父親是頗自恃為「正人君子」流的人，小學一年級便與兄長：黎明即起，灑掃庭除…。小二暑假便閱「人子」，只是這樣的教育並沒有使我出類拔萃，反而造就了看小說的能手；在物資較缺乏的年代，瓊瑤的小說幾乎是女孩們共同的消遣。大約兩個小時一本的速度，還能仔細描述細節，在同學間頗為驚人，如果舉辦「瓊瑤小說競讀」或許還可以出人頭地一次哩。Tiger Mom可能會搖頭吧？！

以人性的軟弱做為統治國家、治理人民的切入點真是驚世駭俗。《孫子兵法》講的是軍略，《人性的弱點》說人際關係，《寂寞的群眾》（The Lonely Crowd）或《先知》和《君主論》有什麼不同呢？這級的油不漲價，替我加油吧！

But when states are acquired in a country differing in language, customs, or laws, there are difficulties, and good fortune and great energy are needed to hold them, and one of the greatest and most real helps would be that he who has acquired them should go and reside there. This would make his position more secure and durable, as it has made that of the Turk in Greece, who, notwithstanding all the other measures taken by him for holding that state, if he had not settled there, would not have been able to keep it. Because, if one is on the spot, disorders are seen as they spring up, and one can quickly remedy them; but if one is not at hand, they heard of only when they are one can no longer remedy them. Besides this, the country is not pillaged by your officials; the subjects are satisfied by prompt recourse to the prince; thus, wishing to be good, they have more cause to love him, and wishing to be otherwise, to fear him. He who would attack that state from the outside must have the utmost caution; as long as the prince resides there it can only be wrested from him with the greatest difficulty.

倘若併入屬地的語言、風俗、律法有所不同，就得運氣與費勁了。人民的依歸和何去何從是最近實質的幫助。既要將併入的屬地成為自己領土的一部份，那麼要移尊就地耕耘它，例如像Turk在希臘的情形；所謂駐守在地，能夠監測一切，稍有不法即可查知、補救。有言“天高皇帝遠，臂長也難及”；當年成吉思汗在歐亞也打下大片江山，不過未耕耘統治就此無疾而終。所以說，由君主直轄可免官員的剝削，受百姓的愛戴、敬畏、擁護；要從其收中奪取領土是難上加難的。

The other and better course is to send colonies to one or two places, which may be as keys to that state, for it necessary either to do this or else to keep there a great number of cavalry and infantry. A prince does not spend much on colonies, for with little or no expense he can send them out and keep them there, and he offends a minority only of the citizens from whom he takes lands and houses to give them to the new inhabitants; and those whom he offends, remaining poor and scattered, are never able to injure him; whilst the rest being uninjured are easily kept quiet, and at the same time are anxious not to err for fear it should happen to them as it has to those who have been despoiled. In conclusion, I say that these colonies are not costly, they are more faithful, they injure less, and the injured, as has been said, being poor and scattered, cannot hurt. Upon this, one has to remark that men ought either to be well treated or crushed, because they can avenge themselves of lighter injuries, of more serious ones they cannot; therefore the injury that is to be done to a man ought to be of such a kind that one does not stand in fear of revenge.

在一、兩處要塞殖民，必要則部署大批騎、步兵駐防。送出少數的殖民至該地，給這就些新殖民房舍土地的花費不大，原屬地零散貧窮的少數民眾，即使不滿也起不了作用。一如日據時代，日本大量鼓動日民至臺深及遍地、建築重要鐵道等、嚴法治民。善待該併入屬民或摧毀之是兩極的做法，受傷輕的易蓄力再起；徹底傷毀就無力再犯了。有道是：對敵人不能手軟，務須竭力毀滅徹查至無反擊之力。 ( 看西片就知道，是不是西方的壞蛋體力較好？壞人明明死了還舉槍反擊主角。我但願一輩子都不會遇到這樣的事，太殘忍了！ )

But in maintaining armed men there in place of colonies one spends much more, having to consume on the garrison all income from the state, so that the acquisition turns into a loss, and many more are exasperated, because the whole state is injured; through the shifting of the garrison up and down all become acquainted with hardship, and all become hostile, and they are enemies who, whilst beaten on their own ground, are yet able to do hurt. For every reason, therefore, such guards are as useless as a colony is useful.

駐防軍隊不如殖民是以： 軍事耗費大、調動軍旅時離家背景傷人心，前有提過“馬上治天下”非上策，況且在地的民心不易以武裝軍隊收服；殖民方式花費小、百姓間軟性互動，生於斯、長於此之下較易融合、建立認同感情。

Again, the prince who holds a country differing in the above respects ought to make himself the head and defender of his less powerful neighbours, and to weaken the more powerful amongst them, taking care that no foreigner as powerful as himself shall, by any accident, get a footing there; for it will always happen that such a one will be introduced by those who are discontented, either through excess of ambition or through fear, as one has seen already. The Romans were brought into Greece by the Aetolians; and in every other country where they obtained a footing they were brought in by the inhabitants. And the usual course of affairs is that, as soon as a powerful foreigner enters a country, all the subject states are drawn to him, moved by the hatred which they feel against the ruling power. So that in respect to these subject states he has not to take any trouble to gain them over to himself, for the whole of them quickly rally to the state which he has acquired there. He has only to take care that they do not get hold of too much power and too much authority, and then with his own forces, and with their goodwill, he can easily keep down the more powerful of them, so as to remain entirely master in the country. And he who does not properly manage this business will soon lose what he has acquired, and whilst he does hold it he will have endless difficulties and troubles.

再者，要在不同文、不同種的狀況下治理其地，就得在內與較弱鄰邦的首領及保護者，削減較強國的侵略力，不予其插手自國的家務事或意外事故發生時落腳的藉口。近年來，不管是眼前或蠢蠢欲動的國際局勢，就可知道每每以家務事禁止它國借機入兵。希臘的Aetolians為了反對馬其頓，而與羅馬結盟合作，讓羅馬明目張膽地可以進入希臘，最後成了趕不走的夢魘。一個弱國為了阻止被欺侮、併吞而相強國要求救援、聯盟使原欲侵犯我方的敵國知難而退。往往這樣的結果下使救援國帶進殖民，羅馬入希臘就是一例。

The Romans, in the countries which they annexed, observed closely these measures; they sent colonies and maintained friendly relations with the minor powers, without increasing their strength; they kept down the greater, and did not allow any strong foreign powers to gain authority. Greece appears to me sufficient for an example. The Achaeans and Aetolians were kept friendly by them, the kingdom of Macedonia was humbled, Antiochus was driven out; yet the merits of the Achaeans and Aetolians never secured for them permission to increase their power, nor did the persuasions of Philip ever induce the Romans to be his friends without first humbling him, nor did the influence of Antiochus make them agree that he should retain any lordship over the country. Because the Romans did in these instances what all prudent princes ought to do, who have to regard not only present troubles, but also future ones, for which they must prepare with every energy, because, when foreseen, it is easy to remedy them; but if you wait until they approach, the medicine is no longer in time because the malady has become incurable; for it happens in this, as the physicians say it happens in hectic fever, that in the beginning of the malady it is easy to cure but difficult to detect, but in the course of time, not having been either detected or treated in the beginning, it becomes easy to detect but difficult to cure. Thus it happens in affairs of state, for when the evils that arise have been foreseen (which it is only given to a wise man to see), they can be quickly redressed, but when, through not having been foreseen, they have been permitted to grow in a way that everyone can see them. there is no longer a remedy. Therefore, the Romans, foreseeing troubles, dealt with them at once, and, even to avoid a war, would not let them come to a head, for they knew that war is not to be avoided, but is only put off to the advantage of others; moreover they wished to fight with Philip and Antiochus in Greece so as not to have to do it in Italy; they could have avoided both, but this they did not wish; nor did that ever please them which is for ever in the mouths of the wise ones of our time:— Let us enjoy the benefits of the time — but rather the benefits of their own valour and prudence, for time drives everything before it, and is able to bring with it good as well as evil, and evil as well as good.

羅馬維持了Achaeans 和 Aetolians的友好關係，使馬其頓王國屈服，趕走了Antiochus。但是Achaeans 和 Aetolians自身國家並未因此強壯，反而在軍事防衛自主上受限於羅馬的控制。讓菲利普與Antiochus的戰爭在希臘發生，而非自家義大利的戰爭。羅馬所做的是英明君主的德政策略－對可以預見的災難預防、補救；濟弱扶傾的正義風範，殖民同化聯盟國的深耕，強化自國，但決不讓別人強壯了，來傷害自己。但對弱者而言，這是去了一隻狼，來了一隻虎。真似假、假似真，《荒野大鏢客》時代有一部《The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly》說的不正是人類原形！