The Greatness of Cities [3]
by cunning, appertaineth to this head. And amongst all the cities of Europe, Rome and Venice are the most frequented for the pleasures and delights they minister to all the beholders of them. Rome for the exceeding wonderful relics of her ancient greatness, and Venice for the gloriousness of her present and magnificent estate. Rome filleth the eye with wonder and delight at the greatness of her conduits, the rareness of her baths and hugeness of her colossi, as also at the art of her admirable works, both in marble and in brass, wrought by excellent artificers, at the height and hugeness of her obelisks, at the multitude and variety of pillars, at the diversity and fineness of strange marble, the exquisite and curious cutting of it, the porphyry, alabaster, marble white, black, grey, yellow and mixed, and serpentine; the great ruins, the holy gates, and a number of other sorts and kinds besides, which were too hard to recount and impossible to distinguish. What shall I say of the triumphal arches, of the seven zones or circles, of the temples, and what of a number of other wonders else? And what shall we imagine that city was when she flourished and triumphed, if now, while she lieth thus defaced and is none other than a sepulture of herself she allureth us to see her, and feedeth us insatiably with the ruins of herself. On the other side, Venice, with the wonder of her incomparable situation (which seemeth the act of nature, by giving laws to the waters and setting a bridle on the sea) ministereth unto us no less admiration and wonder at it. The greatness also of her inestimable Arsenal, the multitude of ships both of war, of traffic and of passage, the incredible number of warlike instruments, ordnance and munition, and of all matter of preparations for the seas, the height of the towers, the riches of the churches, the magnificence of the palaces, the beautifulness of the streets, the variety of the arts, the order of her government, the beauty of the one and other sex, doth dazzle and amaze the eyes of the beholders of them.
7. Of profit
This profit is of such power to unite and tie men fast unto one place, as the other causes aforesaid, without this accompany them withal, are not sufficient to make any city great. Not authority alone, for if the place whereto men are drawn through the authority of any afford them no commodity, they will not abide nor tarry there. Neither yet necessity, for such a congregation and collection of people increaseth, multiplieth and lasteth for many years, and necessity is violent, and violence cannot produce any durable effect. So that it comes to pass that not only cities do not increase, but also states and principalities gotten with mere strength and violence cannot be long maintained. They are much like land floods that have no head nor spring, as rivers have that minister perpetually plenty of waters to them, but casually and in a moment rise and swell, and by and by assuage and fall again, so that as they are to travellers fearful in their swellings, so do they fall again within a while, so fast as travellers may soon pass away on foot again dry. Such were the conquests of the Tartars, that have so oft invaded Asia and put it to the sword, of Alexander the Great, of Attila, of great Tamburlane, of Charles VIII and of Louis the Twelfth king of France. And the reason thereof is that our nature is so great a lover, and longeth after commodity so much, as that it is not possible to quiet and content her with that which is no more but necessary. For as plants although they be set deep enough within the ground, cannot for all that last and be long kept without the favour of the heavens and the benefit of rain, even so the habitations of men, enforced at first by mere necessity, are not maintained long if profit and commodity go not companions with it. Much less then is pleasure and delight of any moment. For man is born to labour, and most men attend their business, and the idler sort are of no account nor reckoning, and their idleness is built and founded
7. Of profit
This profit is of such power to unite and tie men fast unto one place, as the other causes aforesaid, without this accompany them withal, are not sufficient to make any city great. Not authority alone, for if the place whereto men are drawn through the authority of any afford them no commodity, they will not abide nor tarry there. Neither yet necessity, for such a congregation and collection of people increaseth, multiplieth and lasteth for many years, and necessity is violent, and violence cannot produce any durable effect. So that it comes to pass that not only cities do not increase, but also states and principalities gotten with mere strength and violence cannot be long maintained. They are much like land floods that have no head nor spring, as rivers have that minister perpetually plenty of waters to them, but casually and in a moment rise and swell, and by and by assuage and fall again, so that as they are to travellers fearful in their swellings, so do they fall again within a while, so fast as travellers may soon pass away on foot again dry. Such were the conquests of the Tartars, that have so oft invaded Asia and put it to the sword, of Alexander the Great, of Attila, of great Tamburlane, of Charles VIII and of Louis the Twelfth king of France. And the reason thereof is that our nature is so great a lover, and longeth after commodity so much, as that it is not possible to quiet and content her with that which is no more but necessary. For as plants although they be set deep enough within the ground, cannot for all that last and be long kept without the favour of the heavens and the benefit of rain, even so the habitations of men, enforced at first by mere necessity, are not maintained long if profit and commodity go not companions with it. Much less then is pleasure and delight of any moment. For man is born to labour, and most men attend their business, and the idler sort are of no account nor reckoning, and their idleness is built and founded