Lehal Library

A ruler and his army frills: a strip of gathered or pleated material sewn by one side onto a garment or larger piece of material as a decorative edging or ornament. mission disrespect A ruler, then, must have no other aim or consideration, nor seek to develop any other vocation outside war, the organiz- ation of the army and military discipline. This is the only proper vocation of the man in command. And it’s such a potent one that it not only keeps those born to rule on their thrones but often raises private citizens to political power. Vice versa, when rulers think more about frills than fight- ing they lose their thrones. In fact, the thing most likely to bring about a ruler’s downfall is his neglect of the art of war; the thing most likely to win him power is becoming an expert in it. A military man with his own army, Francesco Sforza rose from commoner to Duke of Milan; shunning military hard- ships, his sons fell from dukes to commoners. For one of the many negative consequences of not having an army is that people will find you pathetic, and this is a stigma a ruler must guard against, as I’ll explain. The fact is that between a man who has an army and a man who hasn’t there is simply no comparison. And there is no reason why a man who com- mands an armed force should willingly obey a man who doesn’t, or why a man who doesn’t command an army should live safely beside a servant who does. The one will harbour contempt and the other suspicion and they won’t be able to work well together. So, quite apart from the other disadvan- tages, a ruler who doesn’t involve himself in military matters