“Whoever shall fortify his town well, and shall have managed the other concerns of his subjects in the way stated above, and to be often repeated, will never be attacked without great caution.”

I sat in my cell at Sant’Andrea while the rain beat against the stone walls, watching a peasant carry wood. He looked at the gate with fear, then turned away when he saw it was strong. A man who fears his own people is weak, but one who fortifies his home and treats them well stands firm against all armies that come to take him.