“缺席”的公爵与共和国的“新君主”

The Absence of Duke Valentino and the “New Prince” in the Republic

马基雅维利在《君主论》中对切萨雷·博尔贾公爵不吝赞美之词,但在《李维史论》中则有意忽略了公爵。在1502年马基雅维利出使公爵期间,目睹并记录了雷米罗受戮的场景,并在十年后将这一事件写进《君主论》,但进行了细节的添置与改写。公爵放下的血淋淋的刀子和“斫为两段”的表述,是作者留下的隐微线索,在隐喻功能之外,将证据引向行非常之举、运用残酷但争取人民、服务于共和国公益的君主典范。《君主论》第18章“当代不便点名”的君主应为教皇利奥十世,而《李维史论》与色诺芬《论僭政》的关联,表明马基雅维利对新君主如何通过增进城邦公益而获得荣耀,给予了深刻教导。

Machiavelli’s use of Cesare Borgia in the Principe has always been challenging for the interpreters. However,the absence of the duke in the Discorsi remains an unexplored question. The execution of the cruel lieutenant Rimirro in 1502,documented by Machiavelli with first hand experience,is made an important episode in the Principe. Machiavelli,in the reconstruction,adds an allegorical knife( coltello) and intentionally uses the expression“ tagliare a pezzi” to describe the capital punishment. This specific expression occurs in the Machiavellian texts three times,in which he implicitly leads us to the cruelty well used and the pact made by the prince with the people. The new proposal of the identity of“ certain prince of present times,whom it is best not to name” and the link between Dicorsi and On Tyranny of Xenophon suggest Machiavelli’s teaching for the new prince as the reformer in the corrupted repubblic.