Assess The Relationship Between A Fox And A Beast-Like A Lion

A ruler must certainly be ‘beast-like’ to be effective and will definitely break their word when it suits their purpose. In order to be ‘beast-like’ a ruler must know how to be a fox and a lion. A fox is someone that is good at recognizing traps and fights within the confines of the law but is not very good at fighting off wolves. A lion is good at fighting wolves and fights outside the confines of the law but is not very good at spotting traps. The relationship between a fox and a lion is a mutual one. Since the lion is not good at spotting traps he needs the fox for that. Since the fox is not good at fighting wolves he needs the lion for that. They are two different sides to the same coin. A ruler will break their word when it suits their purpose because the conditions that were originally there are not there anymore.

They know how to talk, see situations before they happen but do not like to confront people head on too much. Machiavelli describes in chapter 13 of The Prince how the Romans invaded the countries with disaffected populations by establishing settlements, supporting the weaker powers without making them stronger and crushing all opposition. When the Romans invaded Greece they supported the Achaeans and the Aetolians but were very careful not to let them expand their territories. If the Romans let these smaller countries that are next door to the country they just invaded get stronger than they would have a problem with those countries latter down the road. They were smart enough to see upcoming war. According to Machiavelli (2003) “The Romans did what all wise rulers must: cope not only with present troubles but also with ones likely to arise in the future and assiduously forestall them.”