来自《耶鲁大学开放课程：政治哲学导论第10集第10集》

he wishes to show that if any cruelty had been committed,

他希望说明如果发生任何残忍的犯罪
this had not come from him, from Cesare,

那一定不是由于他或者是凯撒
but from the harsh nature of his minister.

而一定是由于其他官员的残忍本性
And having seized this opportunity," that language,

要抓住这种机会这句话
seized the occasion, seized this opportunity,

抓住机会抓住机会
"he had emplaced one morning in the piazza in two pieces,

一天早上他将两样东西放在那个官员的身旁
with a piece of wood and a bloody knife beside him.

一块木头和一把带血的刀
He had him cut in two.

他已经将他切成两半
The bloody knife and piece of wood beside him.

那沾血的刀和木头放在他的旁边
"The ferocity of this spectacle," Machiavelli concludes,

马基雅维利断定这个场景的残暴
"left the people at once satisfied and stupefied."

立即能让人们感到满足和震惊
That, of course, is Machiavelli's virtu,

而这当然也就马基雅维利的优点