In the excerpt "Of the Things for Which Men, and
             Especially Princes, are Praised and Blamed" taken from
             The Prince, Machiavelli begins examining the
             principles and manners a prince should follow in
             relations with his friends, subjects and the people in
             order to achieve and retain a good and secure overall
             status. Princes and also men high in society are
             known for their character and doing what ever it takes
             to withhold a worthy standing is important.
             In the section of Liberality versus Niggardliness he
             suggests that there is an impression of benevolence
             given when being generous and a not so good impression
             when being prudent. Sometimes it appears that the
             prince may be a miser when in fact he's just being
             wise and rational. He states, "...a prince must care
             little for the reputation of being a miser, if he
             wishes to avoid robbing his subjects, if he wishes to
             be able to defend himself, to avoid becoming poor and
             contemptible...". (P. 81) In the end it's better to have
             gone the route of being miserly and frugal because the
             prince is ultimately responsible for the well being of
             his people. And, even though early on during his
             reign he might have had the reputation of being a
             miser, that will all change in time when his people
             realize that he was looking out for their welfare. I
             think there is great insight here with this particular
             element. Of course, the people will praise the prince
             if he's liberal, but that is not the wisest choice
             The next issue confronted is cruelty and clemency in
             which Machiavelli illustrates that a prince must try
             to be heeded as compassionate and must be willing to
             be harsh at times when his country's integrity and
             fidelity are at stake. "From this arises the question
             whether it is better to be loved more than feared, or
             feared more than loved." (P.83) He continues adding
             that the pri...