"4 Yet still, Machiavelli states that the goal of the prince is not to be loved, but liked just enough to where he is not hated when he says "still a prince should make himself feared in such a way that, though he does not gain love, he escapes hatred; for being feared but not hated go readily together. "5 This can prove to be a difficult task since emotions of love and hate are objective. However, a prince that is both feared and loved is considered to be noble. .
Free-spending or Parsimonious.
The next attribute of a Machiavellian prince is whether the free-spending prince or the parsimonious, tightfisted prince makes for a better ruler. Machiavelli contends that while the free-spending prince makes himself popular only with the few who benefit from it, the tightfisted ruler wins the popularity of his subjects because he does not increase their taxation. Machiavelli holds to the thought that liberality only benefits the few who gain from elaborate building projects and ornate paintings and so will ultimately lead to the subjects developing hatred and contempt for the prince. Instead, a ruler should not shy away from being known as a miser for a parsimonious king reserves funds for military concerns when the need comes for the defense of his kingdom meanwhile not having to resort to the increased taxation of the courts subjects. Essentially, the only people benefiting from a prince's free-spending on monuments were the architects, engineers, and the artists whereas the common people carried the increasing financial burden of the ruler's frivolous spending. "Therefore it is better to have a name for miserliness, which breeds disgrace without hatred, than, in pursuing a name for liberality, to resort to rapacity, which breeds both disgrace and hatred.".
Cruel or Kind.
The next attribute to be discussed is that of which is better to have a reputation for, kindness or cruelty. In "The Prince," Machiavelli claims that "I say that every prince ought to wish to be considered kind rather than cruel.
