There is so near an affinity betwixt anger and cruelty, that many people confound them; as if cruelty were only the execution of anger in the payment of a revenge: which holds in some cases, but not in others. There are a sort of men that take delight in the spilling of human blood, and in the death of those that never did them any injury, nor were ever so much suspected for it; as Apollodorus, Phalaris, Sinis, Procrustus, and others, that burnt men alive; whom we cannot so properly call angry as brutal, for anger does necessarily presuppose an injury, either done, or conceived, or feared, but the other takes pleasure in tormenting, without so much as pretending any provocation to it, and kills merely for killing sake. The original of this cruelty perhaps was anger, which by frequent exercise and custom, has lost all sense of humanity and mercy, and they that are thus affected are so far from the countenance and appearance of men in anger, that they will laugh, rejoice, and entertain themselves with the most horrid spectacles, as racks, jails, gibbets, several sorts of chains and punishments, dilaceration of members, stigmatizing, and wild beasts, with other exquisite inventions of torture; and yet, at last the cruelty itself is more horrid and odious than the means by which it works. It is a bestial madness to love mischief; beside, that it is womanish to rage and tear. A generous beast will scorn to do it when he has any thing at his mercy. It is a vice for wolves and tigers, and no less abominable to the world than dangerous to itself.
Many people confuse anger and cruelty, thinking cruelty is just anger carried out as revenge. This is true in some cases, but not all. There are men who enjoy spilling human blood and killing people who never harmed them or were even suspected of wrongdoing. Take Apollodorus, Phalaris, Sinis, Procrustus, and others who burned men alive. We can't really call them angry—they're more like animals. Anger requires some injury, real or imagined or feared. But these men take pleasure in tormenting others without any excuse. They kill simply for the sake of killing. Perhaps this cruelty started as anger, but through constant practice it has destroyed all sense of humanity and mercy. People like this are nothing like men in anger. They laugh, celebrate, and entertain themselves with the most horrible sights: torture racks, prisons, gallows, chains and punishments of all kinds, torn limbs, branding, wild beasts, and other elaborate torture devices. Yet in the end, the cruelty itself is more horrible and disgusting than the methods used. It's animal madness to love causing harm. Besides, raging and tearing things apart is womanish behavior. A noble beast won't attack something helpless and at its mercy. This is a vice for wolves and tigers. It's as disgusting to the world as it is dangerous to the person who practices it.
The Romans had their morning and their meridian spectacles. In the former, they had their combats of men with wild beasts; and in the latter, the men fought one with another. “I went,” says our author, “the other day to the meridian spectacles, in hope of meeting somewhat of mirth and diversion to sweeten the humors of those that had been entertained with blood in the morning; but it proved otherwise, for, compared with this inhumanity, the former was a mercy. The whole business was only murder upon murder: the combatants fought naked, and every blow was a wound. They do not contend for victory, but for death; and he that kills one man is to be killed by another. By wounds they are forced upon wounds which they take and give upon their bare breasts. Burn that rogue, they cry What! Is he afraid of his flesh? Do but see how sneakingly that rascal dies. Look to yourselves, my masters, and consider of it: who knows but this may come to be your own case?” Wicked examples seldom fail of coming home at last to the authors. To destroy a single man may be dangerous; but to murder whole nations is only a more glorious wickedness. Private avarice and rigor are condemned, but oppression, when it comes to be authorized by an act of state, and to be publicly commanded, though particularly forbidden, becomes a point of dignity and honor. What a shame is it for men to interworry one another, when yet the fiercest even of beasts are at peace with those of their own kind? This brutal fury puts philosophy itself to a stand. The drunkard, the glutton, the covetous, may be reduced; nay, and the mischief of it is that no vice keeps itself within its proper bounds. Luxury runs into avarice, and when the reverence of virtue is extinguished, men will stick at nothing that carries profit along with it; man’s blood is shed in wantonness—his death is a spectacle for entertainment, and his groans are music. When Alexander delivered up Lysimachus to a lion, how glad would he have been to have had nails and teeth to have devoured him himself: it would have too much derogated, he thought, from the dignity of his wrath, to have appointed a man for the execution of his friend. Private cruelties, it is true, cannot do much mischief, but in princes they are a war against mankind.
The Romans had their morning and afternoon shows. In the morning, they watched men fight wild beasts. In the afternoon, men fought each other. "I went the other day to the afternoon spectacles," says our author, "hoping to find some fun and entertainment to lighten the mood after the bloody morning shows. But it was worse than I expected. Compared to this cruelty, the morning fights seemed merciful. The whole thing was just murder after murder. The fighters were naked, and every blow drew blood. They weren't fighting for victory, but for death. The man who kills one fighter must be killed by another. They kept wounding each other, striking bare chests again and again. 'Burn that coward!' they shouted. 'What! Is he afraid of getting hurt? Look how pathetically that wretch dies.' Watch yourselves, gentlemen, and think about it. Who knows? This might happen to you someday." Evil examples usually come back to haunt their creators. Destroying one person might be dangerous, but murdering entire nations is just a more glorious form of wickedness. We condemn private greed and harshness, but when oppression gets official approval and becomes public policy, it suddenly becomes dignified and honorable, even though it's still forbidden in private. What a disgrace that people tear each other apart when even the fiercest wild animals live peacefully with their own kind! This savage fury baffles philosophy itself. You can reform a drunk, a glutton, or a greedy person. But the real problem is that no vice stays within proper limits. Luxury leads to greed. When respect for virtue dies, people will do anything for profit. Human blood gets spilled for fun. Death becomes entertainment, and screams become music. When Alexander threw Lysimachus to a lion, how happy Alexander would have been to tear him apart with his own claws and teeth! He thought it would diminish his royal anger to assign a mere human to execute his friend. Private cruelties can't do much damage, but when princes commit them, it's war against all humanity.
C. Cæsar would commonly, for exercise and pleasure, put senators and Roman knights to the torture; and whip several of them like slaves, or put them to death with the most acute torments, merely for the satisfaction of his cruelty. That Cæsar that “wished the people of Rome had but one neck, that he might cut it off at one blow;”—it was the employment, the study, and the joy of his life. He would not so much as give the expiring leave to groan, but caused their mouths to be stopped with sponges, or for want of them, with rags of their own clothes, that they might not breathe out so much as their last agonies at liberty; or, perhaps, lest the tormented should speak something which the tormentor had no mind to hear. Nay, he was so impatient of delay, that he would frequently rise from supper to have men killed by torch-light, as if his life and death had depended upon their dispatch before the next morning; to say nothing how many fathers were put to death in the same night with their sons (which was a kind of mercy in the prevention of their mourning). And was not Sylla’s cruelty prodigious too, which was only stopped for want of enemies? He caused seven thousand citizens of Rome to be slaughtered at once; and some of the senators being startled at their cries that were heard in the senate-house, “Let us mind our business,” says Sylla; “this is nothing but a few mutineers that I have ordered to be sent out of the way.” A glorious spectacle! says Hannibal, when he saw the trenches flowing with human blood; and if the rivers had run blood too, he would have liked it so much the better.
C. Caesar regularly tortured senators and Roman knights for his own exercise and pleasure. He would whip several of them like slaves or kill them with the most painful torments, simply to satisfy his cruelty. This was the same Caesar who "wished the people of Rome had but one neck, so he could cut it off with one blow." Cruelty was his job, his study, and his joy in life. He wouldn't even let dying men groan. He had their mouths stuffed with sponges, or when those weren't available, with rags from their own clothes. This way they couldn't even breathe out their final agonies freely. Perhaps he feared the tortured might say something he didn't want to hear. Caesar was so impatient for death that he would often leave his dinner to have men killed by torchlight. It was as if his own life depended on their deaths before morning. Many fathers were executed the same night as their sons, which was perhaps a mercy since it prevented their mourning. Sylla's cruelty was equally monstrous. It only stopped when he ran out of enemies. He had seven thousand Roman citizens slaughtered at once. When some senators were startled by the cries they heard in the senate-house, Sylla said, "Let us mind our business. This is nothing but a few mutineers that I have ordered to be sent out of the way." "A glorious spectacle!" said Hannibal when he saw the trenches flowing with human blood. If the rivers had run blood too, he would have liked it even better.
Among the famous and detestable speeches that are committed to memory, I know none worse than that impudent and tyrannical maxim, “Let them hate me, so they fear me;” not considering that those that are kept in obedience by fear, are both malicious and mercenary, and only wait for an opportunity to change their master. Beside that, whosoever is terrible to others is likewise afraid of himself. What is more ordinary than for a tyrant to be destroyed by his own guards? which is no more than the putting those crimes into practice which they learned of their masters. How many slaves have revenged themselves of their cruel oppressors, though they were sure to die for it! but when it comes once to a popular tyranny, whole nations conspire against it. For “whosoever threatens all, is in danger of all,” over and above, that the cruelty of the prince increases the number of his enemies, by destroying some of them; for it entails an hereditary hatred upon the friends and relations of those that are taken away. And then it has this misfortune, that a man must be wicked upon necessity; for there is no going back; so that he must betake himself to arms, and yet he lives in fear. He can neither trust to the faith of his friends, nor to the piety of his children; he both dreads death and wishes it; and becomes a greater terror to himself than he is to his people. Nay, if there were nothing else to make cruelty detestable, it were enough that it passes all bounds, both of custom and humanity; and is followed upon the heel with sword or poison. A private malice indeed does not move whole cities; but that which extends to all is every body’s mark. One sick person gives no great disturbance in a family; but when it comes to a depopulating plague, all people fly from it. And why should a prince expect any man to be good whom he has taught to be wicked?
Among all the famous and hateful speeches that people memorize, I know none worse than that shameless and tyrannical saying: "Let them hate me, so they fear me." This ignores the fact that people kept obedient through fear are both spiteful and self-serving. They only wait for a chance to change masters. Besides, whoever terrorizes others is also afraid of himself. What's more common than a tyrant being killed by his own guards? This is nothing more than putting into practice the crimes they learned from their masters. How many slaves have taken revenge on their cruel oppressors, even knowing they would die for it! But when it comes to widespread tyranny, whole nations plot against it. "Whoever threatens everyone is in danger from everyone." On top of that, a prince's cruelty increases his enemies by destroying some of them. It creates inherited hatred among the friends and relatives of those who are killed. Cruelty has this curse: a man must be wicked out of necessity. There's no going back. He must turn to violence, yet he lives in fear. He can't trust his friends' loyalty or his children's devotion. He both dreads death and wishes for it. He becomes a greater terror to himself than he is to his people. Even if there were nothing else to make cruelty hateful, it would be enough that it goes beyond all limits of custom and humanity. It's followed closely by sword or poison. Private hatred doesn't move whole cities, but what affects everyone becomes everyone's target. One sick person doesn't greatly disturb a family, but when plague strikes and kills many, all people flee from it. Why should a prince expect any man to be good when he has taught him to be wicked?
But what if it were safe to be cruel? Were it not still a sad thing, the very state of such a government? A government that bears the image of a taken city, where there is nothing but sorrow, trouble, and confusion. Men dare not so much as trust themselves with their friends or with their pleasures. There is not any entertainment so innocent but it affords pretence of crime and danger. People are betrayed at their tables and in their cups, and drawn from the very theatre to the prison. How horrid a madness is it to be still raging and killing; to have the rattling of chains always in our ears; bloody spectacles before our eyes; and to carry terror and dismay wherever we go! If we had lions and serpents, to rule over us, this would be the manner of their government, saving that they agree better among themselves. It passes for a mark of greatness to burn cities, and lay whole kingdoms waste; nor is it for the honor of a prince, to appoint this or that single man to be killed, unless they have whole troops, or (sometimes) legions, to work upon. But it is not the spoils of war and bloody trophies that make a prince glorious, but the divine power of preserving unity and peace. Ruin without distinction is more properly the business of a general deluge, or a conflagration. Neither does a fierce and inexorable anger become the supreme magistrate; “Greatness of mind is always meek and humble; but cruelty is a note and an effect of weakness, and brings down a governor to the level of a competitor.”
But what if it were safe to be cruel? Wouldn't such a government still be a sad thing? A government like this resembles a conquered city, where there is nothing but sorrow, trouble, and confusion. People don't dare trust themselves with their friends or even with their pleasures. No entertainment is so innocent that it can't be twisted into a pretense for crime and danger. People are betrayed at their dinner tables and while drinking, and dragged from the very theater to prison. What horrible madness it is to keep raging and killing, to always hear the rattling of chains in our ears, to see bloody spectacles before our eyes, and to carry terror and dismay wherever we go! If we had lions and serpents ruling over us, this would be their manner of government, except that they get along better among themselves. It's considered a mark of greatness to burn cities and lay whole kingdoms to waste. It's not honorable for a prince to order just one person killed, unless they have whole troops, or sometimes entire legions, to work on. But it's not the spoils of war and bloody trophies that make a prince glorious. It's the divine power of preserving unity and peace. Widespread ruin is more properly the business of a great flood or a fire that destroys everything. A fierce and merciless anger doesn't suit the supreme ruler. "Greatness of mind is always gentle and humble, but cruelty is a sign and result of weakness, and brings a governor down to the level of a rival."