Hence it is that all armed prophets have conquered, and the unarmed ones have been destroyed. Besides the reasons mentioned, the nature of the people is variable, and whilst it is easy to persuade them, it is difficultto fix them in that persuasion. And thus it is necessary to take such measures that, when they believe no longer, it may be possible to makethem believe by force.
If Moses, Cyrus, Theseus, and Romulus had been unarmed they could not have enforced their constitutions for long ? as happened in our time to Fra Girolamo Savonarola, who was ruined with his new order of things immediately the multitude believed in him no longer, and he had no means ofkeeping steadfast those who believed or of making the unbelievers to believe.
