed　in　times　past）；　call　them　as　you　will。　But　when　the　commerce　with　the　Africans　did　fail　them　afterward；　through　the　deluge　of　the　infidels；　and　that　the　royal　seat　was　removed　to　Palermo；　Palermo　did　then　increase　apace　her　glory　and　Syracuse　did　lose　as　fast　her　lustre。　　　　　Palermo　is　a　city　equal　to　the　cities　of　the　second　rank　of　Italy；　beautified　with　rich　temples　and　magnificent　palaces；　with　divers　relics　and　goodly　buildings　made　by　the　Saracens。　But　two　things　chiefly　made　of　late　are　worthiest　to　be　noted。　The　one　is　the　street　made　throughout　the　whole　city；　which　for　straightness；　breadth；　length　and　beautifulness　of　buildings　is　such　as　I　know　not　in　what　city　of　Italy　a　man　should　find　the　like。　The　other　is　the　pier；　edified　with　an　inestimable　expense　and　charge；　by　the　benefit　whereof　the　city　hath　a　very　large　and　spacious　port：　a　work　in　truth　worthy　of　the　Romans'　magnanimity。　　　　　But　what　mean　I　to　wander　through　other　parts　of　the　world　to　show　how　much　it　doth　import　the　greatness　of　a　city　to　residence　and　abode　of　a　prince　therein？　Rome；　whose　majesty　exceeded　all　the　world；　would　she　not　be　more　like　a　desert　than　a　city　if　the　Pope　held　not　his　residence　therein？　If　the　Pope；　with　the　greatness　of　his　court　and　with　the　concourse　of　ambassadors；　of　prelates　and　of　princes　did　not　ennoble　it　and　make　it　great？　If　with　an　infinite　number　of　people　that　serve　both　him　and　his　ministers　he　did　not　replenish　and　fill　the　city？　If　with　magnificent　buildings；　conduits；　fountains　and　streets　it　were　not　gloriously　adorned？　If　amongst　so　many　rich　and　stately　works；　belonging　as　well　to　God's　glory　as　the　service　of　the　commonwealth　he　spent　not　there　a　great　part　of　the　revenues　of　the　Church？　And　in　a　word；　if　with　all　these　means　he　did　not　draw　and　entertain　withal　such　a　number　of　merchants；　tradesmen；　shopkeepers；　artificers；　workmen；　and　such　a　multitude　of　people；　for　labour　and　for　service？

Book　Three

　1。　Whether　it　be　expedient　for　a　city　to　have　few　or　many　citizens

　　　　The　ancient　founders　of　cities；　considering　that　laws　and　civil　discipline　could　not　be　easily　conserved　and　kept　where　a　mighty　multitude　of　people　swarmed　（for　multitudes　do　breed　and　bring　confusion）　they　limited　the　number　of　citizens　beyond　which　they　supposed　the　form　and　order　of　government　they　sought　to　hold　within　their　cities　could　not　else　be　maintained。　Such　were　Lycurgus；　Solon　and　Aristotle。　But　the　Romans；　supposing　power　（without　which　a　city　cannot　be　long　maintained）　consisteth　for　the　most　part　in　the　multitude　of　people；　endeavoured　all　the　ways　and　means　they　might　to　make　their　country　great　and　to　replenish　the　same　with　store　of　people；　as　we　have　before　and　more　at　full　declared　in　our　books　Della　Ragion　di　Stato。　　　　　If　the　world　would　be　governed　by　reason；　and　all　men　would　content　themselves　with　that　which　justly　doth　belong　unto　them；　haply　the　judgment　of　the　ancient　law…makers　were　worthy　to　be　embraced。　But　experience　shows；　through　the　corruption　of　human　nature；　that　force　prevails　above　reason；　and　arms　above　laws；　and　teacheth　us　besides　the　opinion　of　the　Romans　must　be　preferred　before　the　Grecians；　inasmuch　as　we　see　the　Athenians　and　the　Lacedemonians　（not　to　speak　of　other　commonweals　of　the　Grecians）　came　to　present　ruin　upon　a　very　small　discomfiture　and　loss　of　a　thousand　and　seven　hundred　citizens　or　little　more　where；　on　the　other　side；　the　Romans　triumphed　in　the　end　though　many　times　they　lost　an　infinite　number　of　their　people　in　their　attempts　and　enterprises。　For　it　is　clear　more　Romans　perished　in　the　wars　they　had　against　Pyrrhus；　the　Carthaginians；　Numantians；　Viriathus；　Sertorius　and　others；　than　fell　without　comparison　of　all　their　enemies。　And　yet　for　all　that　they　rested　always　conquerors　by　means　of　their　unexhausted　multitude；　with　the　which；　supplying　their　loss　from　time　to　time；　they　overcame　their　enemies　as　much；　though　they　were　strong　and　fierce；　as　with　their　fortitude　and　strength。　In　these　former　books　I　have　sufficiently　declared　the　ways　and　means　whereby　a　city　may　increase　to　that　magnificency　and　greatness　that　is　to　be　desired；　so　that　I　have　no　further　to　speak　thereunto；　but　only　to　propound　one　thing　more　that　I　have　thought　upon；　not　for　the　necessity　so　much　of　the　matter　as　that　because　I　think　it　will　be　an　ornament　unto　the　work；　and　give　a　very　good　light　unto　it。　And　therefore　let　us　now　consider。

　2。　What　the　reason　is　that　cities　once　grown　to　a　greatness　increase　not　onward　according　to　that　proportion

　　　　Let　no　man　think　the　ways　and　means　aforesaid；　or　any　other　that　may　be　any　way　devised；　can　work　or　effect　it　that　a　city　may　go　on　in　increase　without　ceasing。　And　therefore　it　is　in　truth　a　thing　worth　the　consideration　how　it　comes　to　Pass　that　cities　grown　to　a　point　of　greatness　and　power　pass　no　further；　but　either　stand　at　that　stay；　or　else　return　back　again。　Let　us　take　for　our　example　Rome。　　　　　Rome；　at　her　beginning；　when　she　was　founded　and　built　by　Romulus　（as　Dionysius　of　Halicarnassus　writeth）　was　able　to　make　out　three　thousand　three　hundred　fit　men　for　the　wars。　Romulus　reigned　thirty…seven　years；　within　the　compass　of　which　time　the　city　was　increased　even　to　forty…seven　thousand　persons　fit　to　bear　arms。　About　one　hundred　and　fifty　years　after　the　death　of　Romulus；　in　the　time　of　Servius　Tullius；　there　were　numbered　in　Rome　eighty　thousand　persons　fit　for　arms。　The　number　in　the　end；　by　little　and　little；　grew　to　four　hundred　and　fifty　thousand。　　　　　My　question　therefore　is；　how　it　comes　to　pass　that　from　three　thousand　and　three　hundred　men　of　war　the　people　grew　to　four　hundred　and　fifty　thousand；　and　from　four　hundred　and　fifty　thousand　they　went　no　further。　And　in　like　matter；　since　it　is　four　hundred　years　since　Milan　and　Venice　made　as　many　people　as　they　do　at　this　day；　how　it　doth　also　come　to　pass　that　the　multiplication　goes　not　onward　accordingly。　　　　　Some　answer　the　cause　hereof　is　the　plagues；　the　wars；　the　dearths　and　other　suchlike　causes。　But　this　gives　no　satisfaction。　For　plagues　have　ever　been；　and　wars　have　been　more　common　and　more　bloody　in　former　times　than　now。　For　in　those　days　they　came　to　hand　strokes　by　and　by；　and　to　a　main　pitched　battle　in　the　field；　where　there　were　within　three　or　four　hours　more　people　slain　than　are　in　these　days　in　many　years。　For　war　is　now　drawn　out　of　the　field　to　the　walls；　and　the　mattock　and　the　spade　are　now　more　used　than　the　sword。　The　world　besides　was　never　without　alteration　and　change　of　plenty　and　of　dearth；　of　health　and　of　plagues。　thereof　I　shall　not　need　to　bring　examples；　because　the　histories　are　full。　　　Now　if　cities　with　all　these　accidents　and　chances　begun　at　first　with　a　few　people　increase　to　a　great　number　of　inhabitants；　how　comes　it　that　proportionably　they　do　not　increase　accordingly？　　　　　Some　others　say　it　is　because　God　the　Governor　of　all　things　doth　so　dispose。　No　man　doth　doubt　of　that；　but　forasmuch　as　the　infinite　wisdom　of　God；　in　the　administration　and　the　government　of　nature；　worketh　secondary　causes；　my　question　is　with　what　means　that　Eternal　Providence　maketh　little　to　multiply；　and　much　to　stand　at　a　stay　and　go　no　further。　　　　　Now　to　answer　this　propounded　question　I　say；　the　selfsame　question　may　be　also　made　of　all　mankind；　forasmuch　as　within　the　compass　of　three　thousand　years　it　multiplied　in　such　sort　from　one　man　and　one　woman　as　the　provinces　of　the　whole　continent　and　the　islands　of　the　sea　were　full　of　people。　thence　it　doth　proceed　that　from　those　three　thousand　years　to　this　day　this　multiplication　hath　not　exceeded　further。　　　　　Now　that　I　may　the　better　resolve　this　doubt　I　purpose　to　answer　it；　as　mine　answer　may　not　only　serve　for　the　cities；　but　also　for　the　universal　theatre　of　the　world。　　　　　I　say　then；　that　the　augmentation　of　cities　proceedeth　partly　out　of　the　virtue　generative　of　men；　and　partly　out　of　the　virtue　nutritive　of　the　cities。　The　virtue　generative　is　without　doubt