Fortune, it seems, is the missing link needed in order to connect liberty with greatness. Quentin Skinner in his book entitled Machiavelli, explains by saying, "Machiavelli begins by admitting that am element of good Fortune is always involved. It is essential that a city should have "a free beginning, without depending on anyone" if it is to have any prospect of achieving civic glory" (53). He goes onto admit however, that Machiavelli did not just deem Fortune worthy enough to explain Rome's greatness. Virtue (virtu) was needed in order to attain good fortune from the goddess. However, virtue alone cannot make it possible for a government to be established by a collection of people "because their "diverse opinions" will always prevent them from being "suited to organize a government" (55). For this reason Machiavelli believes that Fortune is essential for a city to attain civic glory. Skinner goes on to explain that while Machiavelli does give credit to Fortune in the initial establishment of a city, if the city "is so imprudent as to rely on this initial good Fortune, it will not only cheat itself of greatness but will very soon collapse" (55, 56). .
Fortune, just as it is intertwined with virtue, can also be related to one of Rome's major institutions of religion. Religion was so important to the Romans that it "helped in the control of armies, in encouraging plebs, in producing good men, and in shaming the bad" (Machiavelli, 140). Citizens were kept in a well-ordered manner over a long period of time due to the fear of the gods, and so were able to maintain their virtu and remaining in good standing with the goddess Fortune. Machiavelli tends to put a strong emphasis on Roman religion by addressing the fact that it held the Roman Empire together for such a long period of time, unlike Christianity of his day which kept Italy in disunity. "Religion can be used, that is, to inspire- and if necessary to terrorize- the ordinary populace in such a way as to induce them to prefer the good of their community to all other goods" (Skinner, 62).
Machiavelli's Discourses Throughout his discourses, Machiavelli gives a political and philosophical interpretation of the first ten books of Livy's History. ... Machiavelli's focus on liberty and greatness of empire can be seen throughout his discourses on Rome's history. ...
