persuasively or swore to them more solemnly and kept so few of them . . . ." Pope Alexander VI also got what he wanted by deceiving others. The Beatitudes say those who desire righteousness will be filled; those who are pure of heart will see God. Righteousness and purity do not occur through deception. The ninth of the Ten Commandments says "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor," meaning do not lie. Matthew, the first book of the New Testament, says "Do no break your oath . . . ." The Church had good reason to disagree with Machiavelli about craftiness.Nobility for princes can be seen as one of two ways: generous or parsimonious. If a prince is generous, his generosity usually comes at the expense of his subjects. The prince would have to tax his people heavily in order to give. "This will begin to make him odious to his subjects and . . . will lose him the respect of everyone." For a prince to give money, he need not tax his people, rather give what he pillaged and stole while on various campaigns. If a prince is stingy with the peoples money, he will not tax as much; thus, his subjects will honor him more. The teachings of the Church and the Bible promote generosity, and remark that keeping one's wealth to oneself will lead to self destruction, Hell. The teachings likewise include "You shall not steal." Although his ideas were contrary to those of the Church and of the Bible, Machiavelli can not be compared with Satan. He was promoting the survival of a principality at any cost. He said a prince "will find things which, though seeming good, will lead to his ruin if pursued, and others which, though seeming evil, will result in his safety and well-being." Machiavelli also said that if a ruler gains control by cruelty and wickedness the ruler is without virtue, and he cannot be compared to men of good character. He does not condone this type of behavior, he merely contends it is necess...
