Chapter I

How Many Kinds Of Principalities There Are, And By What Means They Are Acquired.

君主國之種類與取得的方式

ALL STATES, all powers, that have held and hold rule over men have been and are either republics or principalities.

Principalities are either hereditary, in which the family has been long established; or they are new.

在Discovery Channel中動物界的原型，可以看出類似獅子、猴子等以勇猛的力量取得王者的地位，進食或抵抗外侵時，也有領導者掌管群體行動的規則方式。人類沒有上天賦予特殊防禦的體能，所以是以群體的方式存活下來。形成國家的管理掌權的方式有共和國或帝制封侯；在帝制的國家，是世襲或剛扶持建立的，長期以來都以家族為掌權的主體單位。

The new are either entirely new, as was Milan to Francesco Sforza, or they are, as it were, members annexed to the hereditary state of the prince who has acquired them, as was the kingdom of Naples to that of the King of Spain.

Francesco Sforza是義大利的一位領導者，為Sforza王朝在米蘭Milan建立的先祖，他是非正系婚姻出生，常與其父在戰場上奮戰，精通戰略也好戰。與此文有關的是與米蘭公爵菲利波的女兒聯姻，在米蘭公爵菲利波去世後米蘭改為共和國制；當然其間不乏是戰爭、聯姻、聯盟、亦友、亦敵、亦親、亦仇的幾經波折，後來任命Francesco Sforza為米蘭公爵，但至其子才正式受封；雖然原米蘭是Francesco Sforza岳父的國度，但是並非是世襲而來的，因此稱為新的君王。又或者是世襲君主的附庸，如kingdom of Naples拿坡里王國原是五個在義大利半島的國家之一，西班牙的國王先與法國將其瓜分再併入自己的國土中。

Such dominions thus acquired are either accustomed to live under a prince, or to live in freedom; and are acquired either by the arms of the prince himself, or of others, or else by fortune or by ability.

延續上段所言可以想像當時代國家管理權的獲得方式，是以自己的力量或借力，更甚者是天助我也的“幸運”得到的，或者是以所謂的“德政”能力取得的。