What kind of actions should a virtuoso (skillful) prince take? Well, he avoids using other princes' troops or hiring mercenaries to do his dirty work - such a reliance on outside help makes a prince the helpless victim of fortune. He does not come into power through overt crime, nor does he allow himself to gain a reputation for cruelty - but he is able to use crime and cruelty when he needs to, carefully concealing his guilt. A virtuoso prince will not alienate the people he governs, but he will not let the need to be loved by them take precedence over the necessity of being feared by them. In order to maintain his power, a prince must earn the loyalty of his subjects, and he can best do this by protecting them. And any prince who shows himself
