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- On the Manner of Negotiating With Princes, by François de Callières—A Project Gutenberg eBook
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-<p style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of On the manner of negotiating with princes, by François de Callières</p>
-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
-most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
-whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
-of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online
-at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you
-are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the
-country where you are located before using this eBook.
-</div>
-
-<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: On the manner of negotiating with princes</p>
-<p style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:1em;'>On the uses of diplomacy; the choice of ministers and envoys; and the personal qualities necessary for success in missions abroad</p>
-<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: François de Callières</p>
-<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Translator: A. F. Whyte</p>
-<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: September 15, 2022 [eBook #68987]</p>
-<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p>
- <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: MWS, Thomas Frost and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)</p>
-<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ON THE MANNER OF NEGOTIATING WITH PRINCES ***</div>
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_iii">[Pg iii]</span></p>
-
-
-
-
-<h1>ON THE MANNER OF<br />
-NEGOTIATING WITH<br />
-PRINCES;</h1>
-
-<p class="center p140 ml10 mr10">on the Uses of Diplomacy; the
-Choice of Ministers and Envoys;
-and the Personal Qualities necessary
-for Success in Missions abroad; by</p>
-
-<p class="center p150 ml15 mr15">MONSIEUR DE CALLIÈRES</p>
-
-<p class="center ml15 mr15">Councillor-in-Ordinary to the King in Council, Private
-Secretary to His Majesty, formerly Ambassador Extraordinary
-and Plenipotentiary of His late Majesty
-entrusted with the Treaties of Peace concluded at
-Ryswick, one of the Forty of the French Academy.</p>
-
-<p class="center p110 ml15 mr15">Published at Paris by <span class="smcap">Michel Brunet</span> at the <span class="italic">Mercure
-Galant</span>, 1716; under Royal Privilege and Approval.</p>
-
-<p class="center p120 ml15 mr15">Translated from the French by</p>
-
-<p class="center p130 ml15 mr15">A. F. WHYTE</p>
-
-<div class="figcenter illowe5" id="image_1">
- <img class="w100" src="images/image_1.jpg" alt="" />
-</div>
-
-<p class="center p2 p120 ml15 mr15">Boston and New York</p>
-
-<p class="center p130 ml15 mr15">HOUGHTON MIFFLIN CO.</p>
-
-<p class="center p120">1919</p>
-
-
-<hr class="full x-ebookmaker-drop" />
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_iv">[Pg iv]</span></p>
-<p class="center break">Edinburgh: T. and A. <span class="smcap">Constable</span>,
-Printers to His Majesty</p>
-
-
-<hr class="full x-ebookmaker-drop" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_v">[Pg v]</span></p>
-<h2 class="nobreak" id="INTRODUCTION">INTRODUCTION</h2>
-</div>
-
-
-<p><span class="smcap">Diplomacy</span> is one of the highest of
-the political arts. In a well-ordered
-commonwealth it would be held in the
-esteem due to a great public service in whose hands
-the safety of the people largely lies; and it would
-thus attract to its ranks its full share of national
-ability and energy which for the most part to-day
-passes into other professions. But the diplomatic
-service, at all times, and in almost all countries,
-has suffered from lack of public appreciation:
-though perhaps at no time has it had so many detractors
-as to-day. Its almost unparalleled unpopularity
-is due to a variety of causes, some of
-which are temporary and removable, while others
-must be permanent in human affairs, for they were
-found to operate in the days when the author of this
-little book shone in French diplomacy. The major
-cause is public neglect; but it is also due, in no
-small measure, to the prevalent confusion between<span class="pagenum" id="Page_vi">[Pg vi]</span>
-policy, which is the substance, and diplomacy
-proper, which is the process by which it is carried
-out. This confusion exists not only in the popular
-mind, but even in the writings of historians who
-might be expected to practise a better discernment.
-Policy is the concern of governments. Responsibility
-therefore belongs to the Secretary of State
-who directs policy and appoints the agents of it.
-But the constitutional doctrine of ministerial responsibility
-is not an unvarying reality. No one
-will maintain that Lord Cromer’s success in Egypt
-was due to the wisdom of Whitehall, or to anything
-but his own sterling qualities. Nor can a just
-judgment of our recent Balkan diplomacy fail to
-assign a heavy share of the blame to the incompetence
-of more than one ‘man on the spot.’
-The truth is, that the whole system, of which, in
-their different measure, Downing Street and the
-embassies abroad are <em>both</em> responsible parts, is not
-abreast of the needs of the time, and will not be
-until Callières’s excellent maxims become the
-common practice of the service.</p>
-
-<p>These maxims are to be found in the little book
-of which a free translation is here presented.
-François de Callières treats diplomacy as the art<span class="pagenum" id="Page_vii">[Pg vii]</span>
-practised by the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">négotiateur</i>—a most apt name for
-the diplomatist—in carrying out the instructions
-of statesmen and princes. The very choice of the
-word <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">manière</i> in his title shows that he conceives of
-diplomacy as the servant, not the author, of policy;
-and indeed his argument is not many pages old
-before he is heard insisting that it is ‘the agent of
-high policy.’ Observance of this distinction is the
-first condition of fruitful criticism. It is therefore
-worth while, at the outset, to clear away the
-obscurity and confusion which surround the subject,
-and thus, in some measure, to relieve both diplomacy
-in general and the individual diplomatist in particular
-from the burden of irrelevant and unjust
-criticism.</p>
-
-<p>‘Secret diplomacy’ has played so large a part in
-recent public discussion that the confusion between
-foreign policy and diplomacy proper has only been
-worse confounded. And even where the critics of
-diplomacy have restricted the range of their attack
-to the question of the efficiency of our representation
-abroad, the nature of their criticism leaves
-it to be supposed that diplomacy is the dazzling
-and perilous craft which figures in the pages of
-Mr. Le Queux. The picture of brilliant youths and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_viii">[Pg viii]</span>
-cunning greybeards sedulously lying abroad for the
-good of their country continues to fill the popular
-imagination, though a reading of any one of the
-excellent memoirs of the great diplomatists of the
-past would suffice to prove that Sir Henry Wotton’s
-famous witticism far outran the truth. For every
-occasion on which deceit has been practised, there
-are a dozen on which the negotiation has followed
-the obvious course of a practical discussion in which
-‘the application of intelligence and tact’ led to an
-agreement. In substance, therefore, diplomacy
-demands the same qualities as any other form of
-negotiation. Its true method bears a close resemblance
-to a business transaction. The one essential
-difference between a high commercial negotiation
-and a diplomatic transaction is that in the former
-the contracting parties are constrained to observe
-certain rules, and are bound not only by certain
-strict conventions but by enforceable laws; in the
-latter case the parties recognise no bounds to their
-claims and ambitions except those laid down by a
-concern for their own convenience, or by the limits
-of their own military forces. Hence the diplomatist
-gains an altogether fictitious eminence
-among his fellow-men and assumes an excessive<span class="pagenum" id="Page_ix">[Pg ix]</span>
-pride of office because he represents a sovereign
-state which recognises no master.</p>
-
-<p>Now a discussion of the problems raised by the
-unrestricted sovereignty claimed by each nation
-in foreign affairs would carry this argument far
-beyond the limits of diplomacy proper and must
-be left to those who are now trying to find a firm
-basis for a League of Nations. But since this claim
-is the parent cause of all armed conflict, it cannot
-be entirely ignored; for as long as it persists it
-will exercise a profound influence on the character
-of diplomacy itself, and has a direct bearing on the
-question of the efficiency of the diplomatist. The
-action of our representatives abroad carries with
-it the constant alternative of peace and war. ‘The
-art of negotiating with princes,’ says Callières, ‘is
-so important that the fate of the greatest states
-often depends upon the good or bad conduct of
-negotiations, and upon the degree of capacity in the
-negotiators employed.’ The consciousness that
-the negotiator is performing one of the functions
-of sovereignty must give him a deep sense of responsibility
-and a constant concern for his own
-efficiency. And the Home Government has the
-prior obligation, in Callières’s words once more, to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_x">[Pg x]</span>
-‘examine with the greatest care the natural or
-acquired qualities of those citizens whom they
-despatch on missions to Foreign States.’</p>
-
-<p>The epigram which tells us that nations have
-the governments they deserve has a close bearing
-on this aspect of diplomacy. The main question
-is the efficiency of the service, which has received
-but little public attention owing to the popularity
-of the campaign against the secrecy of diplomatic
-action. The secrecy of diplomacy is commonly
-held to be the accomplice of European militarism;
-and many of those who yearn for a better world
-after the war hope that by letting in light upon
-the manœuvres of the Great Powers their evil
-designs may be checked before they create those
-recurring crises of animosity with which we were
-so familiar before the war. There is so much
-obvious truth in this view that even <cite>The Times</cite>
-acknowledged it thus: ‘Who, then, makes war?
-The answer is to be found in the Chancelleries of
-Europe, among the men who have too long played
-with human lives as pawns in a game of chess, who
-have become so enmeshed in formulas and the
-jargon of diplomacy that they have ceased to be
-conscious of the poignant realities with which they<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xi">[Pg xi]</span>
-trifle. And thus war will continue to be made
-until the great masses who are the sport of professional
-schemers say the word which shall bring,
-not eternal peace, for that is impossible, but a
-determination that wars shall be fought only in a
-just and righteous and vital cause’ (<cite>The Times</cite>,
-23rd November 1912). The justification of the
-growing demand for popular control of foreign
-policy could not be more succinctly put.</p>
-
-<p>In the customary argument against diplomatic
-secrecy, however, there is some confusion of thought.
-It is against secret <em>policies</em>, in which the national
-liability may be unlimited, that the only genuine
-protest can be raised; for such policies are the very
-negation of democracy, and the denial of the most
-fundamental of all popular rights, namely, that the
-citizen shall know on what terms his country may
-ask him to lay down his life. But this justification
-of popular control does not presuppose the publication
-of diplomatic negotiations. On the contrary,
-it rests on the assumption that the People
-and Parliament will know where to draw the line
-between necessary control in matters of principle
-and the equally necessary discretionary freedom of
-the expert in negotiation. It follows, therefore,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xii">[Pg xii]</span>
-that the case for reform is only weakened by those
-who make indiscriminate attacks against the whole
-Diplomatic Service—how richly deserved in some
-cases, how flagrantly unjust in others—and especially
-by those who profess to believe that the
-machinery of diplomacy could be made to run more
-smoothly by publicity. The modern Press is not
-so happy a commentator as all that; and we may
-here recall Napoleon’s apposite reflection: ‘<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Le
-canon a tué la féodalité: l’encre tuera la société
-moderne</i>.’ If it is necessary for the public welfare
-that foreign policy should be known and intelligently
-discussed by the people whom it so closely
-concerns, it is just as necessary that the people
-should not meddle with the actual process of
-diplomacy, but, having made sure of getting the
-best of their public servants in their Foreign
-Service, should confidently leave such transactions
-undisturbed in the hands of the expert. In all
-the activities of government that is clearly the proper
-division of labour between the common people and
-the expert adviser; and in no department should
-it be more scrupulously observed than in foreign
-affairs.</p>
-
-<p>Readers of this little book—which Sir Ernest<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xiii">[Pg xiii]</span>
-Satow recently called ‘a mine of political wisdom’—will
-quickly realise how much this introductory
-review of modern diplomacy owes to the suggestive
-maxims of François de Callières. And if they
-receive as much stimulus and pleasure from the
-following pages as the translator has enjoyed in
-preparing them, Louis Fourteenth’s plenipotentiary
-should gain a host of new friends.</p>
-
-<p class="right mr5">
-A. F. WHYTE.
-</p>
-
-
-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</span></p>
-
-<h2 class="nobreak" id="To_His_Royal_Highness_Monseigneur_le"><span class="italic">To His Royal Highness, Monseigneur le
-Duc d’Orléans, Regent of the Kingdom.</span></h2>
-</div>
-
-
-<p><span class="smcap">Monseigneur</span>,—This work, which I have the
-honour to present to your Royal Highness, has for
-its aim: to give an idea of the personal qualities
-and general knowledge necessary in all good negotiators;
-to indicate to them the paths which
-they should follow and the rocks which they should
-avoid; and to exhort those who destine themselves
-to the foreign service of their country, to render
-themselves capable of discharging worthily that
-high, important, and difficult office before entering
-upon it.</p>
-
-<p>The honour which the late King did me in charging
-me with his commands and his full powers for
-foreign negotiation, and particularly for those which
-led to the Treaty of Ryswick, has redoubled the
-attention which I have ever paid since my youngest
-years to my own instruction in the power, the
-rights, and the ambitions of each of the principal
-monarchies and states of Europe, in their divergent
-interests and the forms of their government, in
-the causes of their understandings and misunderstandings,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</span>
-and finally in the treaties which they
-have made one with another; in order to employ
-this knowledge to the best advantage whenever
-occasion offered in the service of my King and
-Country. After the loss which France has just
-suffered of that great King, whose reign was so full
-of glory and triumph, she did indeed need that
-the Hand of God, which has always upheld her in
-her necessities, should continue to guide her. We
-had indeed to look for Divine Help to support us
-during the minority of his present Majesty, so that
-we might hope that the All-Powerful Hand should
-mould a prince of like blood and spirit to him who
-has gone. The Regency needed an intelligence of
-the highest order, a capacity without limit, a clear
-insight into the character of persons and events, and
-an indefatigable activity which would increase at
-every new demand made by the interests of state—all
-these united in the person of a prince at once
-just, lovable, beneficent, whose character might
-earn for him the title of a veritable father of his
-country. These are the traits so strongly and so
-profoundly marked in you, Monseigneur, which
-have brought all France on its knees in homage
-before you, with full confidence and happiness,
-and a glorious prestige which shall pass undimmed
-to our remotest descendants as a worthy symbol of
-your great rule.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</span></p>
-
-<p>I am, with profound respect, and with a zealous
-and affectionate attachment to your Person, Monseigneur,</p>
-
-<p>Your Royal Highness’s most humble, obedient,
-and faithful servant,</p>
-
-<p class="right mr5">
-<span class="smcap">De</span> CALLIÈRES.<br />
-</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</span></p>
-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
-
-<div class="chapter">
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</span></p>
-
-<div class="sidenote break"><span class="italic">The Art of
-Negotiation.</span></div>
-</div>
-
-<p><span class="smcap">The</span> art of negotiation with princes is so
-important that the fate of the greatest
-states often depends upon the good or
-bad conduct of negotiations and upon the degree
-of capacity in the negotiators employed. Thus
-monarchs and their ministers of state cannot
-examine with too great care the natural or acquired
-qualities of those citizens whom they despatch on
-missions to foreign states to entertain there good
-relations with their masters, to make treaties of
-peace, of alliance, of commerce or of other kinds,
-or to hinder other Powers from concluding such
-treaties to the prejudice of their own master; and
-generally, to take charge of those interests which
-may be affected by the diverse conjunctures of
-events. Every Christian prince must take as his
-chief maxim not to employ arms to support or vindicate
-his rights until he has employed and exhausted
-the way of reason and of persuasion. It is
-to his interest also, to add to reason and persuasion
-the influence of benefits conferred, which indeed is
-one of the surest ways to make his own power secure,
-and to increase it. But above all he must employ<span class="pagenum" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</span>
-good labourers in his service, such indeed as know
-how to employ all these methods for the best, and
-how to gain the hearts and wills of men, for it is
-in this that the science of negotiation principally
-consists.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">French Neglect
-of Diplomacy.</span></div>
-
-<p>Our nation is so warlike that we can hardly
-conceive of any other kind of glory or of honour
-than those won in the profession of arms. Hence
-it is that the greater number of Frenchmen of good
-birth apply themselves with zeal to the profession
-of arms in order that they may gain advancement
-therein, but they neglect the study of the various
-interests which divide Europe and which are a
-source of frequent wars. This inclination and
-natural application in our people result in a rich
-supply of good general officers, and we need have
-no surprise that it is considered that no gentleman
-of quality can receive a high command in the armies
-of the King who has not already passed through all
-these stages by which a soldier may equip himself
-for war.</p>
-
-<p>But, alas, it is not the same with our negotiators.
-They are indeed rare among us because there has
-been in general no discipline nor fixed rules of the
-foreign service of his Majesty by which good
-citizens destined to become negotiators might instruct
-themselves in the knowledge necessary for
-this kind of employment. And indeed we find<span class="pagenum" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</span>
-that instead of gradual promotion by degrees and
-by the evidence of proved capacity and experience,
-as is the case in the usages of war, one may see often
-men who have never left their own country, who
-have never applied themselves to the study of
-public affairs, being of meagre intelligence, appointed
-so to speak over-night to important embassies
-in countries of which they know neither the
-interests, the laws, the customs, the language, nor
-even the geographical situation. And yet I may
-hazard a guess that there is perhaps no employment
-in all his Majesty’s service more difficult to discharge
-than that of negotiation. It demands all
-the penetration, all the dexterity, all the suppleness
-which a man can well possess. It requires a widespread
-understanding and knowledge, and above all
-a correct and piercing discernment.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Diplomacy an
-Expert Craft.</span></div>
-
-<p>It causes me no surprise that men who have embarked
-on this career for the sake of titles and
-emoluments, having not the least idea of the real
-duties of their post, have occasioned grave harm
-to the public interest during their apprenticeship to
-this service. These novices in negotiation become
-easily intoxicated with honours done in their
-person to the dignity of their royal master. They
-are like the ass in the fable who received for himself
-all the incense burned before the statue of the
-goddess which he bore on his back. This happens<span class="pagenum" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</span>
-above all to those who are employed by a great
-monarch on missions to princes of a lower order,
-for they are apt to place in their addresses the most
-odious comparisons, as well as veiled threats, which
-are really only a mark of weakness. Such ambassadors
-do not fail to bring upon themselves the
-aversion of the court to which they are accredited,
-and they resemble heralds of arms rather than ambassadors
-whose principal aim is ever to maintain
-a good correspondence between their master and
-the princes to whom they are accredited. In all
-cases they should represent the power of their
-own sovereign as a means of maintaining and increasing
-that of the foreign court, instead of using
-it as an odious comparison designed to humiliate
-and contemn. These misfortunes and many others,
-which are the result of the lack of capacity and
-of the foolish conduct of many citizens employed
-by princes to deal with public affairs abroad, occasioned
-in me the belief that it is by no means
-impertinent to set down some observations on the
-manner of negotiating with sovereigns and with
-their ministers, on the qualities necessary for those
-who mean to adopt the profession of diplomacy,
-and on the means which wise princes will take to
-secure a good choice of men well adapted at once
-to the profession of negotiation and to the different
-countries where they may be sent. But before I<span class="pagenum" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</span>
-take my subject in detail it is perhaps well that I
-should explain the use and the necessity for princes
-to maintain continual negotiation in the form of
-permanent embassies to all great states, both in
-neighbouring countries and in those more distant,
-in war as well as in peace.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Usefulness
-of Negotiation.</span></div>
-
-<p>To understand the permanent use of diplomacy
-and the necessity for continual negotiations, we
-must think of the states of which Europe is composed
-as being joined together by all kinds of necessary
-commerce, in such a way that they may be
-regarded as members of one Republic and that no
-considerable change can take place in any one of
-them without affecting the condition, or disturbing
-the peace, of all the others. The blunder of the
-smallest of sovereigns may indeed cast an apple of
-discord among all the greatest Powers, because there
-is no state so great which does not find it useful
-to have relations with the lesser states and to seek
-friends among the different parties of which even the
-smallest state is composed. History teems with the
-results of these conflicts which often have their beginnings
-in small events, easy to control or suppress
-at their birth, but which when grown in magnitude
-became the causes of long and bloody wars which
-have ravaged the principal states of Christendom.
-Now these actions and reactions between one
-state and another oblige the sagacious monarch<span class="pagenum" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</span>
-and his ministers to maintain a continual process
-of diplomacy in all such states for the purpose of
-recording events as they occur and of reading their
-true meaning with diligence and exactitude. One
-may say that knowledge of this kind is one of the
-most important and necessary features of good
-government, because indeed the domestic peace of
-the state depends largely upon appropriate measures
-taken in its foreign service to make friends among
-well-disposed states, and by timely action to resist
-those who cherish hostile designs. There is indeed
-no prince so powerful that he can afford to neglect
-the assistance offered by a good alliance, in resisting
-the forces of hostile powers which are prompted
-by jealousy of his property to unite in a hostile
-coalition.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Diplomat:
-An Agent of
-High Policy.</span></div>
-
-<p>Now, the enlightened and assiduous negotiator
-serves not only to discover all projects and cabals
-by which coalitions may arise against his prince in
-the country where he is sent to negotiate, but also
-to dissipate their very beginnings by giving timely
-advice. It is easy to destroy even the greatest
-enterprises at their birth; and as they often require
-several springs to give them motion, it can hardly
-be possible for a hostile intrigue to ripen without
-knowledge of it coming to the ears of an attentive
-negotiator living in the place where it is being
-hatched. The able negotiator will know how to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</span>
-profit by the various dispositions and changes
-which arise in the country where he lives, not merely
-in order to frustrate designs hostile to the interests
-of his master, but also for the positive and fruitful
-purpose of bringing to an apt result those other
-designs which may work to his advantage. By his
-industry and application he may himself produce
-changes of opinion favourable to the office which
-he has to discharge; indeed, if he do but once in an
-apt moment catch the tide at the flood he may confer
-a benefit on his prince a hundredfold greater
-than any expense in treasure or personal effort
-which he may have put forth. Now if a monarch
-should wait, before sending his envoys to countries
-near and far, until important events occur—as for
-instance, until it is a question of hindering the conclusion
-of some treaty which confers advantage
-on an enemy Power, or a declaration of war against
-an ally which would deprive the monarch himself
-of the assistance of that very ally for other purposes—it
-will be found that the negotiators, sent thus
-at the eleventh hour on urgent occasions, have no
-time to explore the terrain or to study the habits
-of mind of the foreign court or to create the
-necessary liaisons or to change the course of
-events already in full flood, unless indeed they
-bring with them enormous sums whose disbursement
-must weigh heavily on the treasury of their<span class="pagenum" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</span>
-master, and which run the risk, in truth, of being
-paid too late.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Cardinal
-Richelieu.</span></div>
-
-<p>Cardinal Richelieu, whom I set before me as the
-model for all statesmen, to whom France owes a very
-great debt, maintained a system of unbroken diplomacy
-in all manner of countries, and beyond question
-he thus drew enormous advantage for his
-master. He bears witness to this truth in his own
-political testament, speaking thus:—</p>
-
-<p>‘The states of Europe enjoy all the advantages
-of continual negotiation in the measure in which
-they are conducted with prudence. No one could
-believe how great these advantages are who has not
-had experience of them. I confess that it was not
-till I had had five or six years’ experience of the
-management of high affairs that I realised this
-truth, but I am now so firmly persuaded of it that
-I will boldly say that the service which a regular
-and unbroken system of diplomacy, conducted both
-in public and in secret in all countries, even where
-no immediate fruit can be gathered, is one of the
-first necessities for the health and welfare of the
-state. I can say with truth that in my time I
-have seen the face of affairs in France and in
-Christendom completely changed because under the
-authority of his Majesty I have been enabled to
-practise this principle which till my time had been
-absolutely neglected by the ministers of this kingdom.’<span class="pagenum" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</span>
-The Cardinal says further: ‘The light of
-nature teaches each of us in his private life to maintain
-relations with his neighbours because as their
-near presence enables them to injure so it also
-enables them to do us service, just as the surroundings
-of a city either hinder or facilitate the approach
-to it.’ And he adds: ‘The meaner sort of men
-confine their outlook within the cities where they
-were born. But those to whom God has given a
-greater light will neglect no means of improvement
-whether it come from near or from far.’ The
-evidence of this great genius demands all the greater
-consideration because the high services which he
-rendered to his King by means of negotiation convincingly
-prove that he speaks the truth. No
-considerable event occurred in Europe during his
-ministry in which he did not play a great part, and
-he was often the principal agent in the great movements
-of his time. He it was who designed the
-revolution in Portugal in 1640, by which the legitimate
-heir to the Crown resumed the throne. He
-profited by the discontent of the Catalans who
-rose in revolt in that same year. He did not hesitate
-to encourage negotiations even with the
-African Moors. Previously he brought his labours
-to success in the north by persuading Gustavus
-Adolphus, King of Sweden, to invade Germany, and
-thus to deliver her from slavery to the House of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</span>
-Austria which then reigned despotically, dethroning
-her princes and disposing of their states and their
-titles to its own court minions. Rumour even
-attributes the revolution in Bohemia to the action
-of Cardinal Richelieu. He formed and maintained
-several leagues; he won for France many great
-allies who contributed to the success of his high
-designs, in which the abasement of the prodigious
-power of the House of Austria was always the chief;
-and throughout all these designs we can trace the
-unbroken thread of a well-maintained system of
-diplomacy, acting as the obedient and capable agent
-of the great minister himself, whose profound
-capacity and vast genius thus found a favourable
-field of action.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Value of
-Diplomacy.</span></div>
-
-<p>It is not necessary to turn far back into the past
-in order to understand what can be achieved by
-negotiation. We see daily around us its definite
-effects in sudden revolutions favourable to this
-great design of state or that, in the use of sedition
-in fermenting the hatreds between nations, in
-causing jealous rivals to arm against one another so
-that the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">tertius gaudens</i> may profit, in the formation
-of leagues and other treaties of various kinds
-between monarchs whose interests might otherwise
-clash, in the dissolution by crafty means of the
-closest unions between states: in a word, one may
-say that the art of negotiation, according as its conduct<span class="pagenum" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</span>
-is good or evil, gives form to great affairs
-and may turn a host of lesser events into a useful
-influence upon the course of the greater. Indeed,
-we can see in diplomacy thus conducted a greater
-influence in many ways upon the conduct and fortunes
-of mankind than even in the laws which they
-themselves have designed, for the reason that,
-however scrupulous private man may be in obedience
-to the law, misunderstandings and conflicts
-of ambition easily arise between nations, and cannot
-be settled by a process of law but only by a convention
-between the contending parties. It is
-on the occasion of such conventions that diplomacy
-plays a decisive part.</p>
-
-<p>It is thus easy to conclude that a small number
-of well-chosen negotiators posted in the different
-states in Europe may render to their sovereign and
-their state the greatest services; that a single word
-or act may do more than the invasion of whole
-armies because the crafty negotiator will know
-how to set in motion various forces native to the
-country in which he is negotiating, and thus may
-spare his master the vast expense of a campaign.
-Nothing can be more useful than a timely diversion
-thus set on foot.</p>
-
-<p>It is also of high interest to all great princes that
-their negotiators should be of such character and
-standing as to act appropriately as mediators in the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</span>
-disputes between other sovereigns and to produce
-peace by the authority of their intervention.
-Nothing can contribute more to the reputation,
-the power, and the universal respect of a monarch,
-than to be served by those who themselves inspire
-respect and confidence. A powerful prince who
-maintains a constant system of diplomacy served
-by wise and instructed negotiators in the different
-states of Europe, and who thus cultivates well-chosen
-friendships and maintains useful sources of
-information, is in a position to influence the destiny
-of neighbouring foreign states, to maintain peace
-between all states, or to pursue war where it is
-favourable to his design. In all these concerns the
-prosperity of his plans and the greatness of his
-name depend first and last on the conduct and
-qualities of the negotiators to whom he entrusts
-his services. So now we examine in detail the
-qualities necessary for a good negotiator.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Personal
-Qualities of
-the Good
-Negotiator.</span></div>
-
-<p>God having endowed men with diverse talents,
-the best advice that one can give is to take counsel
-with themselves before choosing their profession.
-Thus he who would enter the profession of diplomacy
-must examine himself to see whether he was
-born with the qualities necessary for success.
-These qualities are an observant mind, a spirit of
-application which refuses to be distracted by
-pleasures or frivolous amusements, a sound judgment<span class="pagenum" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</span>
-which takes the measure of things as they
-are, and which goes straight to its goal by the
-shortest and most natural paths without wandering
-into useless refinements and subtleties which as a
-rule only succeed in repelling those with whom one
-is dealing. The negotiator must further possess
-that penetration which enables him to discover the
-thoughts of men and to know by the least movement
-of their countenances what passions are
-stirring within, for such movements are often
-betrayed even by the most practised negotiator.
-He must also have a mind so fertile in expedients
-as easily to smooth away the difficulties which he
-meets in the course of his duty; he must have
-presence of mind to find a quick and pregnant reply
-even to unforeseen surprises, and by such judicious
-replies he must be able to recover himself when his
-foot has slipped. An equable humour, a tranquil
-and patient nature, always ready to listen with
-attention to those whom he meets; an address
-always open, genial, civil, agreeable, with easy and
-ingratiating manners which assist largely in making
-a favourable impression upon those around him—these
-things are the indispensable adjuncts to the
-negotiator’s profession. Their opposite, the grave
-and cold air, a melancholy or rough exterior, may
-create a first impression which is not easily removed.
-Above all the good negotiator must have sufficient<span class="pagenum" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</span>
-control over himself to resist the longing to speak
-before he has really thought what he shall say. He
-should not endeavour to gain the reputation of being
-able to reply immediately and without premeditation
-to every proposition which is made, and he
-should take a special care not to fall into the error
-of one famous foreign ambassador of our time who
-so loved an argument that each time he warmed
-up in controversy he revealed important secrets in
-order to support his opinion.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Air of
-Mystery.</span></div>
-
-<p>But indeed there is another fault of which the
-negotiator must beware: he must not fall into the
-error of supposing that an air of mystery, in which
-secrets are made out of nothing and in which the
-merest bagatelle is exalted into a great matter
-of state, is anything but a mark of smallness of
-mind and betokens an incapacity to take the true
-measure either of men or of things. Indeed, the
-more the negotiator clothes himself in mystery, the
-less he will have means of discovering what is
-happening and of acquiring the confidence of those
-with whom he deals. A continual reserve is like
-the lock on a door which is never turned and
-becomes so rusty that in the end no man can open
-it. The able negotiator will of course not permit
-his secret to be drawn from him except at his own
-time, and he should be able to disguise from his
-competitor the fact that he has any secret to reveal;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</span>
-but in all other matters he must remember that
-open dealing is the foundation of confidence and
-that everything which he is not compelled by duty
-to withhold ought to be freely shared with those
-around him. He will thus gradually establish
-terms of confidence with his neighbours, from
-which he may draw immense profit, for it may not
-infrequently happen that in exchange for some
-trivial information given by himself, the negotiator
-may, as it were by accident, receive important news
-from his colleague in another embassy. The
-practised negotiator will know how to employ the
-circumstances of his life and of the lives of those
-around him in such a manner as to lead them naturally
-and without restraint to talk of the conditions
-and affairs of their own country, and the more extended
-his view and the wider his knowledge the
-more surely will he thus gather important news
-every day of his life.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Dignity.</span></div>
-
-<p>Let it not be supposed, however, that the good
-negotiator requires only the light of a high intellect,
-dexterity, and other fine qualities of the mind.
-He must show that the ordinary sentiments of the
-human heart move in him, for there is no kind of
-employment in which at the same time elevation
-and nobility of spirit and a kindly courtesy in little
-things are more necessary. An ambassador indeed
-resembles in a certain sense the actor placed before<span class="pagenum" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</span>
-the eyes of the public in order that he may play a
-great part, for his profession raises him above the
-ordinary condition of mankind and makes him in
-some sort the equal of the masters of the earth by
-that right of representation which attaches to his
-service, and by the special relations which his office
-gives him with the mighty ones of the earth. He
-must therefore be able to simulate a dignity even
-if he possess it not; but this obligation is the rock
-upon which many an astute negotiator has perished
-because he did not know in what dignity consisted.
-No negotiation was ever assisted by open or veiled
-menaces merely for their own sake, and negotiators
-too often confuse a proud and arrogant bearing
-with that careful dignity which ought to clothe
-their office. To advance pretensions or to demand
-excessive privileges is merely the sign of pride and
-of a desire to extract from the privileged position
-of an ambassador a personal and unworthy advantage,
-in the doing of which an ambitious negotiator
-may easily and utterly compromise the whole
-authority of his master. No man who enters diplomacy
-in a spirit of avarice or with a desire to seek
-interests other than those of his service, or merely
-with the desire to earn the applause of the crowd,
-or to attract esteem and recompense from his
-master, will ever make success in negotiation.
-And even if some important duty may be well discharged<span class="pagenum" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</span>
-in his hands, it is only to be attributed
-to some happy conjuncture of events which in itself
-smoothed away all difficulties.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Influence of
-Women.</span></div>
-
-<p>To maintain the dignity of diplomacy the negotiator
-must clothe himself in liberality and
-generosity of heart, even in magnificence, but all
-with care and a frugality of design so that the trappings
-of his office do not by their display outshine
-the sterling merits of his own character and person.
-Let clean linen and appointments and delicacy
-reign at his table. Let him frequently give banquets
-and diversions in honour of the principal
-persons of the court in which he lives, and even
-in the honour of the prince himself, if he so cares
-to take part. Let him also enter into the spirit
-of the same diversions offered by others, but always
-in a light, unconstrained, and agreeable manner,
-and always with an open, good-natured, straightforward
-air, and with a continual desire to give
-pleasure to others. If the custom of the country
-in which he serves permits freedom of conversation
-with the ladies of the court, he must on no account
-neglect any opportunity of placing himself and his
-master in a favourable light in the eyes of these
-ladies, for it is well known that the power of feminine
-charm often extends to cover the weightiest resolutions
-of state. The greatest events have sometimes
-followed the toss of a fan or the nod of a head.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</span>
-But let him beware! Let him do all things in his
-power, by the magnificence of his display, by the
-polish, attraction, and gallantry of his person, to
-engage their pleasure, but let him beware lest he
-engage his own heart. He must never forget that
-Love’s companions are Indiscretion and Imprudence,
-and that the moment he becomes pledged
-to the whim of a favoured woman, no matter how
-wise he may be, he runs a grave risk of being no
-longer master of his own secrets. We have often
-seen terrible results follow from this kind of weakness
-into which even the greatest ministers are liable to
-fall, and we need go no further than our own time
-for remarkable examples and warnings.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Power of the
-Purse.</span></div>
-
-<p>Now, as the surest way of gaining the good-will
-of a prince is to gain the good graces of those who
-have most influence upon his mind, a good negotiator
-must reinforce his own good manners, his
-insight of character, and attraction of person by
-certain expenses which will largely assist in opening
-his road before him. But these expenses must be
-laid out in the proper measure. They must be
-made by a careful design; and wherever large gifts
-are offered, the giver must take care beforehand to
-know that they will be received in the right spirit
-and above all that they will not be refused. I do
-not mean that there are not countries where no
-great art is needed in the matter of giving gifts.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</span>
-In such a country they are no longer gifts but
-bribes; but it is always to be remembered that
-there is a certain delicacy to be observed in all
-commerce of this kind, and that a gift presented in
-the right spirit, at the right moment, by the right
-person, may act with tenfold power upon him who
-receives it. There are various established customs
-in different countries by which occasion arises for
-making small presents. This kind of expense,
-though it occasions but a small outlay of money,
-may contribute largely to the esteem in which an
-ambassador is held and acquire for him friends at
-the court to which he is accredited. And, indeed,
-the manner in which this little custom is carried
-out may have an important bearing upon high
-policy. And, of course, in such a matter the
-practised negotiator will soon be aware that at every
-court there are certain persons of greater wit than
-fortune who will not refuse a small gratification
-or secret subsidy which may bring in large results,
-for the wit of these persons enables them to maintain
-a confidential position at court without that
-personal splendour which the rich nobleman can
-display. Such persons I say may be of great use
-to the clever negotiator. Among amusements,
-for instance, the dancers, who by the fact of
-their profession have an <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">entrée</i> less formal and
-in some degree more intimate with the prince than<span class="pagenum" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</span>
-any ambassador can perhaps possess, are often to
-be found valuable agents in negotiation. Or
-again, it happens that a monarch has around him
-certain officers of low rank entrusted with duties
-which bring them in close contact both with
-their master and with his minister’s mind, and
-a timely present aptly given may reveal important
-secrets. And finally, even great ministers of state
-themselves may not be inaccessible by the same
-means.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Secret Service.</span></div>
-
-<p>It frequently happens in negotiation as in war
-that well-chosen spies contribute more than any
-other agency to the success of great plans, and indeed
-it is clear that there is nothing so well adapted
-to upset the best design as the sudden and premature
-revelation of an important secret upon
-which it depends. And as there is no expense
-better designed nor more necessary than that which
-is laid out upon a secret service, it would be inexcusable
-for a minister of state to neglect it. The
-general will say with truth that he would sooner
-have one regiment the less than a poorly equipped
-system of espionage, and that he would perhaps
-even forgo reinforcements if he could be accurately
-informed of the disposition and numbers of the
-enemy armies. Similarly let an ambassador
-retrench all superfluous expense in order that he
-may have the funds at his disposal to maintain a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</span>
-secret service which will inform him of all that
-happens in the foreign country of his service. Yet
-despite the universal acknowledged truth of what
-I say, most negotiators will more readily spend vast
-sums on a great show of horses and carriages, on
-rows of useless flunkeys, than on the payment of a
-few well-chosen agents who could keep them supplied
-with news. In this matter we should learn
-a lesson from the Spaniards, who never neglect
-their secret agents—a fact which I am sure has
-contributed largely to the success of their ministers
-in many important negotiations. It is doubtless
-the success of Spanish agents which has led to the
-establishment of the wise custom of the Spanish
-Court to give Spanish ambassadors an extraordinary
-fund called <i lang="es" xml:lang="es">Gastos Secretos</i>.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Honourable
-Spy.</span></div>
-
-<p>The ambassador has sometimes been called an
-honourable spy because one of his principal occupations
-is to discover great secrets; and he fails in
-the discharge of his duty if he does not know how
-to lay out the necessary sums for this purpose.
-Therefore an ambassador should be a man born
-with a liberal hand ready to undertake willingly
-large expenses of this kind; and he must be even
-prepared to do it at his own charges when the
-emoluments of his master are insufficient. For as
-his principal aim must be to succeed, that interest
-should eclipse all others in any man truly devoted to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</span>
-his profession and capable of succeeding in it.
-But, on the other hand, the sagacious prince will
-not neglect the equipment of his negotiators with
-every possible means for acquiring friends and
-secret agents in all countries where his interests are
-at stake, for these expenses well laid out bring back
-a large return with usury to the prince who makes
-them, and do much to smooth away the difficulties
-which lie in the path of his designs. And he will
-soon be aware that if he does not employ this expedient
-his ministers can indeed make but little
-progress in their negotiations. He will win no
-new allies but risk losing old ones.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Courage.</span></div>
-
-<p>Courage is a most necessary quality in a negotiator;
-for, though the law of nations should give
-him ample security, there are many occasions in
-which he will find himself in danger, where he will
-have to rely upon his own courage and resource to
-escape from a perilous position without compromising
-the negotiation on which he is engaged.
-Thus no timid man can hope to conduct secret
-designs to success: unforeseen accidents will shake
-his faith, and in a moment of fear he may too easily
-give away his secrets even by the passing expression
-of his countenance and by the manner of his speech.
-And indeed a too great concern for his personal
-safety may lead him to take measures highly prejudicial
-to the duties he has to discharge. And at<span class="pagenum" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</span>
-times when the honour of his master is attacked
-his timidity may prevent him from maintaining
-with the necessary vigour the dignity of his office
-and the prestige of his King. A prelate who was
-an ambassador at Rome from King Francis <span class="allsmcap">I.</span>
-brought disgrace on his master because he failed
-to defend him in the Consistory, where the Emperor,
-Charles <span class="allsmcap">V.</span>, attempted to cast upon the French
-King the whole responsibility for the continuation
-of the war, boasting falsely that he had offered to
-end it by a single combat with François himself,
-and that the French King had refused. The King
-was so furious that he gave the Emperor the lie in
-public, and made known to the world his displeasure
-with his own ambassador for failing to uphold the
-dignity of France. François there and then took
-the resolution never to employ any man as French
-ambassador who was not a practised swordsman,
-and thus he hoped to uphold the honour of his
-house.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Firmness in
-Dispute.</span></div>
-
-<p>A good negotiator must not only be courageous
-in danger but firm in debate. There are many
-men who are naturally brave, but cannot maintain
-an opinion in dispute. The kind of firmness that
-is needed is that which, having carefully and fully
-examined the matter, consents to no compromise
-but pursues with constancy a resolution once
-adopted till it is carried into effect. Compromise<span class="pagenum" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</span>
-is the easy refuge of the irresolute spirit. The lack
-of firmness of which I speak here is a common fault
-of those who have a lively imagination for every
-kind of accident which may befall, and hinders them
-from determining with vigour and despatch the
-means by which action should be taken. They
-will look at a matter on so many sides that they
-forget in which direction they are travelling. This
-irresolution is most prejudicial to the conduct of
-great affairs which demand a decisive spirit, acting
-upon a careful balance of advantage and disadvantage,
-and pursuing the main purpose without
-abatement. It is said that Cardinal Richelieu, who
-perhaps took wider views than any man of his time,
-was somewhat irresolute when he came to action,
-and that Father Joseph, the Capuchin, a much
-narrower intelligence than the Cardinal, was of
-the greatest value to him because, once a decision
-was taken, he pursued it tenaciously, and often
-assisted the Cardinal in dismissing designs of
-compromise by which crafty persons hoped to
-destroy the original plan.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Genius no
-Substitute for
-Good
-Manners.</span></div>
-
-<p>There are some geniuses born with such an
-elevation of character and superiority of mind that
-they have a natural ascendancy over all whom
-they meet. But a negotiator of this kind must
-take good care not to rely too much on his own
-judgment in order to voice that superiority which<span class="pagenum" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</span>
-he has over other men, for it may earn for him a
-reputation for arrogance and hardness; and just
-on account of his very elevation above the level of
-common humanity, events may escape him, and he
-may be the dupe of his own self-confidence. He
-must sometimes consent to meet smaller men on
-their own ground.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Value of Good
-Faith.</span></div>
-
-<p>The good negotiator, moreover, will never found
-the success of his mission on promises which he
-cannot redeem or on bad faith. It is a capital error,
-which prevails widely, that a clever negotiator must
-be a master of the art of deceit. Deceit indeed is
-but a measure of the smallness of mind of him who
-employs it, and simply shows that his intelligence
-is too meagrely equipped to enable him to arrive
-at his ends by just and reasonable methods. No
-doubt the art of lying has been practised with
-success in diplomacy; but unlike that honesty
-which here as elsewhere is the best policy, a lie
-always leaves a drop of poison behind, and even
-the most dazzling diplomatic success gained by
-dishonesty stands on an insecure foundation, for it
-awakes in the defeated party a sense of aggravation,
-a desire for vengeance, and a hatred which must
-always be a menace to his foe. Even if deceit were
-not as despicable to every right-minded man as it is,
-the negotiator will perhaps bear in mind that he
-will be engaged throughout life upon the affairs of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</span>
-diplomacy, and that it is therefore his interest to
-establish a reputation for plain and fair dealing so
-that men may know that they can rely upon him;
-for one negotiation successfully carried through by
-the honesty and high intelligence of a diplomatist
-will give him a great advantage in other enterprises
-on which he embarks in the future. In every
-country where he goes he will be received with
-esteem and pleasure, and men will say of him and
-of his master that their cause is too good to be
-served by evil means. For if the negotiator is
-obliged to observe with faithfulness all the promises
-which he has made, it will be at once seen that both
-he himself and the prince whom he serves are
-to be relied on.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Perils of
-Deceit.</span></div>
-
-<p>This is surely a well-known truth and so indispensable
-a duty that it would appear superfluous
-to recommend it. At the same time many negotiators
-have been so corrupted by converse
-usages that they have forgotten the uses of truth—upon
-which I shall make but one observation, which
-is, that the prince or minister who has been deceived
-by his own negotiator probably began by teaching
-that negotiator the lesson of deception; or, if he
-did not, he suffers because he has made the choice
-of a bad servant. It is not enough to choose a
-clever and well-instructed man for the discharge of
-high political duties. The agent in such affairs<span class="pagenum" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</span>
-must be a man of probity and one who loves truth,
-for otherwise there can be no confidence in him.
-It is true that this probity is not often found joined
-to that capacity for taking wide views which is so
-necessary to a diplomatist, nor is it always found
-in a man well stored with all the necessary knowledge
-which we have already described as the equipment
-of a good negotiator. I may be reminded
-that a prince is often obliged to use diverse instruments
-in order to accomplish his ends, and that
-there have been men of little virtue who proved
-themselves great negotiators and in whose hands
-high affairs of state have prospered, and that men
-of this type being restrained by no scruples have
-more often succeeded in delicate negotiations than
-have the right men who have employed none but
-honest means.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Monsieur de
-Faber rebukes
-Cardinal
-Mazarin.</span></div>
-
-<p>But let it be remarked that the prince who entrusts
-his negotiations to this type of diplomatist
-cannot count upon their good services except as
-long as he himself is prosperous. In difficult times,
-or at moments when disgrace seems to have fallen
-upon him, these master-rogues will be the first to
-betray him and to take service on the side of the
-strong. Here then we find the final recommendation
-of the necessity of employing honest men.
-I am reminded of the fine reply of Monsieur de
-Faber, who was Marshal of France, to Cardinal<span class="pagenum" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</span>
-Mazarin when this great minister wished to bring
-over a man of substance, who shall be nameless, to
-his own party. He entrusted the delicate duty
-to Monsieur de Faber, charging him to offer great
-promises which he admitted he was not in a position
-to redeem. Monsieur de Faber refused the commission
-in these words: ‘Monseigneur, you will
-find many men ready to carry false messages; but
-you have some need of honest men to speak the
-truth. I beg of you to retain me for the latter
-service.’</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Loose Livers
-make Bad
-Negotiators.</span></div>
-
-<p>Finally, it is in a high degree dangerous to entrust
-an important negotiation to a man of irregular life
-whose domestic and personal habits are disorderly.
-How can one expect of such a man a greater degree
-of order and of decency in public affairs than that
-which he shows in his own private concerns, which
-ought indeed to be the constant gauge of his
-capacity. If he is too fond of the gaming-table, of
-the wine-glass, and of frivolous amusements, he is
-not to be entrusted with the discharge of high
-diplomatic duty, for he will be so unreliable that
-at moments when he seeks the satisfaction of his
-ill-regulated desires he will be prepared to sell the
-highest secrets of his master.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Cool
-Head.</span></div>
-
-<p>A man who is naturally violent and easily carried
-away is ill fitted for the conduct of negotiations;
-it is almost impossible for him to be master of himself<span class="pagenum" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</span>
-at those critical moments and unforeseen
-occasions when the command of one’s temper is
-of importance, especially at the acute moments of
-diplomatic controversy when a choleric word may
-poison the minds of those with whom negotiations
-are in progress. It is also difficult for any man who
-is easily irritated to remain master of his own
-secret; for, when his anger is aroused, he will
-allow words to escape him from which an adroit
-hearer will easily divine the essence of his thought,
-and thus lead to the ruin of his plans.</p>
-
-<p>Before his elevation to the cardinalate, Cardinal
-Mazarin was sent on an important mission to the
-Duke of Feria, Governor of Milan. He was charged
-to discover the true feelings of the Duke on a certain
-matter, and he had the cunning to inflame the
-Duke’s anger and thus to discover what he would
-never have known if the Duke himself had maintained
-a wise hold over his feelings. The Cardinal
-indeed had made himself absolute master of all the
-outward effects which passion usually produces,
-so much so that neither in his speech nor by the
-least change in his countenance could one discover
-his real thought; and this quality which he possessed
-in so high a degree contributed largely to
-make him one of the greatest negotiators of his time.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Spanish and
-Italian
-Characters.</span></div>
-
-<p>A man who is master of himself and always acts
-with <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">sang-froid</i> has a great advantage over him who<span class="pagenum" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</span>
-is of a lively and easily inflamed nature. One may
-say indeed that they do not fight with equal arms;
-for in order to succeed in this kind of work, one
-must rather listen than speak; and the phlegmatic
-temper, self-restraint, a faultless discretion and
-a patience which no trial can break down—these
-are the servants of success. Indeed the last of
-these qualities, namely patience, is one of the advantages
-which the Spanish nation has over our
-own; for we are naturally lively, and have hardly
-embarked on one affair before we desire the end
-in order to embark on another, thus betraying a
-restlessness which continually seeks new aims.
-Whereas it has been remarked that a Spanish
-diplomatist never acts with haste, that he never
-thinks of bringing a negotiation to an end simply
-from <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">ennui</i>, but to finish it with advantage and to
-profit from all the favourable conjunctures which
-present themselves, amongst which our impatience
-is his advantage. Italy has also produced a large
-number of excellent negotiators who have contributed
-much to the high prestige and temporal
-power of the Court of Rome, even to the point at
-which we now see it. And we ourselves have the
-same superiority in the art of negotiation over
-other northern nations which the Spaniards and
-Italians have over us, from which it might appear
-that the degree of intelligence varies in Europe<span class="pagenum" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</span>
-with the degree of warmth of its different climates.
-Now from all this it follows that a man who by
-nature is strange, inconstant, and ruled by his own
-humours and passions, should not enter the profession
-of diplomacy, but should go to the wars.
-For as war destroys a great number of those who
-engage in it, she is not so delicate in the choice of
-her subjects; she resembles those good stomachs
-which can digest and assimilate with equal ease
-every kind of nourishment that is given them—not
-indeed that a man must not have high and excellent
-qualities before he can become a good general, but
-because there are so many degrees of capacity in the
-army that he who has not sufficient intelligence to
-arrive at the highest remains half-way and may
-become a good subaltern or other officer whose
-service is useful in his own sphere. But it is not
-the same with a negotiator—if he is not adapted
-to his function he will often ruin everything that
-is put under his charge and stain the good name of
-his master with irreparable prejudice.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Adaptability.</span></div>
-
-<p>Not only must the negotiator be free from wayward
-humours and fantasies, but he must know how
-to suffer fools gladly, how to accommodate himself
-to the changing humours of others. He must
-indeed be like Proteus of the fable, always ready
-to take a different figure and posture according to
-occasion and need. Let him be gay and agreeable<span class="pagenum" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</span>
-with young princes still in the full enjoyment of
-daily pleasures; let him be sage and full of counsel
-with those of more serious years, and in everything
-let all his attention and care, all his zeal and even
-his enjoyments and diversions, tend to the one sole
-aim, which is to bring to success the great business
-in his charge. Thus it will not always be enough
-that he should execute the exact letter of his instruction;
-his zeal and intelligence should combine
-how he may profit from all favoured conjunctures
-that present themselves, and even should be able
-to create such favourable moments by which the
-advantage of his prince may be served. There
-are even pressing and important occasions where
-he is compelled to make a decision on the spot, to
-undertake certain <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">démarches</i> without waiting for
-the orders of his master which could not arrive in
-time. But then he must have sufficient penetration
-to foresee all the results of his own action,
-and it were well also if he had acquired beforehand
-that degree of confidence from his own prince
-which is commonly founded on a proved capacity
-of good services. He may thus assure himself in
-moments of sudden decision that he retains the
-confidence of his prince and that his past success
-will plead in favour of his present actions. In the
-absence of such conditions he would be a bold
-negotiator indeed who entered into engagements<span class="pagenum" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</span>
-in his master’s name without express order on his
-master’s part. But on a pressing occasion he can
-hold such a thing as eventually to be concluded
-with advantage to his prince, or at least he may
-be able to prevent the matter in question from
-turning to his disadvantage until he shall have
-received orders from him.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Wealth, Birth
-and Breeding.</span></div>
-
-<p>It is well that with all these qualities a negotiator,
-and especially one who bears the title of ambassador,
-should be rich in order to be able to maintain
-the necessary expenses of his office; but a wise
-prince will not fall into the fault common to many
-princes, namely that of regarding wealth as the
-first and most necessary quality in an ambassador.
-Indeed he will serve his own interests much better
-by choosing an able negotiator of mediocre fortune
-than one endowed with all the wealth of the Indies
-but possessing a small intelligence, for it is obvious
-that the rich man may not know the true use of
-riches, whereas the able man will assuredly know
-how to employ his own ability. And the prince
-should further remember that it is within his
-power to equip the able man with all the necessary
-means, but that it is not in his power to endow
-with intelligence one who does not possess it.</p>
-
-<p>It is also desirable that an ambassador should be
-a man of birth and breeding, especially if he is employed
-in any of the principal courts of Europe,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</span>
-and it is by no means a negligible factor that he
-should have a noble presence and a handsome face,
-which undoubtedly are among the means which
-easily please mankind. An evil-looking person, as
-General Philopoemen said, will receive many insults
-and suffer much trouble, like the man who
-was made to hew wood and draw water because he
-looked like a slave. There are of course missions
-sent on special occasions where nothing is needed
-but a great name and the prestige of high birth—as,
-for instance, in the ceremonial occasions of a marriage,
-or baptism, or the offer of good wishes on the
-accession of a sovereign to the throne; but when
-the negotiation concerns important affairs it must
-be entrusted to a man, not to a gaudy image, unless
-indeed the image be a puppet in the hands of some
-crafty colleague who, while possessing the whole
-secret of negotiation and keeping in his hands all
-the threads of its designs, leaves the actual public
-appearance to the ignorant but high-born gentleman
-whose sole trouble is to maintain a fine table and
-a magnificent equipage.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Knowledge
-Necessary
-to a
-Negotiator.</span></div>
-
-<p>A man born to diplomacy and feeling himself
-called to the practice of negotiation must commence
-his studies by a careful examination of the position
-of various European states, of the principal interests
-which govern their action, which divide them from
-one another, of the diverse forms of government<span class="pagenum" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</span>
-which prevail in different parts, and of the character
-of those princes, soldiers, and ministers who
-stand in positions of authority. In order to master
-the detail of such knowledge he must have an
-understanding of the material power, the revenues,
-and the whole dominion of each prince or each
-republic. He must understand the limits of territorial
-sovereignty; he must inform himself of the
-manner in which the government was originally
-established; of the claims which each sovereign
-makes upon parts which he does not possess; for
-these ambitions are the very material of negotiation
-on those occasions when a favourable turn of events
-prompts the ambitious sovereign to hope that a
-long-cherished desire may be realised; and, finally,
-the negotiator must be able to make a clear distinction
-between the rights and claims which are
-founded on treaty obligation and those which rest
-upon pure force alone. For his own instruction
-he must read with the most attentive care all public
-treaties, both general and particular, which have
-been made between the princes and states of
-Europe and in our time; he should consider the
-treaties concluded between France and the House
-of Austria as those which offer the principal form
-and model for the conduct of all the public affairs
-of Christendom on account of the network of liaisons
-with other sovereigns which surrounds these two<span class="pagenum" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</span>
-great Powers. And since their disputes took their
-origin in the relations and treaties existing between
-the King Louis <span class="allsmcap">XI.</span> and Charles, the last Duke of
-Burgundy, from whom the House of Austria
-descends, it is vital that the negotiator of our time
-should be well acquainted with all the treaties
-made at that period and since; but especially all
-those which have been concluded between the
-principal Powers of Europe beginning with the
-Treaty of Westphalia right up to the present time.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Europe is his
-Province.</span></div>
-
-<p>Let him also study with understanding and open
-eye the modern history of Europe. Let him read
-the memoirs of great men, the instructions and
-despatches of all our ablest negotiators, both those
-which are printed in public books and those which
-are stored in manuscripts in our Office of Public
-Records, for these documents treat of great affairs,
-and the reading of them will convey not only facts
-which are important for the making of history, but
-also a sense of the true atmosphere of negotiation,
-and will thus help to form the mind of him who
-reads them and give him some clue to guide him in
-similar occasions on his own career. One of the
-most profitable readings that I know for this purpose
-is the despatch of Cardinal d’Ossat, of whose letters
-I make bold to say, for a man entering upon negotiation,
-what Horace said to the poets of his time
-regarding the works of Homer: That he should<span class="pagenum" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</span>
-have them in his hands night and day if he desires
-perfection in his own art. In a simple and modest
-manner the despatches of this Cardinal reveal the
-force and the address which were his great merit,
-and which, in spite of the antiquity of his style,
-still give keen pleasure to those who have a taste
-for good diplomatic writing. One may see thus
-how by his ability alone, without the assistance of
-noble birth, title, or other character than that of
-agent of his queen, Louise de Vaudemont, widow
-of King Henry <span class="allsmcap">III.</span>, he was able gradually to conduct
-the high enterprise of reconciling King Henry the
-Great with the Holy See after the most famous
-ambassadors of the time had failed in it; with
-what dexterity he escaped all the pitfalls laid for
-him by the Roman Court, and all the traps which the
-House of Austria, then at the height of its power,
-devised for his undoing. The reader will marvel,
-as he turns each page, how nothing escaped his
-penetrating eye. He will find even the least movements
-of Pope Clement <span class="allsmcap">VIII.</span> and his nephew the
-Cardinal recorded with care. He will see how
-Monseigneur d’Ossat profited by everything, how
-he is firm as a rock when necessity demands, supple
-as a willow at another moment, and how he possessed
-the supreme art of making every man offer
-him as a gift that which it was his chief design to
-secure.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</span></p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Study of
-Famous
-Despatches.</span></div>
-
-<p>Then again in the collection of manuscript
-despatches regarding the negotiations of Münster,
-as well as in the memoirs of Cardinal Mazarin, we
-may read the instructions to the French plenipotentiary,
-which are indeed masterpieces of their
-kind, for in them the Cardinal examines the interests
-of each European Power. He suggests overtures
-and expedients for adjusting their differences with
-a capacity and a clearness of view which is altogether
-surprising, and that in a language which was not
-his own. His despatches on the Peace of the
-Pyrenees, by means of which he conveyed to the
-King the results of his conferences with Don Louis
-Dharo, Prime Minister of Spain, have also a beauty
-of their own. We recognise in them also the
-superiority of his genius and the easy ascendancy
-which he had gained over the spirit of the Spanish
-minister with whom he was dealing. There are
-also other manuscript despatches which deserve recognition.
-They are to be found in great numbers
-in the Royal Library and in other collections of
-books, as, for instance, those of De Noailles, Bishop
-of Acs, and of Montluc, Bishop of Valence,
-in which one may also read the authentic account
-of two noble and able men. We have, too, the
-letters of President Jeannin, a man of great common
-sense and solid judgment, who contributed largely
-to the consolidation of the young Republic of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</span>
-United Provinces by the twelve years’ truce which
-he prepared, and by the wise counsels which he
-gave touching all matters of government in that
-Republic. The reading of such letters as his is
-well designed to form the judgment of him who
-will consent to read with intelligent care.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Dynastic
-Liaisons.</span></div>
-
-<p>In order to understand the principal interest of
-European princes, the negotiator must add to the
-knowledge which we have just been describing
-that of dynastic genealogies, so that he may know
-all the connections and alliances, by marriage and
-otherwise, between different princes, for these
-liaisons are often found to be the principal causes
-of conflict and even of war. He must also know
-the laws and established customs of the different
-countries, especially in all matters relating to the
-succession to the throne and the prevailing habits
-of the court. The study of the form of government
-existing in each country is very necessary to
-the diplomatist, and he should not wait until his
-arrival in a foreign country to study these questions;
-he should prepare himself beforehand, for, unless he
-is equipped with a certain measure of this knowledge,
-he will be like a man at sea without a compass.
-Our own negotiators, who have never travelled
-before taking up some foreign post and who therefore
-know nothing of these questions, are usually
-so saturated in our own national customs and habits<span class="pagenum" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</span>
-as to think that those of all other nations must resemble
-them; the truth being that the authority
-which one king has within his kingdom in no way
-resembles that of the neighbouring monarch,
-although the superficial likeness between royalty in
-every country is obvious to every eye.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">England and
-Poland.</span></div>
-
-<p>There are, for instance, countries where it is
-not enough to be in agreement with the prince and
-his ministers, because there are other parties who
-share the national sovereignty with him and who
-have the power to resist his decisions or to make
-him change them. Of this state of affairs we have
-an excellent example in England, where the authority
-of Parliament frequently obliges the King to make
-peace or war against his own wish; or again in
-Poland, where the general Diets have an even more
-extended power, in which one single vote in the
-Diet may bring to nought the all but unanimous
-resolution of the assembly itself, and thus not only
-defeat the deliberations of that assembly but bring
-to nought the policy of the King and of the Senate.
-Therefore the good negotiator in such a country
-will know where to find the balance of domestic
-power in order to profit by it when occasion offers.</p>
-
-<p>Besides the general public interests of the state
-there are private and personal interests and ruling
-passions in princes and in their ministers or
-favourites, which often play a determining part in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</span>
-the direction of public policy. It is therefore necessary
-for the negotiator to inform himself of the
-nature of these private interests and passions influencing
-the spirits of those with whom he has to
-negotiate, in order that he may guide his action by
-this knowledge either in flattering their passions,
-which is the easiest way, or by somehow finding
-means to deflect such personages from their original
-intentions and engagements and cause them to
-adopt a new line of policy. Such an enterprise
-carried to success would indeed be a masterpiece of
-negotiation.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Testimony of
-the Duc de
-Rohan.</span></div>
-
-<p>That great man, the Duc de Rohan, tells us in
-the treatise which he wrote upon the interests of
-European sovereigns, that the sovereigns rule the
-people and that interest rules the sovereign; but
-we may add that the passions of princes and of
-their ministers often overrule their interests. We
-have seen many cases in which monarchs have
-entered engagements most prejudicial to themselves
-and their state under the influence of passion.
-There need be no surprise on this account, for the
-nations themselves are not free from this error,
-and are prepared to ruin themselves in order to
-satisfy hatred, vengeance, and jealousy, the satisfaction
-of which is often antagonistic to their veritable
-interests. Without recourse to ancient history
-it would be easy to prove by modern examples<span class="pagenum" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</span>
-that men do not act upon firm and stable maxims
-of conduct; that as a rule they are governed by
-passion and temperament more than by reason.
-The bearing of this knowledge upon diplomacy is
-that since the passion and caprice of men in authority
-so largely influence the destiny of their subjects, it
-is the duty of the able negotiator to inform himself
-as accurately as possible regarding the inclination,
-state of mind, and the plans of men in authority in
-order that this information may be placed at the
-service of his master’s interests. And we may be
-sure that a negotiator who has not laboured to
-acquire a fund of this general and particular information
-will reason falsely regarding events, affairs
-of state, and men, and is liable to make false estimates
-and give dangerous advice to the prince who
-employs him. Such knowledge is not to be found
-in books alone; it is more easily to be gathered
-by personal communication with those engaged in
-public service and by foreign travel, for, however
-profoundly one may have studied the customs, the
-policy, or the passions of those who govern in
-foreign states, everything will appear differently
-when examined close at hand, and it is impossible
-to form a just notion of the true character of things
-except by first-hand acquaintance.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Importance of
-Foreign
-Travel.</span></div>
-
-<p>It is therefore desirable that before entering the
-profession of diplomacy the young man should<span class="pagenum" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</span>
-have travelled to the principal courts of Europe, not
-merely like those young persons who on leaving the
-academy or college go to Rome to see the beautiful
-palaces and the ancient ruins, or to Venice to enjoy
-the opera and the courtesans; he should indeed
-embark on his travels at a somewhat riper age
-when he is more capable of reflection and of
-appreciating the form and spirit of government in
-each country, and of studying the merits and
-faults of princes and ministers—doing all this with
-the deliberate design of returning to these countries
-at a future day with profit to himself and his master.
-Travel conducted on these lines obliges the traveller
-to keep a vigilant eye upon everything that comes
-under his notice. It would be well that in certain
-cases they should accompany the King’s ambassadors
-or envoys as travelling companions after
-the manner of the Spaniards and the Italians, who
-regard it as an honour to accompany the ministers
-of the Crown on their diplomatic journeys. There
-is nothing better calculated for instruction upon
-the manner of events in foreign countries or for the
-training of a young man to represent his own
-country abroad.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Foreign
-Languages
-Indispensable.</span></div>
-
-<p>It is highly desirable that such novices in diplomacy
-should learn foreign languages, for thus they
-will be protected from the bad faith or the ignorance
-of interpreters, and from the grave embarrassment<span class="pagenum" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</span>
-of having to use them for the purpose of
-audiences with the sovereign. It is obvious, too,
-that an interpreter may be a betrayer of secrets.
-<em>Every one</em> who enters the profession of diplomacy
-should know the German, Italian, and Spanish
-languages as well as the Latin, ignorance of which
-would be a disgrace and a shame to any public man,
-for it is the common language of all Christian nations.
-It is also very useful and fitting for the diplomat,
-on whom grave national responsibility rests, to have
-such a general knowledge of science as may tend
-to the development of his understanding, but he
-must be master of his scientific knowledge and
-must not be consumed by it. He must give
-science the place which it deserves, and must not
-merely consider it as a reason for pride or for contempt
-of those who do not possess it. While devoting
-himself to this study with care and attention he
-must not become engrossed in it, for he who enters
-the public service of his King must consider that
-he is destined for action and not for academic study
-in his closet; and his principal care must be to
-instruct himself regarding all that may affect the
-lives of living men rather than the study of the dead.
-His professional aim is to penetrate the secrets and
-hearts of men; to learn the art of handling them
-in such a manner as to make them serve the great
-ends of his royal master.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</span></p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">A Rule for the
-Diplomatic
-Service.</span></div>
-
-<p>If one could establish a rule in France that no
-one should be employed in negotiation until he
-had passed some such apprenticeship as this, and
-had shown his capacity to profit by study and travel
-in rendering a good account of the countries which
-he had seen; and, further, if one could also establish
-the rule in the same manner that no high
-command in the army can be entrusted to an officer
-who has not made many campaigns, we should be
-more confident that the King would be well served
-in his negotiations, and that by these means he
-would be able to raise up around him a large
-number of reliable negotiators. This is a most
-desirable end, for as we have seen there are many
-actions in which the perfect practice of the art of
-negotiation is not less useful than that of war, and
-that in France at the present time the art of war
-stands far above that of diplomacy in public esteem.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Rewards for
-Service.</span></div>
-
-<p>But as men are not yet perfect enough to serve
-without hope of reward, it is desirable that there
-should be in France a higher degree of honour and
-fortune for those who have deserved well of their
-country in diplomacy, as indeed there are in many
-other courts in Europe where the King’s subjects
-have gained high distinction in that branch of the
-public service. There are indeed countries in
-which the distinguished diplomatist may hope to
-reach the highest place and most exalted dignities<span class="pagenum" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</span>
-in the realm, by which means we in France may
-learn to raise the profession of diplomacy to that
-degree of public recognition which it deserves,
-and from which the service of the King and the
-greatness of the kingdom must certainly profit.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">On the Choice
-of Diplomatists.</span></div>
-
-<p>The right choice of negotiators depends upon
-their personal quality, their training, and to some
-extent their fortune, and as the endowments of mankind
-vary in a wide degree, so it is found that one
-kind will fit better into the office of diplomacy
-than another. At the same time there are men
-of such wide capacity that they can be safely
-employed in very different enterprises, and even
-in very different countries. Such men by their
-adaptability, by the receptiveness of their nature,
-and the pliancy of their character are well fitted for
-the province of diplomacy, and quickly accommodate
-themselves to new surroundings. It should be
-the aim of all governments to develop a whole race
-of such men from whose ranks they may draw their
-diplomatic agents. It is true that in any one
-generation there will only be a few geniuses of the
-first order, and that the rank and file of the diplomatic
-service will be composed of persons of a more
-limited type, in which case it is all the more incumbent
-upon the Minister for Foreign Affairs to
-exercise the greatest care in assigning ambassadors
-to foreign posts. He must therefore be well<span class="pagenum" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</span>
-acquainted with the whole service in order to know
-where to lay his hand upon the appropriate person
-for any given enterprise.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Three
-Professions.</span></div>
-
-<p>There are, broadly speaking, three principal human
-professions. The first is the Ecclesiastical; the
-second is that of the Gentlemen of the Sword,
-which besides those actually serving in the army
-includes courtiers and squires and other ranks of
-gentlemen in his Majesty’s service; and the third
-is the profession of the Law, whose devotees in
-France are called ‘Gentlemen of the Cloth.’
-There are not many countries where ecclesiastics
-can be employed in diplomacy, for one cannot properly
-send them to heretical or infidel countries.
-At Rome, which appears to be their home, their
-attachment to the Pope, and their desire to receive
-honours from him as well as other benefits which
-depend upon service at his Court, undoubtedly
-places them under the suspicion of following too
-closely the Jesuitical maxims which rule papal
-policy, and often operate to the prejudice of the
-temporal power of other kings.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Example
-of Venice.</span></div>
-
-<p>The Republic of Venice has shown much wisdom
-in this matter, for she is so convinced of the
-partiality of Venetian prelates towards the Holy
-See that not only does she exclude them from all
-diplomatic offices in connection with the Court of
-Rome, but she actually excludes them from all<span class="pagenum" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</span>
-discussion of the political relation between Venice
-and Rome. It is obvious indeed to all that a dignitary
-of the Church owes a divided allegiance, and
-it seems probable that where his loyalty to the
-Church conflicts with his loyalty to his sovereign,
-the former is likely to prevail. Indeed, the more
-closely one examines the proper duties of a bishop,
-for instance, the more firmly convinced does one
-become that these duties are not compatible with
-those of an ambassador; for on the one hand it is
-not fitting that a minister of religion should run
-about the world and thus neglect those duties
-which should have first claim upon him, and on the
-other, as we have seen, political and ecclesiastical
-allegiance may come into collision with disastrous
-results. And surely a state must be poorly endowed
-with men if it can find nowhere but in the
-Church a sufficiency of adept diplomatists. I am
-the last to dispute the great services which certain
-prelates have rendered to the French state in the
-past, but I consider it useful to be guided as a
-general rule by the foregoing considerations.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Ambassador
-a Man
-of Peace.</span></div>
-
-<p>The best diplomatist will usually be found to be
-a man of good birth, sometimes a knight trained
-to the profession of arms, and it has occasionally
-been found that a good general officer has served
-with success as an ambassador, especially at a time
-when the military affairs of either state were prominent<span class="pagenum" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</span>
-subjects of negotiation. But diplomacy is
-not to be regarded as linked with war, for, although
-war arises out of policy, it is to be regarded as
-nothing more than a means to an end in itself.
-Therefore the ambassador should be a man of
-peace; for in most cases, and certainly wherever
-the foreign court is inclined towards peace, it is
-best to send a diplomatist who works by persuasion
-and is an adept in winning the good graces of those
-around him. In either case it will be observed that
-the public interests will be best served by appointing
-a professional diplomatist who by long experience
-has acquired a high aptitude for the peculiar
-office of diplomacy. Neither the soldier nor the
-courtier can hope to discharge the duties of diplomacy
-with success unless they have taken pains to
-instruct themselves in public policy, and in all that
-region of knowledge which I have already described
-as necessary for the negotiator.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Lawyer
-Diplomats.</span></div>
-
-<p>It is true that sometimes a lawyer diplomat has
-made a great success of negotiation, especially in
-countries where the final responsibility for public
-policy lay with public assemblies which could be
-moved by adroit speech, but in general the training
-of a lawyer breeds habits and dispositions of mind
-which are not favourable to the practice of diplomacy.
-And though it be true that success in the
-law-courts depends largely upon a knowledge of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</span>
-human nature and an ability to exploit it—both of
-which are factors in diplomacy—it is none the less
-true that the occupation of the lawyer, which is
-to split hairs about nothing, is not a good preparation
-for the treatment of grave public affairs
-in the region of diplomacy. If this be true of the
-advocate or barrister, it is still more true of the
-magistrate and judge. The habit of mind engendered
-by presiding over a court of law, in which
-the judge himself is supreme, tends to exclude
-those faculties of suppleness and adaptability which
-are necessary in diplomacy, and the almost ludicrous
-assumption of dignity by a judge would certainly
-appear as arrogance in diplomatic circles. I do
-not say that there have not been great lawyers and
-great judges who were endowed with high diplomatic
-qualities, but again I place these considerations
-before my readers in the belief that the
-more closely they are observed the more surely
-will they lead to efficiency in the diplomatic
-profession.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Diplomacy
-demands
-Professional
-Training.</span></div>
-
-<p>Let me further emphasise my conviction, which,
-alas, is not yet shared even by ministers of state in
-France, that diplomacy is a profession by itself
-which deserves the same preparation and assiduity of
-attention that men give to other recognised professions.
-The qualities of a diplomatist and the
-knowledge necessary to him cannot, indeed, all be<span class="pagenum" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</span>
-acquired. The diplomatic genius is born, not
-made. But there are many qualities which may
-be developed with practice, and the greater part
-of the necessary knowledge can only be acquired
-by constant application to the subject. In this
-sense diplomacy is certainly a profession itself
-capable of occupying a man’s whole career, and those
-who think to embark upon a diplomatic mission as
-a pleasant diversion from their common task only
-prepare disappointment for themselves and disaster
-for the cause which they serve. The veriest fool
-would not entrust the command of an army to a
-man whose sole badge of merit was his successful
-eloquence in a court of law or his adroit practice
-of the courtier’s art in the palace. All are agreed
-that military command must be earned by long
-service in the army. In the same manner it should
-be regarded as folly to entrust the conduct of
-negotiations to an untrained amateur unless he
-has conspicuously shown in some other walk of life
-the qualities and knowledge necessary for the
-practice of diplomacy.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Fatality of
-Bad Appointments.</span></div>
-
-<p>It often happens that there are men in public life
-who have won a reputation for themselves without
-earning it. That is possible in the political world,
-which has many camp followers and hangers-on of
-all kinds, and there is always a risk that a minister
-in search of an ambassador for a foreign post will<span class="pagenum" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</span>
-use the occasion to pay an old debt to some powerful
-patrician family or to some blackmailer behind the
-scenes. Those who take the responsibility of
-appointing to high diplomatic offices persons of this
-character are responsible before God and man for
-all the injuries which may thereby accrue to the
-public interest. It cannot be too plainly stated
-that, while in many cases where trouble has arisen
-the negotiator himself is to blame, the true responsibility
-must rest with the minister at home,
-who not only devises the policy itself but chooses
-the instruments of it. It is therefore one of the
-highest maxims of good government that the public
-interest must be supreme, and that therefore both
-the prince himself and his ministers must steel
-themselves to resist the pressure of friends and
-relations who seek employment for unworthy
-persons. In diplomacy, above all things, since
-peace and war and the welfare of nations depend
-upon it, the best minds, the most sagacious and
-instructed of public servants should be appointed
-to the principal foreign posts regardless of the personal
-affairs of the prince himself or the party
-attachments of the chosen ambassadors.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote">‘<span class="italic">We have
-fools in Florence,
-but we
-do not export
-them.</span>’</div>
-
-<p>Nothing should stand in the way of the creation
-of a vigilant, sagacious, and high-minded diplomatic
-service. Men of small minds should content themselves
-with employment at home, where their errors<span class="pagenum" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</span>
-may easily be repaired, for errors committed abroad
-are too often irreparable. The late Duke of
-Tuscany, who was a remarkably wise and enlightened
-prince, once complained to the Venetian
-ambassador, who stayed over-night with him on
-his journey to Rome, that the Republic of Venice
-had sent as resident at his court a person of no
-value, possessing neither judgment nor knowledge,
-nor even any attractive personal quality. ‘I am
-not surprised,’ said the ambassador in reply; ‘we
-have many fools in Venice.’ Whereupon the
-Grand Duke retorted: ‘We also have fools in
-Florence, but we take care not to export them.’</p>
-
-<p>The Duke’s remarks show how important it is in
-every respect to choose the right man for the
-diplomatic service, and, in order to give the Foreign
-Minister an adequate freedom of choice, his diplomatic
-service should contain men of different characters
-and a wide variety of accomplishments.
-Thus he will not be compelled to send an unsuitable
-man merely because he was the only one available.
-He should have most careful regard in this choice
-to the type of government and the religion which
-prevails in the foreign country in question. There
-used to be a jest current in Paris on this very subject.
-The French King had sent a bishop to
-Constantinople and an heretic to Rome, and it
-was said that the one had gone to convert the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</span>
-Grand Turk and the other to be converted by
-the Pope!</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Persona
-Ingrata.</span></div>
-
-<p>Apart from any higher consideration, it is a mere
-measure of prudence to avoid sending an envoy
-who may be presumed to be a <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">persona ingrata</i> at
-the foreign court, for he will certainly, whether he
-will or not, create a prejudice against his own
-country and will be quite unable to meet his competitors
-in diplomacy on equal terms, for he will
-start with the handicap of unpopularity. The
-Foreign Minister, therefore, should not wait until
-matters go wrong at a foreign capital, but should
-be in a position, when each appointment is made,
-to know the character of the new ambassador, and
-thus to veto a bad appointment. This, alas, is not
-by any means always the case. I do not need to
-enter upon a minute examination of the faults to
-avoid and the virtues to encourage in the complete
-diplomat. I have already said enough to show
-where my opinion lies in a general way. I will only
-add one or two further considerations. I said a
-few moments ago that loose living is a great handicap
-in diplomacy; but, since there is no rule which
-has not some exception, let me point out that a too
-abstemious negotiator will miss many opportunities
-of finding out what is going on. Especially in the
-northern countries the diplomat who loves a glass
-will quickly make friends among ministers, though,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</span>
-to be sure, he should drink in such a manner as not
-to lose control of his own faculties while endeavouring
-to loosen the self-control of others.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Nation
-judged by its
-Servants.</span></div>
-
-<p>In diplomacy a nation is judged by its ministers,
-and its whole reputation may rest upon the popularity
-or unpopularity of an ambassador. In this
-respect the personal conduct of the ambassador
-and his staff is almost as important as the policy
-with which he is charged, for the success of the
-policy will depend largely upon the actual relations
-which exist between the two nations. The ambassador
-is, as it were, the very embodiment of
-these relations, and if a proper adept in his profession
-will know how to turn every occasion to
-advantage. I need not repeat my tale of the
-qualities and practices by which such advantage
-may be drawn from the current of events, but I
-may perhaps point out that obviously men of birth
-and breeding are better able to discharge the kind of
-function which I have described. Their rank will
-command a certain respect, and the qualities usually
-inherited by those of good birth should stand them
-in good stead at a foreign court. At the same time
-such qualities must not be regarded as more than
-a foundation. They cannot in themselves equip
-a diplomatist for his office. He must by assiduous
-application acquire the other necessary qualities,
-for there is no man more liable to suspicion than<span class="pagenum" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</span>
-he who plumes himself on an experience which he
-does not possess. Further, it is usually unwise to
-entrust important negotiations to young men, who
-are commonly presumptuous and vain as well as
-indiscreet. Old age is equally inappropriate. The
-best time of life is its prime, in which you find
-experience, discretion, and moderation, combined
-with vigour.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Men of
-Letters.</span></div>
-
-<p>Other things being equal, I prefer a man of letters
-before one who has not made a habit of study, for
-his reading will give him a certain equipment which
-he might otherwise lack. It will adorn his conversation
-and supply him with the necessary historic
-setting in which to place his own negotiations;
-whereas an ignorant man will be able to quote
-nothing but the will of his master, and will thus
-present his argument in a naked and unattractive
-form. It must be obvious that the knowledge
-gained in a lifetime of reading is an important
-adjunct in diplomacy, and above all, the reading of
-history is to be preferred, for without it the negotiator
-will be unable to understand the meaning
-of historical allusions made by other diplomatists,
-and may thus miss the whole point at some important
-turn in negotiations. And since it is not
-enough to think aright, the diplomatist must be
-able to translate his thoughts into the right language,
-and conversely he must be able to pierce behind<span class="pagenum" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</span>
-the language of others to their true thoughts. It
-may often happen that an historical allusion will
-reveal the purpose of a minister’s mind far better
-than any direct argument. Herein lies the importance
-of culture in diplomacy. The name of orator
-has sometimes been given to ambassadors because
-in certain past times they have been in the habit of
-delivering their instructions in the form of an
-eloquent address; but diplomatic eloquence is a
-very different thing from that of Parliament or the
-Bar. An ambassador’s speeches should contain
-more sense than words, and he should studiously
-avoid every affectation. His aim should be to
-arouse the minds of his hearers by a sympathetic
-touch, after which it will be easy to deliver his
-message in an appropriate way. He should therefore
-at the outset think rather of what is in their
-minds than of immediately expressing what is in
-his own. It is in this that true eloquence consists,
-and indeed the words I have just used are the beginning
-and end of all diplomacy.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Fitting
-Mode of
-Address.</span></div>
-
-<p>In general his mode of address, whether he speak
-to the sovereign or to his ministers, should be
-moderate and reserved. He should not raise his
-voice but should maintain the ordinary conversational
-tone, at once simple and dignified, revealing
-an innate respect both for his own high office
-and for the person whom he is addressing. He<span class="pagenum" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</span>
-should, above all things, avoid the prolix, pompous
-approach which is natural to princes who attach
-more importance to ceremonial than to the essence
-of any matter. But if the ambassador be called
-upon to deliver his message to a Senate or a Parliament,
-he will bear in mind that the means for gaining
-the good graces of an individual and of an
-assembly are by no means the same. In such
-public speech he may permit himself a certain
-freedom of rhetoric, but even here he must beware
-of prolonging his speech beyond a tolerable limit.
-The reply of the Spartans to ambassadors from
-the Isle of Samos stands as a warning for all times
-against prolixity: ‘We have forgotten the beginning
-of your harangue; we paid no heed to the
-middle of it, and nothing has given us pleasure in it
-except the end.’ God forbid that any French
-negotiator should receive so damning a rebuff!</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Well-Stored
-Mind.</span></div>
-
-<p>Even at the best of times a man of good sense
-will not rely entirely on his native wit. He will
-find that knowledge of historical precedents will
-often act as a lever with which to remove obstacles
-from his path. Such knowledge of history, and
-particularly the true aptitude in applying it to current
-events, cannot be learned except by long experience.
-Even in those cases where success has
-attended the efforts of an amateur diplomatist, the
-example must be regarded as an exception, for it is<span class="pagenum" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</span>
-a commonplace of human experience that skilled
-work requires a skilled workman. The more important
-the business on hand, the more vital it is
-that ministers of state should ensure for themselves
-the services of trained men. I am well aware that
-even the greatest courts sometimes neglect this
-vital precaution, and fill their embassies with improper
-persons, mainly because the minister or the
-prince had not sufficient strength of mind to resist
-appeals made on illegitimate grounds such as that
-of family influence. It will usually be found that
-the real expert does not push himself or his claims,
-and that the superior minds in diplomacy, as in other
-walks of life, are not found crying their wares at every
-street corner, but must be sought out with care in
-their own closets. It is also to be observed that in
-previous times the profession of diplomacy stood
-too low in public esteem to attract the services of
-first-class men—partly because higher emoluments
-were to be earned elsewhere, and partly on account
-of the prolonged absence from home which diplomatic
-service entails.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Diplomacy an
-Honourable
-Exile.</span></div>
-
-<p>If diplomacy be a labour in exile, the state should
-see to it that it is at least an honourable exile. To
-counteract this drawback, the home government
-should so reform the system of diplomacy that it
-may offer attractions to the most ambitious as well
-as to the most refined spirits. There is no reason<span class="pagenum" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</span>
-why not merely honour but adequate daily recompense
-for his services should not be offered to the
-diplomatists from the very beginning of their career.
-Having regard to the expenses which fall upon the
-diplomatists of all ranks in their service abroad, and
-in maintaining the honour of their own profession
-and their country, the prince will be well advised
-to pay good salaries and in other ways to mark his
-esteem of the diplomatic profession. Thus and
-thus alone can a prince gather round him a diplomatic
-bodyguard worthy of the name. If he
-follows this advice, his diplomatic service will
-quickly outstrip all others and a deeper mutual
-confidence will arise between himself and his
-diplomatic agents upon which the success of all his
-negotiations will rest secure. No diplomatist is less
-to be envied than he who finds himself at a foreign
-court bereft of the confidence of his own.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Value of a
-Well-Equipped
-Service.</span></div>
-
-<p>Now the equipment of the state in diplomacy will
-be incomplete unless the diplomatic service contains
-within its ranks so large a number of practised
-and seasoned diplomatists that the King may be able
-to retain several of them at his side as special advisers
-in foreign affairs. In every campaign the
-true commander will take as much trouble for his
-reserves as for his first line of attack, and similarly
-the position of reserves in diplomacy has a great
-importance, for it means not only that the Minister<span class="pagenum" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</span>
-for Foreign Affairs will have at his elbow a number
-of skilled diplomatists to assist him in a moment of
-crisis, but also that when one of the embassies
-abroad suddenly falls vacant his choice of a successor
-will not be too narrowly restricted. He thus
-will be able to avoid the fatal practice, which has
-prevailed too often in recent French history, of
-having to choose an ambassador haphazard at the
-last moment from among the courtiers and hangers-on
-at the palace.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Right
-Man in the
-Right Place.</span></div>
-
-<p>The nature of the business on hand must largely
-govern the choice of the ambassador who is appointed
-to carry it out, and if the diplomatic service
-be large enough and varied enough it will certainly
-contain within its ranks many different characters
-showing a wide variety of aptitude. Thus in all
-those secret negotiations which are so necessary in
-order to prepare the ground for treaties it is often
-found that the ambassador himself is not the best
-person to employ. It may be highly embarrassing
-for him to attempt to combine such secret negotiations
-with the ordinary duties of his office, and
-therefore a clever man who is not yet clothed with
-the prestige of high office is a more proper agent
-for this kind of secret traffic. The very fact that
-the high public position of an ambassador is apt
-to make the court and the general public familiar
-with his person and his face is certainly a drawback<span class="pagenum" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</span>
-to his employment on more secret affairs, and
-though it is true, as we have said, that part of the
-business of an ambassador is that of an honourable
-spy, he should beware of doing any of the spying
-himself. Most of the great events in recent diplomatic
-history have been prepared by ministers sent
-in secret. The Peace of Münster, one of the most
-intricate negotiations I have ever known, was not
-really the work of that vast concourse of ambassadors
-and envoys which met there and appended their
-signatures to the document. The essential clauses
-of that treaty were discussed and drawn up by a
-secret agent of Duke Maximilian of Bavaria sitting
-at a table in Paris with Cardinal Mazarin. In a
-similar fashion the Peace of the Pyrenees was concluded
-as the result of secret negotiations at Lyons
-between Cardinal Mazarin and Pimentel, the
-secret envoy of the Spanish King; and finally, the
-Peace of Ryswick, to which I was a party throughout
-the negotiation, was devised by the same secret
-diplomacy before its public ratification in Holland
-in the year 1697.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Each Embassy
-a Miniature
-of the Whole
-Service.</span></div>
-
-<p>Now the bearing of these considerations upon
-the organisation of diplomacy is fairly clear. If it is
-only a question of maintaining good relations
-between one state and another and of rendering a
-more or less correct account of all that happens at
-a foreign court, a diplomatist with a couple of secretaries<span class="pagenum" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</span>
-will suffice, and indeed in ordinary times it is
-undoubtedly better not to have more than one
-diplomatist of the same rank at any foreign court.
-But it is equally obvious that there are occasions
-when it is of the highest advantage to maintain a
-more elaborately equipped mission at a foreign court,
-and even to send two or three diplomatists of higher
-rank to assist in the conduct of negotiations and in
-the other activities of diplomacy. This is of course
-true whenever a peace conference is about to meet,
-for negotiations of that character require great
-preparation beforehand, and it would be impossible
-for a single diplomatist to overtake all the work
-which is necessary in such circumstances together
-with the manifold duties of his own office. In a
-certain sense the embassy itself should be a reproduction
-in miniature of the whole diplomatic
-service.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Variety of
-Talent.</span></div>
-
-<p>There is undoubtedly room in all the larger embassies
-for a great variety of talent, which will find
-an appropriate field of action if the head of the
-mission is wise enough to give the younger men their
-chance. For instance, it sometimes happens that
-an embassy will find it is in a country distracted by
-civil war, and then the best practice of the ambassador
-will be severely tested. If he has encouraged
-his juniors to form relationships of various
-kinds with different parties in the country for the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</span>
-purpose of acquiring information, he will find that
-on the outbreak even of so distracting a commotion
-as civil war he has the means within his own embassy
-of keeping touch with both sides in the dispute.
-Naturally he will find it a difficult and delicate task
-not to be embroiled with either side; but he will
-certainly find all his previous trouble amply repaid
-by the fulness of the information which he receives
-from both sides. On no account should he allow
-prejudice regarding social rank or political opinion
-to stand in the way of the formation of useful
-relations between members of his staff and different
-parties in the country. He himself is debarred
-from such action, and indeed if he were alone with
-nothing but one or two secretaries to assist him,
-it would be quite impossible for him to know what
-was passing in either camp, and he would have to
-rely on second-hand information which he was not
-in a position to test. Still worse would be his case
-if, having become the personal friend of the chief of
-one of the parties, he should find the other party
-coming into power, and thereafter treating him as
-an enemy.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Merit the only
-Standard.</span></div>
-
-<p>Such considerations must ever be borne in mind
-by the Minister for Foreign Affairs. But least of
-all men should he be influenced by regard for rank,
-social station, or political opinion in his choice of
-attachés and other persons in any rank in diplomacy.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</span>
-Especially where he is about to despatch
-an embassy to a state under popular government,
-he will remember that the ambassador will require
-many agents to keep him in touch with all the
-different parties. It is therefore to be observed
-that those embassies which are sent to popularly
-governed states must be chosen with greater care
-and equipped with a more varied staff than those
-despatched to a foreign court where the government
-rests entirely in the hands of the King.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Diplomatic
-Hierarchy:
-Ambassadors.</span></div>
-
-<p>Before discussing in detail the duties of negotiators,
-I shall describe the different titles which
-they receive, and the functions and privileges attached
-to their office. Negotiators are of two
-kinds: of the first and second order. Those of the
-first order are Ambassadors Extraordinary and
-Ambassadors Ordinary. Those of the second are
-Envoys Extraordinary and Residents. Ambassadors
-extraordinary receive certain honours and
-distinctions not accorded to ambassadors ordinary.
-The ambassadors extraordinary of crowned
-heads are lodged and entertained in France for
-three days, by order of the King, in residences set
-aside for them, while ambassadors ordinary are
-not so entertained by the King, though in other
-respects they enjoy the same honour and privileges
-as the former. These privileges consist in the
-enjoyment under international law of immunity<span class="pagenum" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</span>
-and security, in the right to remain covered before
-the King in public audiences because they represent
-their masters, in the privilege of being borne in the
-King’s coach, and of driving their own coaches into
-the inner court of the Louvre. They have still
-their own dais in the audience-chamber, while their
-wives have a seat by the Queen; and they are permitted
-to drape the driving seat of their coaches
-with a special saddle cloth. In France the ambassadors
-of the Dukes of Savoy enjoyed the same
-honours as those of the crowned heads of Europe.
-Abroad the King’s ambassadors enjoy different
-ceremonial rights according to the customs established
-in different courts. The French ambassador
-in Rome, for instance, gives his hand to the
-ambassadors of certain crowned heads and of
-Venice, but there are certain ambassadors of other
-sovereigns who do not receive this courtesy,
-though at other courts it is accorded to them by
-the French ambassador. The French ambassador
-takes first rank in all ceremonies in Rome after the
-ambassador of the Emperor. These two ambassadors
-receive the same salary, and are treated
-otherwise on a footing of equality. There are
-several courts at which the French ambassadors
-give their hand to certain princes of equality in the
-country: in Spain, for instance, we find the
-Grandees; in London, the Peers of the Realm;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</span>
-in Sweden and in Poland the Senators and Grand
-Officers; but to the negotiators of the rank of
-envoy this courtesy is not accorded. The King
-does not send an ambassador to the Electorates of
-Germany, but conducts his negotiation with them
-merely by means of envoys.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Envoys Extraordinary.</span></div>
-
-<p>Envoys extraordinary are public ministers who
-do not possess the right of presentation which
-attaches alone to the title of ambassador, but they
-enjoy the same security and immunity under the
-law of nations. They do not make a state entry
-into a foreign capital in the manner of ambassadors,
-but are presented in audiences to the King by the
-diplomatic usher, who fetches them from their
-private residence in one of the King’s coaches;
-they speak to his Majesty standing and uncovered,
-the King himself being seated and covered. The
-Emperor on the other hand receives the envoys
-of the King standing and covered, and remains in
-this condition throughout the entire audience,
-the envoy alone of all those present standing
-uncovered.... The title of plenipotentiary is
-sometimes given to envoys as well as to ambassadors
-according to the occasion. For instance,
-the ministers whom the King maintains at the
-Diet of Ratisbon receive the title of plenipotentiary
-although they are not ambassadors. Residents
-are also public ministers, but this title has been<span class="pagenum" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</span>
-somewhat degraded since the distinction was
-drawn both at the French Court and at the Court
-of the Emperor between them and envoys, with
-the result that nearly all foreign negotiators in
-France who bore the title of resident have relinquished
-it by order of their masters, and have
-assumed that of envoy extraordinary. None the
-less the title is still found in Rome and in other
-courts and republics where the residents are
-treated as envoys.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Secret Envoys.</span></div>
-
-<p>There are certain secret envoys who are only
-received in private audiences but enjoy the same
-immunity as public envoys, and from the moment
-in which they present their credentials are recognised
-as public ministers. There are also secretaries
-and agents attached to the court for various
-forms of public business, but they are not received
-in audience by the King in France; they do all
-their business with the Secretary of State or the
-Minister for Foreign Affairs, and though themselves
-not recorded as ministers have also enjoyed
-the protection and immunity under international
-law which is accorded to foreign ambassadors.
-No subject of the King can be received as minister
-or representative of a foreign prince, nor can they
-conduct his affairs in France except as agents of
-the Secretary of State, the only exception being
-the ambassador from Malta, who is usually a French<span class="pagenum" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</span>
-Member of the Order, and to whom the King
-accords the right to remain covered in public
-audience as representative of the Grand Master
-of the Order, who himself is recognised as possessing
-sovereign rights.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Agents of
-Small States.</span></div>
-
-<p>Only princes and sovereign states have the right
-to clothe their messengers with the character of
-ambassador, envoy, or resident. The agents of
-small states or of the free states are called deputies;
-they are not public ministers, and they are subject
-to the jurisdiction of the country like any private
-citizen; they do not enjoy immunity under
-the law of nations, though by custom deputies
-from provinces and from free cities are accorded
-immunity and security in practice during their deputation
-as a proof of the good faith of the prince
-in negotiation. In the same manner private
-citizens provided with passports may travel free
-from molestation. There are certain states in
-Italy which, though neither sovereign Powers nor
-subject to another sovereign, have yet conserved
-the right to send deputies with the title of ambassador
-to the sovereign under whose sway they
-live. These are the cities of Bologna and Ferrara,
-which send diplomatic deputations to the Pope in
-this manner, and the city of Messina, which retained
-the right of sending ambassadors to the King of
-Spain before the last rising. There are similarly<span class="pagenum" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</span>
-several Spanish cities which do not now retain this
-right. These ambassadors of states or subject
-provinces resemble in some manner those whom
-the Roman people used to receive from their own
-free provinces, from the cities and colonies subject
-to Roman rule, to whom the name of <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Legati</i> was
-given, a name which still occurs in all Latin diplomatic
-documents. There are certain free cities,
-such as Hamburg and Lübeck, which send commissaries
-to certain princes; but as a rule they are
-merely commercial agents engaged upon such
-matters of business as the purchase and sale of merchandise
-and the conditions of letters of exchange.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Precedence.</span></div>
-
-<p>Now although the position of an ambassador
-extraordinary is something more honourable than
-that of the ambassador ordinary they are practically
-treated alike if there is an equality between
-the princes whom they represent. The title of
-extraordinary gives no other superiority over the
-ambassador ordinary except in pure matters of
-precedence. Envoys extraordinary and residents
-stand in somewhat of the same relation, that is to
-say, that the resident of a prince of higher rank
-takes precedence over an envoy extraordinary of a
-prince of lesser rank. It is not, however, the same
-between ambassadors and envoys. The envoy of a
-crowned head must yield the place of honour to the
-ambassador of a lesser sovereign as in the following<span class="pagenum" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</span>
-example. An envoy of the Emperor at the French
-Court some years ago took his seat at a public
-entertainment in the place which was reserved for
-the ambassador ordinary of the Duke of Savoy, and
-asserted his right to it on the ground of the difference
-in rank between their respective masters; but
-the dispute was decided in favour of the ambassador
-as holding superior rank without regard
-to the difference in the rank of their respective
-princes; and the envoy of the Emperor was obliged
-to leave the position which he had taken and yield
-it to the ambassador of Savoy.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Title of
-Excellency.</span></div>
-
-<p>The title of excellency has been given to ambassadors
-extraordinary and ordinary, but it is not
-accorded to envoys unless they claim it on some
-other ground, as, for instance, that they are ministers
-of state or senators, or other high officers at a royal
-court. This title of excellency is not in common
-use at the French Court, as it is in Spain, Italy,
-and Germany, and the kingdoms of the north, and
-you will only find foreigners in France addressing
-the King’s ministers or other officers of the court
-with that title. But foreign negotiators of all kinds
-are addressed by that title as a mark of courtesy
-to the rank which they hold.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Legates,
-Nuncios, and
-Internuncios.</span></div>
-
-<p>The Court of Rome has three different degrees of
-titles by which to mark the rank of her ministers in
-foreign courts. The first is that of <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Legato a latere</i>,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</span>
-the second is that of Ordinary or Extraordinary
-Nuncio, and the third is the Internuncio. The
-first of these is always a cardinal, to whom as a rule
-the Pope gives very wide powers both for the affairs
-of papal diplomacy and for the administration of
-dispensations and other privileges of the Holy See.
-They are received at all Catholic Courts with extraordinary
-honours: in France at their presentation
-they are attended by the princes of the blood; they
-remain seated and covered in audience with the
-King, whereas both ambassadors and even papal
-nuncios speak to him standing. These legates
-have a further honour accorded neither to nuncios
-nor ambassadors in France, namely the right to
-eat at the King’s table at the banquet of reception
-given by his Majesty in their honour. The Cross
-is carried before them to mark their ecclesiastical
-jurisdiction, which, however, is strictly limited in
-France, and is recognised in certain specified cases
-for the verification of Papal Bulls at the Parliament
-of Paris, to which they must present them before
-attempting to put them into force. Nuncios both
-ordinary and extraordinary are usually prelates of
-the rank of archbishop or bishop. They are received
-and presented by a prince of the royal blood at their
-first and final audiences with the King, no difference
-being made between the nuncio extraordinary and
-the nuncio ordinary except that the former takes<span class="pagenum" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</span>
-precedence of the latter if there are two present
-in the same Chamber. None the less the prelates
-of the Court of Rome prefer the title of nuncio
-ordinary at the Courts of France, Spain, and of the
-Emperor, because it is a shorter and a surer road
-to the cardinal’s hat, which is the goal of their
-aspirations. As regards their appointment, when
-the Pope desires to send a nuncio ordinary to the
-French Court, he presents the French ambassador
-in Rome with a list of several dignitaries of the
-Church, from which the King may exclude those
-who are not agreeable to him. The papal nuncios
-in France give their hand to the Secretary of State
-for Foreign Affairs, but not to bishops or archbishops
-received on ceremonial visits. They have
-no ecclesiastical jurisdiction in France in the sense
-in which they possess it in Vienna, in Spain, in
-Portugal, in Poland, and in many other Catholic
-states, where they are recognised as valid judges in
-various cases, and have the power of dispensation
-in the same way as the archbishops or the diocesan
-bishop. In France they are only entitled to receive
-the confession of faith of those whom the King has
-nominated to bishoprics and to inquire regarding
-their life and habits.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Diplomatic
-Privileges.</span></div>
-
-<p>Ambassadors, envoys, and residents all possess
-the right to exercise freely the religion of their
-King, and to admit to such ordinances their own<span class="pagenum" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</span>
-nationals living in the foreign country. In matters
-of law diplomatists of rank are not subject to the
-jurisdiction of the judges of that foreign country
-where they reside, and both they and their household
-enjoy what is called extra-territoriality, their embassy
-being regarded as it were the house of the
-King himself, and as being an asylum for his
-nationals. But this privilege carries its corresponding
-duty. No blame can be too severe for
-those ministers abroad who abuse this right of
-asylum in sheltering under their roof evilly disposed
-persons, either those condemned to death for crime,
-or those who are engaged upon any business which
-renders them unworthy of the protection of the
-King. The sagacious diplomat will not compromise
-the authority of his master for any such odious
-reason as the attempt to confer immunity upon a
-criminal. It must suffice for him that his own
-right of asylum is kept inviolate, and he must never
-employ it except on extraordinary occasions in his
-master’s service, and never indeed for his own
-private profit. On the other hand, the King must
-expressly forbid his judges, bailiffs, or private
-citizens to violate the law of nations in the person
-of a foreign envoy, who is always recognised as under
-the protection of international law. And wherever
-insult is offered to a foreign envoy, the prince
-himself must repair it without fail in the same<span class="pagenum" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</span>
-manner in which he would expect return for a like
-insult to his own minister abroad.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Abuse of
-Immunity.</span></div>
-
-<p>It sometimes occurs that ministers abuse the right
-of free passage, which they possess for their own
-provisions and the equipment necessary for their
-establishment, to carry on a clandestine trade from
-which they draw large profits by lending their
-name to fraud. This kind of profit is utterly
-unworthy of the public minister, and makes his
-name stink in the nostrils of the King to whom he
-is sent as well as to his own prince. A wise minister
-may be well content to enjoy the large privileges
-to which he is entitled in every foreign country
-without attempting to abuse them for his own
-private profit, or by countenancing any fraud which
-is committed under the protection of his name.
-The Spanish Government was obliged a few years
-ago severely to regulate these privileges for all
-foreign envoys residing in Madrid, and the Republic
-of Genoa found it necessary to adopt the same
-somewhat humiliating precautions in order to
-prevent diplomatists from engaging in illicit traffic.
-The privileges conferred by the law of nations
-upon envoys abroad permit full freedom in their
-proper duty of labouring to discover all that passes
-in the council-chamber of his Majesty, and to take
-steps to form close relations with those best able to
-supply this information, but they are not to be<span class="pagenum" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</span>
-interpreted as covering any attempt to form a
-conspiracy against the public peace; for the same
-international right which covers the person of a
-diplomatist must also be held to cover the peace
-and security of the kingdom to which he is accredited.
-Therefore the diplomatist will be on his guard
-against any action which may seem to lend the
-authority of his name or office to revolutionary
-plots or to other hostile acts against the peace of
-the realm. Should he neglect this precaution, he
-may find himself treated as an enemy.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Henry IV. and
-the Duke of
-Savoy.</span></div>
-
-<p>Charles Emanuel the first Duke of Savoy maintained
-certain connections in France with some of
-the principal peers at the Court of Henry <span class="allsmcap">IV.</span>, and
-engaged with them in plots and cabals. He attended
-the French Court under the pretext of
-paying his respects to the King, but in reality with
-the intention of spreading his own influence and
-fortifying his own designs, which were to prevent
-Henry <span class="allsmcap">IV.</span> from forcing him to restore the Marquisate
-of Saluse which he had usurped. The
-King discovered the Duke’s intrigue, and held a
-cabinet meeting on the matter. The Council was
-of opinion that the Duke had come under a false
-show of friendship in order to disturb the peace of
-the realm, that the King was therefore fully within
-his rights in laying hands upon him as upon an
-enemy, that in consequence of his own acts the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</span>
-Duke could claim no immunity, and that therefore
-the King would be justified in preventing him from
-leaving France until he had restored the marquisate
-in question. But the King did not agree with his
-ministers, but said: ‘The Duke came to visit me
-on my parole. If he has failed in his duty I do not
-wish to imitate so evil an example, and I have so
-fine a precedent in my own house that I am compelled
-to follow it rather than to follow the Duke.’
-In this he spoke of Francis <span class="allsmcap">I.</span>, who in a similar case
-gave the Emperor Charles <span class="allsmcap">V.</span> a free passage through
-France without insisting that he should relinquish
-the Duchy of Milan; and although several of the
-King’s counsellors at that time were of opinion
-that he should profit by the opportunity to compel
-the Emperor to restore the duchy, which indeed
-he had several times promised to do, Francis <span class="allsmcap">I.</span>
-preferred to maintain his own honour above every
-other interest. Henry <span class="allsmcap">IV.</span> acted on the same
-principle; he permitted the Duke of Savoy to
-depart unmolested after heaping honours and entertainments
-upon him, but the moment the Duke
-had returned to his own Court the King demanded
-the restitution of the Marquisate of Saluse according
-to his promise. The Duke refused, whereupon
-the King invaded Savoy, occupied the whole duchy,
-and compelled him to keep his word, not only to the
-extent of the marquisate but of several other parts<span class="pagenum" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</span>
-which he was compelled to cede to the King by a
-treaty concluded at Lyons, on the 17th January
-1601.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Reparation
-for Abuse of
-Immunity.</span></div>
-
-<p>Those who think that one may lay forcible hands
-upon a sovereign who has broken his word will easily
-persuade themselves that in a similar case no international
-law can protect the person of a mere
-minister; but those who are really well instructed
-in the law of nations and in the question of sovereign
-rights are of opinion that a foreign envoy
-being subject to the laws of the country where he
-lives it is not possible to put into motion against
-him the machinery of domestic justice, that the only
-redress for wrongs done by him is an appeal to his
-master, and that if his master refuses reparation
-the responsibility must lie with him and not on his
-minister abroad who merely executes his order.
-This privilege, be it remembered, extends not
-merely to the ambassadors themselves but often to
-their servants, as is illustrated in the following
-example.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Merargue
-Conspiracy.</span></div>
-
-<p>King Henry <span class="allsmcap">IV.</span>, whom one may take as a model for
-princes, was warned by the Duke de Guise of
-the Merargue Conspiracy in which a Provençal
-squire named Merargue had entered into an arrangement
-with Dom Balthazar de Zuniga, the Spanish
-ambassador, to hand over the city of Marseilles to
-the Spaniards at a moment of profound peace. The<span class="pagenum" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</span>
-King arrested not only Merargue, but also the
-private secretary to the Spanish ambassador, a
-man named Bruneau. Both were convicted of
-conspiracy. Merargue was executed, and the King
-handed over the private secretary to his own ambassador,
-saying that he would be glad to see
-Bruneau sent across the frontier, though he himself
-reserved the right to demand satisfaction from the
-Spanish King for Bruneau’s misdemeanour.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Immunity a
-Function of
-Sovereignty.</span></div>
-
-<p>Now if princes had the right to proceed against
-foreign envoys at their courts, the latter would
-never feel themselves secure, because then it would
-be easy to get rid of any of them on flimsy pretexts,
-and the precedent once set up in a good case would
-surely be followed in many cases where nothing but
-idle suspicion could be brought against the envoy
-in question. This indeed would be the end of all
-diplomacy. Of course it is true that a minister
-who breaks faith cannot expect others to keep faith
-with him, especially if he is engaged upon conspiracies
-or any of those practices against the prince
-and safety of the realm of which I have spoken.
-But even in such a case the wise prince will not
-break the law of nations, which should always be
-respected. He will rather use his good offices at
-the court whence the erring envoy came in order
-to have him withdrawn. At the same time it is
-always permissible to place a watch upon a faithless<span class="pagenum" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</span>
-ambassador, in order to hinder him in practices
-which would otherwise do harm to the state, and
-of course on the other part a wise ambassador
-will certainly avoid falling into such intrigues, for
-the very protection which he enjoys under the
-law of nations is a guarantee of his person and
-of his good behaviour. Benefits under it are reciprocal,
-and the reciprocal duties which it imposes
-should be scrupulously observed. If they are not,
-no law of nations can guarantee an intriguing
-ambassador for ever against the fury of the populace
-once they are aroused by suspicion.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Its Abuse
-undermines
-True
-Diplomacy.</span></div>
-
-<p>On all these grounds the minister is to be pitied
-who receives commands from his master to form
-cabals in a foreign state, and he will need all his skill
-and courage to carry out such commands without
-being trapped in the process. It has been truly
-said that there is no service which a prince may not
-expect from good subjects and faithful ministers,
-but such obedience cannot be held to cover any
-action against the laws of God or of justice, which
-do not countenance for one moment attempts on
-the life of a prince, or against the security of the
-state, or any other unfriendly act committed under
-cover of the protecting title of ambassador. A
-good ambassador will always discourage plans of
-this kind, and if his master persists in them he may
-and should demand his recall, and retire into obscurity,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</span>
-jealously guarding his sovereign’s evil secret.
-In justice to most reigning sovereigns it must be
-said that few of them engage in designs of this kind.
-The vast majority of intrigues and cabals are
-made in their name in foreign states, or are suggested
-to them by their ministers or by astute
-diplomatists, who undertake to carry them out,
-and through them to confer great benefits upon the
-prince himself. But these diplomatists are often
-the first to fall into traps set by their own hand, and
-are then objects of pity to no man. Numerous
-examples of this kind can be quoted, and I think
-no one will challenge the truth of my observation
-when I say that in nine cases out of ten diplomatists
-who give such advice are actuated more by
-personal ambition or petty spite than by the true
-interests of the nation they serve.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Secret Service
-No Abuse of
-Immunity.</span></div>
-
-<p>But let me not be misunderstood, there is all the
-difference between the attempt to debauch the
-subjects of a sovereign prince in order to ensnare
-them in conspiracy against him, and the legitimate
-endeavour to use every opportunity for acquiring
-information. The latter practice has always been
-permissible, and indeed is a necessary part of
-diplomacy. No criticism can fall upon a foreign
-envoy who successfully adopts the practice; the only
-culprit in such a case is the citizen of a foreign
-state who from corrupt motives sells information<span class="pagenum" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</span>
-abroad. Apart from considerations of international
-law the interest of the public peace
-demands the preservation of the privileges of
-foreign envoys, for otherwise wars would be even
-more frequent than they are, because no prince
-would permit insults to his ministers to go unavenged.
-They are rightly resented, and the prince
-may pay heavily in his own peace of mind and the
-repose of his subjects for a moment of passion.
-He need do no more, however, than demand satisfaction
-for the bad conduct of any foreign envoy,
-and if he has just cause of complaint he will probably
-receive it. In any case the dismissal or recall
-of an ambassador will be read as a pointed lesson to
-all his colleagues in diplomacy, who will then understand
-that the price of evil conduct is the humiliation
-of dismissal.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Credentials
-of an
-Ambassador.</span></div>
-
-<p>When an ambassador is sent to a foreign court, his
-master gives him a letter addressed to the foreign
-prince requesting him to give the same credence
-to the bearer of the letter as to its writer. This
-despatch is called a letter of credence, which thus
-establishes the identity of its bearer and stands as
-the hall-mark of his office. In France there are
-two sorts of letters of credence: one called <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Lettre
-de Cachet</i>, which is despatched and countersigned
-by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and
-sometimes also called <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Lettre de la Chancellerie</i>. The<span class="pagenum" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</span>
-other is written by the hand of one of the royal
-private secretaries, and signed by the King himself;
-it is countersigned by any minister, and is usually
-handed direct in private audience to the foreign
-prince to whom it is addressed. The former type
-of letter is presented in ceremonial public audience.
-When a negotiator is appointed by his prince to a
-free state or an assembly, which for this purpose is
-treated as though it were a court, he does not receive
-letters of credence, but his character and identity
-are fully established in his full powers, which he
-must exchange with ministers on arriving. The
-document known as full powers is an authorisation
-by the prince to his representative abroad to undertake
-all kinds of public business, the results of which
-the sovereign himself agrees to accept by the proxy
-of his minister; but as a rule in such full powers
-the particular matter under discussion is carefully
-specified, and the authority to act is confined
-to it.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Full Powers.</span></div>
-
-<p>There are two kinds of full powers: one deriving
-directly from the sovereign and the other from his
-deputies, that is to say, his ministers of state who
-have sufficient authority to nominate plenipotentiaries
-in his absence. Such powers are particularly
-desirable where the states lie far apart from one
-another. In such negotiations as those between
-the Court of Madrid and the Low Countries, or the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</span>
-different Italian states, the advantage of this procedure
-is obvious.... Passports are of course
-merely letters which establish the identity and
-good faith of the person as distinct from the representative
-of state, and they are given even in time
-of war in order to secure a safe passage between
-countries at war for ministers engaged upon negotiation
-which may lead to peace....</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Instructions.</span></div>
-
-<p>The instruction is a written document containing
-a statement of the principal intentions of the
-prince or the state; it is to be regarded as a general
-aid to memory and a general guide to conduct.
-It is secret and must be retained under the control
-of him who receives it, though of course there are
-occasions on which he will receive the command to
-communicate specific portions of it to a foreign
-minister or a foreign prince. Such communication
-is regarded as a rule as a mark of special confidence,
-but on the other hand it often happens that two
-instructions are given, one the ostensible, that is
-to say it is drawn up in such terms that it can be
-shown to other princes, and the other secret, which
-contains the true and final intentions of the prince
-himself. But even the latter type of instruction is
-subject to alteration by the daily despatches which
-the negotiator receives from home, and which ought
-to be read as so many new instructions drawn up
-in accordance with the reports which he has transmitted<span class="pagenum" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</span>
-to his own court. It follows therefore that
-the manner of reports which a negotiator despatches
-to his home government will have a large influence
-upon the type of instruction which he receives from
-time to time.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Oral
-Instructions.</span></div>
-
-<p>The Minister of Foreign Affairs may prefer not
-to put the instructions and intentions of his royal
-master into writing but to deliver them orally,
-because then he has a greater freedom of interpretation
-according to circumstances as they arise,
-than he would have if he were bound by the written
-word. There is further a danger that such instructions
-when committed to paper may be wittingly
-or unwittingly left in the hands of some
-foreign diplomatist belonging to the opposite party.
-The risks thus incurred are too obvious to need
-any emphasis of mine. Whereas if the instructions
-be left in oral form, they can at least be repudiated
-if a dangerous situation were to arise from their
-being made known to an enemy prince. There are
-of course occasions where it is impossible not to
-commit to writing instructions given to a plenipotentiary,
-but it is a good rule in all negotiation
-to delay the issue of formal and binding instructions
-to as late a date in the negotiations as possible, so
-that the general lines upon which it is likely to proceed
-may be present to the mind of the minister who
-draws them up for the guidance of the ambassador.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</span></p>
-
-<p>It is not permissible without a serious violation
-of the law of nations to compel a minister to show
-his instructions in order to prove his good faith,
-nor is it permissible for a minister to communicate
-it in any form without an express command from
-his master, for he can fully rely on his letter of
-credence to establish both his identity and his good
-faith; besides which he is equipped with full
-powers in which the business of his negotiation is
-always fully described.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Discretionary
-Freedom.</span></div>
-
-<p>Now such instructions may be as judicious and
-astute as can be imagined, but their use will lie in
-the wise interpretation by the diplomatist himself;
-and, as I have pointed out, the really able negotiator
-will always know how best to execute
-his master’s commands so that the instructions
-received from him may be drawn up on information
-which is both up-to-date and adequate.
-Thus it is that while the final responsibility for all
-success or failure in diplomacy would seem to rest
-upon the King and his ministers at home, it is none
-the less true that since these ministers can only act
-upon information from abroad, the influence which
-an enlightened diplomatist can exercise upon the
-actions and designs of the home government is very
-large. Incapable men acting abroad will make
-nothing even of the most brilliant instructions;
-capable men by the accuracy and sagacity of their<span class="pagenum" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</span>
-reports and suggestions can do much to improve
-even the most mediocre instructions, and therefore
-the responsibility for diplomatic action is in reality
-shared in about equal degree between the home
-government and its servants abroad. The home
-government cannot know when the opportunity for
-appropriate action will arise, and therefore the
-reports on foreign situations which are transmitted
-in despatches from diplomats abroad ought to be
-so designed as to present as far as possible an
-intelligent description of events.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Value of the
-Trained Mind.</span></div>
-
-<p>What an astonishing diversity and inequality
-there is in the conduct of men. No one, not even
-a minister of state, would think of building a house
-without the assistance of the best architect and the
-best workmen whom he could find; but it is the
-commonest occurrence to find that those who are
-charged with the transaction of very important
-state business, upon which the weal or woe of the
-whole realm depends, never think of entrusting it
-to trained minds, but give it to the first comer,
-whether he be a cunning architect or a mere hewer
-of stone. Therefore ministers and other persons in
-authority are culpable in a high degree if they do
-not secure for the foreign service of the state the
-most capable and sagacious men. For the errors
-in diplomacy sometimes bring more calamitous
-results than mistakes in other walks of life, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</span>
-unless the negotiator can intelligently discern the
-coming event, he may plunge himself, his master,
-and his native land in irretrievable disaster.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Incompetence
-the Parent of
-Disaster.</span></div>
-
-<p>It is a crime against the public safety not to uproot
-incapacity wherever it is discovered, or to
-allow an incompetent diplomatist to remain one
-moment longer than necessary in a place where
-competency is sorely needed. Faults in domestic
-policy are often more easily remedied than mistakes
-in foreign policy. There are many factors in
-foreign affairs which lie beyond the control of the
-ministers of any given state, and all foreign action
-requires greater circumspection, greater knowledge,
-and far greater sagacity than is demanded in
-home affairs. Therefore the government cannot
-exercise too great a care in its choice of men
-to serve abroad. In making such a choice the
-Foreign Minister must set his face like a flint against
-all family influence and private pressure, for nepotism
-is the damnation of diplomacy. He is in some
-sense the guarantor to his Majesty of those whom
-he presents as diplomatists. Their good success
-will do him honour, their failure will fall with
-redoubled force upon his head, and may require
-herculean efforts by him in order to repair the
-damage it has caused. Hence it is of the first
-interest, both for the Foreign Minister himself and
-for the well-being of the state, to see that the high<span class="pagenum" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</span>
-public offices of diplomacy are not filled by the
-intrigues and personal cabals which reign at every
-court, and which often place in the King’s hands
-unworthy instruments of his policy.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Diplomatist
-prepares
-Himself for
-a Foreign
-Mission.</span></div>
-
-<p>Now when a diplomatist has been appointed to
-a foreign post his first care should be to ask for the
-despatches of his predecessor in order that he may
-inform himself exactly of the state of affairs with
-which he will have to deal. He will thus be able
-to pick up the thread and to make use both of the
-knowledge and of the different personal relationships
-which have gathered round the embassy
-during his predecessor’s term of office. And as all
-public affairs are like a great network, one linked
-with another, it is of the first importance that a
-diplomatist proceeding to a foreign post should be a
-complete master of recent history both in regard to
-his own state and in regard to the relations which
-exist between the country of his new service and
-all neighbouring countries. Therefore, when the
-newly appointed diplomatist has read with care the
-despatches of his predecessor, he should make
-notes upon them, endeavouring to foresee the
-difficulties which he will meet both in such trivial
-matters as a novel ceremonial, or in the more
-weighty business of state, so that he may be able
-to discuss them with his own Foreign Minister, and
-thus receive what enlightenment he can.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</span></p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">He must study
-his own
-Foreign Office.</span></div>
-
-<p>Now, no matter how far-seeing a minister may
-be, it is impossible for him to foresee everything or
-to give such ample and at the same time precise
-instructions to his negotiators as to guide them in
-all circumstances which may arise. It is therefore
-of the first importance that the newly appointed
-diplomatist travelling to a far country should devote
-all his time before his departure to the discovery
-of the real intentions and designs of his own Foreign
-Office. In a word, he should saturate his mind with
-the thoughts of his master. He should not only
-consult those who have discharged diplomatic duties
-at the foreign court to which he is about to proceed,
-but should make it his especial care to keep touch
-with those who have lived in the country in any
-quality whatsoever, and to acquire from them all
-the knowledge which they may possess. Even the
-humblest of such persons may be able to give him
-information which will help him to regulate his
-conduct abroad. And before his departure he
-should certainly strike up an acquaintance with
-the ambassador representing the country to which
-he is about to proceed, in order that he may get from
-him private letters of recommendation, and further,
-in order that he may persuade him of his own
-earnest desire to do all in his power to establish
-good relations between the two states. He should
-let it be known to the foreign ambassador in question<span class="pagenum" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</span>
-that he will lose no opportunity of bearing
-witness to the success of his mission and to the
-esteem which he has won at home. In so doing
-he will be able rapidly to acquire new and powerful
-friends in his new sphere of labour. For it is a
-commonplace of human experience that men will
-do as they are done by: reciprocity is the surest
-foundation of friendship.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Choice of a
-Staff.</span></div>
-
-<p>The careful diplomatist will pay the same attention
-to the choice of his domestics as to more important
-subjects. Those about him must do him
-credit. A well-ordered household served by reliable
-and well-mannered persons is a good advertisement,
-both of the ambassador and of the country whence
-he comes, and in order that they may have no
-excuse for ill-regulated conduct, he should set a
-high example before them in his own person. His
-choice of a private secretary is perhaps the most
-important of all, for if he be light-headed, frivolous
-or indiscreet, he may do his master irreparable
-harm; and if he be a person liable to get into debt,
-his embarrassment may be the cause of very serious
-trouble. Some years ago the private secretary
-of a French ambassador sold the private cipher of
-the embassy for a large sum in order to wipe out
-his debts. Thus the ambassador’s despatches were
-intercepted and read, with very grave results upon
-the relations between the two countries, in spite of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</span>
-the fact that the obvious interest of both lay in the
-same direction. The necessity for having faithful
-and able men as secretaries has given rise to the belief
-that it would be very useful to establish them
-in rank as a part of the public service of the King,
-and thus to restore a custom which was abolished
-some time ago in France. It would be a desirable
-practice, for thereby a large body of men might
-be trained in the diplomatic service of the Crown
-from whom ambassadors and envoys could be
-drawn. This is the practice in several foreign
-countries, and there is no doubt that it leads to
-the improvement of the whole diplomatic service.
-For if the secretaries and attachés are selected and
-paid by the King’s government they will tend to
-acquire a careful efficiency and <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">esprit de corps</i> which
-will be the best protection for his secrets. And it
-is obvious that as long as the choice of such persons
-is left to the personal decision of the ambassador
-alone there is always a risk that he will not be able
-to offer a sufficient sum to command the services of
-good men. Thus the adequate payment and proper
-official recognition of such junior diplomatists is
-a necessary part of any true reform of the foreign
-service, and it would certainly be a great relief to
-most ambassadors to take the responsibility of choice
-off their shoulders as well as the burden of paying
-secretaries for their services. The state will certainly<span class="pagenum" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</span>
-be well repaid if such a policy as I suggest
-be adopted, for diplomacy will then become the
-school in which good workmen will rapidly learn
-the use of their tools.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">First Steps at
-the Foreign
-Court.</span></div>
-
-<p>On arrival at a foreign court a negotiator should
-make himself and his mission known to the proper
-authorities at the earliest possible moment, and
-request a private audience with the prince in order
-that he may establish contact immediately, and
-thus prepare the way for good relations between
-his master and the foreign sovereign. When he
-has taken the necessary steps for this purpose
-he should be in no hurry to embark upon any
-important steps but should rather study the
-<em>terrain</em>. For this purpose he should remain a
-watchful, silent observer of the habits of the court
-and of the government, and if he be in a
-country where the prince is really the ruler, he
-should study with the greatest assiduity the whole
-life and habits of the latter; for policy is not merely
-a matter of high impersonal design, it is a vast complexity
-in which the inclinations, the judgments,
-the virtues and the vices of the prince himself will
-play a large part. Occasions will constantly arise
-in which the adroit negotiator who has equipped
-himself with this knowledge will be able to use it
-with the highest possible effect. And he should
-test his own conclusions by comparing notes discreetly<span class="pagenum" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</span>
-with other foreign negotiators of the same
-court, especially if they have had a long residence
-there. Up to a certain point co-operation between
-foreign ambassadors is not only permissible but
-desirable and necessary. And since no prince, not
-even the most autocratic, discharges the duties of
-government entirely by himself without confiding
-in one or more favoured ministers, the negotiator
-should make it his business to know much of the
-ministers and confidants surrounding the King who
-have his fullest confidence, for in the same manner
-as described above personal qualities, opinions,
-passions, likes, and dislikes are all relevant subjects
-of study, and should be carefully observed by every
-negotiator who means business.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Relations with
-Colleagues.</span></div>
-
-<p>When a foreign envoy arrives at a court and has
-been received by the prince, he should inform all
-the other members of the Corps Diplomatique
-either by a squire of his suite or by a secretary.
-They will then pay him their first visit, but he will
-receive no visits until he has gone through the formality
-of announcing to each in turn his own arrival;
-and at a court where there are ambassadors of
-several kings, each on arrival should pay his respects
-first of all to the French ambassador, who everywhere
-takes first rank. The Spaniards, who adopted
-every form of chicane for a whole century in order
-to avoid the recognition of French precedence,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</span>
-which for that matter is an immemorial right of
-the French King, finally recognised it by the public
-declaration, made by Philip <span class="allsmcap">IV.</span> to his Majesty in
-1662 by the Marquis de la Fuente, the Spanish
-ambassador in Paris, which arose out of the violent
-dispute in London between the Count d’Estrade
-and the Baron de Vatville, after which no Spanish
-ambassador would consent to be present at any
-ceremony attended by the French ambassador.
-Various other attempts have been made to dispute
-French supremacy, but with no result....</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Report of First
-Impressions.</span></div>
-
-<p>After he has fully informed himself of all such
-matters and placed himself in such a position as to
-know immediately whether the prince has changed
-his mind or transferred his confidence from one
-servant to another, he should set all these things
-down faithfully in a despatch to his home government,
-presenting a full picture of the court as he
-sees it, and at the same time setting down the conclusions
-which he has drawn from his observations.
-He should not fail to indicate the methods by which
-he proposes to act, or the means he proposes to use,
-in order to carry out the commands which he has
-received. At the same time he will not fail to keep
-his own knowledge up to date, and to use it for
-finding and keeping open every possible avenue of
-approach to the prince to whom he is accredited,
-or to his ministers and favourites. There is no<span class="pagenum" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</span>
-doubt that the surest and best way in which the
-negotiator can establish good relations is to prove
-to both courts that their union is of great mutual
-advantage. It is the essential design of diplomacy
-to confer such a mutual advantage, and to carry
-policy to success by securing the co-operation in it
-of those who might otherwise be its opponents.
-Success won by force or by fraud stands upon a weak
-foundation. Diplomatic success, on the other
-hand, won by methods which confer reciprocal
-benefits on both parties, must be regarded not only
-as firmly founded, but as the sure promise of other
-successes to come. I am not so foolish as to suppose,
-however, that this method can be applied
-in every situation. There are times when it is
-necessary for the negotiator to exploit the hatreds,
-passions, and jealousies of those with whom he deals,
-and therefore occasion will arise when it is easier
-and more fruitful to appeal to prejudice rather than
-to any estimate of the true and permanent interests
-of those concerned. As we have observed above,
-both kings and nations often plunge into reckless
-courses of policy under the impulse of passion, and
-as a rule throw overboard all consideration of their
-veritable interests.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Character and
-Whims of the
-Foreign
-Prince.</span></div>
-
-<p>The high elevation of crowned heads does not
-prevent them from being human; and indeed in
-some ways it lays them open to certain weaknesses<span class="pagenum" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</span>
-of which lesser men by reason of their position are
-largely free. There is a certain pride of position,
-a certain arrogant self-esteem, which is only to be
-found in highly placed persons, and which is most
-marked in kings and ministers. On this account,
-and on account of the actual power their exalted
-position puts into their hands, kings are open to
-persuasion and flattery in a way in which men of
-lower degree cannot be approached. This consideration
-must ever be in the mind of the good
-negotiator, who should therefore strive to divest
-himself of his own feelings and prejudices, and place
-himself in the position of the King so that he
-may understand completely the desires and whims
-which guide his actions. And when he has done
-so he should say to himself: ‘Now, if I were in
-the place of this prince, wielding his power, subject
-to his passions and prejudices, what effect would
-my mission and my arguments have upon me?’
-The more often he thus puts himself in the position
-of others, the more subtle and effective will his
-arguments be. And it is of course not only in
-matters of opinion that this use of the imagination
-is valuable, it is more particularly in all those
-personal aspects where the power to give pleasure
-by flattery or any other means is effective.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Use of
-Compliments.</span></div>
-
-<p>No one will forget that crowned heads, and even
-their ministers themselves, are accustomed from<span class="pagenum" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</span>
-birth to the submission of those around them, to
-receive their respect and praise. This unbroken
-experience of the obedience of others is apt to make
-them very sensitive to criticism, and unwilling to
-listen to contradiction. There are few princes to
-whom it is easy to speak the truth, and since it is
-not part of the business of the negotiator except on
-rare occasions to speak home truths at a foreign
-court, he will avoid as far as possible everything
-which may wound the royal pride which is the
-natural result of the manner in which princes are
-reared. On the other hand, he will never give
-empty praise nor applaud a reprehensible act, and
-where praise is given as it is deserved, the negotiator
-must know how to clothe it in chaste and dignified
-language. And since princes are accustomed to
-hear their praise sung constantly, they become
-connoisseurs in praise and good judges of a timely
-compliment. It is the higher art of the subtle
-courtier to know how to deliver a well-turned
-compliment to his King, and above all, if the King
-is endowed with real intelligence, never to praise
-him for qualities which he does not possess. Any
-fool can earn the esteem of a prince who is also a
-fool by indiscriminate praise. Wise men will rely
-on their own merits and on the good sense of the
-King wherever they have the good fortune to serve
-a monarch so endowed. To praise a King for<span class="pagenum" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</span>
-those things which are inherent in his position,
-such as riches, spacious mansions, and fine clothes,
-is merely stupidity. A King who is worth praising
-will only value your praise if it is given to qualities
-which he knows to be praiseworthy. In this
-matter the negotiator must be sufficiently worldly-wise
-always to remember that the good favour of
-the ladies of the court is to be won by different
-means than that of his Majesty or the ministers.
-And since, as I have pointed out elsewhere, the
-approach to the King and his ministers may perhaps
-be most easily made through feminine influence,
-the negotiator will study carefully the character
-and weaknesses of all the ladies at the court so as
-to keep these useful and attractive avenues open
-for his use.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Craft at the
-Card-table.</span></div>
-
-<p>The methods of giving pleasure, as I say, must
-vary. One of the most illustrious and sagacious
-ambassadors of our time, a friend of my own,
-neglected nothing, but he used to say that there
-was no surer road to the good-will of a sovereign
-than to allow him to win at the card-table, and that
-many a great enterprise had been conducted to
-success by the little pile of gold coins which passed
-from him to his royal opponent at the gaming-table.
-My friend used to say in jest that he had played
-the fool at foreign card-tables in order to prove
-that he was a wise man at home! His jest bore a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</span>
-truth within it which I hope every negotiator
-will lay to heart....</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Common-sense
-Pleas.</span></div>
-
-<p>The pleas which I have set out above are, I
-believe, applicable in most situations, but of course
-there are variations to be observed. It is not
-always easy for a negotiator on leaving home to
-remember how great a difference there is between
-his own court and that to which he proceeds. For
-whether the foreign country which is his new home
-stands on equal terms with his own or whether it
-be a Power of lower station in the world, the vast
-differences in national outlook between them must
-be fully understood before the negotiator can
-make any progress. It is therefore his first business,
-whatever be the magnitude and splendour of the
-court to which he is accredited, to win the general
-favour by showing a genuine and sincere interest
-in the welfare of his new associates, and in all the
-customs of the court and the habits of the people;
-and on his arrival he should show himself ready to
-share information both with his new colleagues in
-the Corps Diplomatique, and with the ministers of
-the King to whom he is sent. Let me lay some insistence
-on this. It will be observed that if a
-negotiator has the reputation of speaking freely on
-many subjects, it is not improbable that those who
-have secrets to reveal may speak the more freely
-to him. A negotiator of my acquaintance to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</span>
-whom I look with high regard once said: ‘Diplomacy
-is like a chain of ten links in which perhaps
-only one is missing to make it complete: it is the
-business of the diplomat to supply the tenth link.’
-This is true, and I believe that the diplomatist who
-is least enwrapped in secrecy will most quickly and
-surely discover it. It is therefore important that
-the negotiator, being well equipped with all kinds
-of information, should be guided by a sound judgment
-in the use of it. He should realise that in all
-information there are only one or two items which
-are of the first importance, and that therefore the
-freedom with which he uses the rest need not in
-any way imperil his master’s plans. The more
-freely he can share such information, and the more
-carefully he bestows his praise upon individuals,
-the more surely will men say of him that he is a
-reliable person, and will turn to him in moments
-of crisis.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Clockmaker’s
-Patience.</span></div>
-
-<p>Every right-minded man desires to stand well in
-the eyes of those with whom he transacts business,
-and therefore he will give some trouble to all those
-devices for securing the good-will of men to which
-I have referred. If he finds in the course of his
-work that the prince himself or any one of his
-ministers is ill-disposed towards him or intractable
-in discussion, he must not on that account allow
-himself to imitate the fault, but must redouble his<span class="pagenum" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</span>
-efforts in the contrary direction. Indeed he must
-behave as a good watchmaker would when his clock
-has gone out of order: he must labour to remove
-the difficulty, or at all events to circumvent its
-results. He must not be led aside by his own
-feelings. Prejudice is a great misinterpreter’s
-house in all public affairs.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">A High Ideal.</span></div>
-
-<p>It might seem that the ideal which I now set up
-for the negotiator is one too high for any man to
-reach. It is true that no man can ever carry out
-his instructions without a fault, but unless he has
-before him an ideal as a guide he will find himself
-plunged in the midst of distracting affairs without
-any rule for his own conduct. Therefore I place
-before him these considerations: that despite all
-disappointments and exasperations he must act
-with <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">sang-froid</i>; he must work with patience to
-remove all obstacles that lie in his path, whether
-they are placed there by accident or act of God or
-by the evil design of men; he must preserve
-a calm and resolute mind when the conjunctures
-of events seem to conspire against him; and finally,
-he must remember that if once he permit his own
-personal or outrageous feelings to guide his conduct
-in negotiation he is on the sure and straight road
-to disaster. In a word, when events and men are
-unkind he must never despair of being able to
-change them, nor again when they smile upon his<span class="pagenum" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</span>
-efforts must he cherish the illusion that their good
-favour will endure for ever.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Negotiator’s
-Twofold
-Function.</span></div>
-
-<p>The functions of a minister despatched on a
-mission to a foreign country fall into two principal
-categories: the first to conduct the business of
-his master, and the second to discover the business
-of others. The first of these concerns the prince
-or his ministers of state, or at all events those
-deputies to whom are entrusted the examination of
-his proposals. In all these different kinds of negotiation
-he must seek success principally by his
-straightforward and honest procedure, for if he
-attempts to succeed by subtlety or by a sense of
-superiority over those with whom he is engaged
-he may very likely deceive himself. There is no
-prince or state which does not possess some shrewd
-envoy to discern its real interests. And indeed,
-even among people who seem to be the least refined,
-there are often those who know their own interests
-best, and follow them with the most constancy.
-Therefore the negotiator, no matter how able he
-may be, must not attempt to teach such persons
-their own business, but he should exhaust all the
-resources of his mind and wit to prove to them the
-great advantage of the proposals which he has to
-make.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Diplomacy a
-Commerce in
-Benefits.</span></div>
-
-<p>An ancient philosopher once said that friendship
-between men is nothing but a commerce in which<span class="pagenum" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</span>
-each seeks his own interest. The same is true or even
-truer of the liaisons and treaties which bind one
-sovereign to another, for there is no durable treaty
-which is not founded on reciprocal advantage, and
-indeed a treaty which does not satisfy this condition
-is no treaty at all, and is apt to contain the seeds
-of its own dissolution. Thus the great secret of
-negotiation is to bring out prominently the common
-advantage to both parties of any proposal, and so
-to link these advantages that they may appear
-equally balanced to both parties. For this purpose
-when negotiations are on foot between two sovereigns,
-one the greater and the other the less, the
-more powerful of these two should make the first
-advance, and even undertake a large outlay of money
-to bring about the union of interests with his lesser
-neighbour, for his own self-interest will show him
-that he has really the greater object and the larger
-advantages in view, and that any benefits he may
-confer or subsidies which he may grant to his
-weaker ally will be readily repaid by the success
-of his designs. Now, as we have said, the secret of
-negotiation is to harmonise the interests of the
-parties concerned. It is clear that if a negotiator
-excludes the honest and straightforward method of
-reason and persuasion, and adopts on the contrary
-a haughty and menacing manner, then obviously he
-must be followed by an army ready to invade the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</span>
-country in which he has put forth such provocative
-claims. Without such a display of force his claims
-will fall to the ground, even though by advantageous
-arguments they might have prevailed with the prince
-whom he addressed, and who might have accepted
-them had they been proposed in a different
-manner. When a prince or a state is powerful
-enough to dictate to his neighbours the art of
-negotiation loses its value, for then there is need for
-nothing but a mere statement of the prince’s will;
-but when there is a balance of force an independent
-prince will only decide to favour one of the two
-parties of a dispute if he discerns advantages to
-himself and good results to the prosperity of his
-realm.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Harmony the
-Ideal State.</span></div>
-
-<p>A prince who has no powerful enemies can easily
-impose tribute on all neighbouring Powers, but a
-prince whose aim is self-aggrandisement and who
-has powerful enemies must seek allies among the
-lesser states in order to increase those friendly to
-him; and if possible he should be able to prove
-his power by the benefits which an alliance with
-him can confer upon them. Therefore the principal
-function of the negotiator is to bring about a harmonised
-union between his master and the sovereign
-to whom he is sent, or else to maintain and increase
-existing alliances by every means in his power.
-He must labour to remove misunderstandings, to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</span>
-prevent subjects of dispute from arising, and generally
-to maintain in that foreign country the honour
-and interests of his prince. This includes the protection
-and patronage of his subjects, assistance to
-their business enterprises, and the promotion of good
-relations between them and the subjects of the
-foreign prince to whose court he is accredited.
-He must always assume that there is no prince nor
-state in the world which does not desire to avoid a
-condition of crisis, and that those princes who love
-to fish in troubled waters will never lack the means to
-stir them up, but that the storms which such men
-conjure up are apt to overwhelm them, so that the
-wise negotiator will do all he can to avoid giving
-provocation, and will conduct himself in such a
-manner that no one will be able to impute reckless
-motives to him.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Search
-for Information.</span></div>
-
-<p>His second function being the discovery of all
-that is happening at court and in the cabinet, he
-should first of all take steps to learn from his predecessor
-all that he knows regarding the state of
-affairs in the country to which he is about to proceed
-and to acquire from him those hints and suggestions
-which may be of use. He should take up
-the friends and acquaintances left behind by his
-predecessor, and should add to them by making new
-ones. It would be no bad practice in this matter
-to imitate the established rule of the Venetian<span class="pagenum" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</span>
-Republic, which obliges an ambassador returning
-from a foreign court to render a detailed account in
-writing of the country, both for the information of
-the public and for the instruction of his successor
-at the embassy. The diplomatists of Venice have
-drawn great advantage from this practice, and it
-has been often remarked that there are no better
-instructed negotiators in Europe than those of
-Venice.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Freemasonry
-of Diplomacy.</span></div>
-
-<p>The discovery of the course of events and the
-trend of policy in a foreign country is most natural
-when one knows both the personnel and the political
-habits of the country, and a negotiator for the first
-time in such a country must neglect no source of
-information. In addition to those mentioned above,
-he may very probably find that his colleagues in
-the Corps Diplomatique will be of use to him, for
-since the whole diplomatic body works for the same
-end, namely to discover what is happening, there
-may arise—there often indeed does arise—a freemasonry
-of diplomacy by which one colleague informs
-another of coming events which a lucky
-chance has enabled him to discern. Such collaboration
-is possible in all cases except those in which
-their sovereigns are at variance. As regards the
-information which can be drawn from the people
-of the country itself, the surest and shortest method
-is to make a confidant of some one already in the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</span>
-counsels of the foreign prince, but this must be
-done only by such means as will enable the negotiator
-to keep a check upon his correspondent, and
-thus prevent any damage to his master’s plans.
-This action is very necessary, for in diplomacy as in
-war there are such things as double spies paid by
-both parties. The cleverest of these will begin by
-giving true information and good advice in order
-the more thoroughly to deceive the negotiator at a
-later date. There have even been princes subtle
-enough to see the advantage of permitting their
-confidants to behave thus, and I know of cases
-where the confidant of a sovereign, under the
-appearance of a secret liaison with a foreign envoy,
-gave the latter true and false information at the
-same time, and thus effectively masked the designs
-of his master. An ambassador must always be on
-his guard against such deception.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Foolish
-Dutchman.</span></div>
-
-<p>There was in England in 1671 a Dutch ambassador
-who was so easily persuaded by certain privy counsellors
-of King Charles <span class="allsmcap">II.</span> that their master had no
-intention to go to war with the States General that
-in his despatches home he gave the most explicit
-assurance that there was nothing to fear from
-England, treating with ridicule the opinion that
-London had resolved to attack them; and we have
-since learned that these English counsellors had been
-deliberately detailed by the King to play upon the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</span>
-credulity of the Dutch ambassador. There have
-been in our time ambassadors of other countries
-who have done the same.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">All News must
-be tested.</span></div>
-
-<p>Now the astute negotiator will not likely believe
-everything he hears, nor accept advice which he
-cannot test; he must examine the origin of information,
-as well as the interest and the motives
-of those who offer it him. He must attempt to
-discover the means by which they themselves
-have acquired it, and he must compare it with
-other information to see whether it tallies with that
-part which he knows to be true. There are many
-signs by which a discerning and penetrating mind
-will be able to read the truth by placing each link
-of information in contact with another. For this
-purpose no rules can be drawn up for the guidance
-of a diplomat in such a matter, for unless a man
-be born with such qualities he cannot acquire
-them, and to those who do not possess them I
-might as well speak to the deaf as write these
-observations.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Flair for
-Secrets.</span></div>
-
-<p>A negotiator can discover national secrets by
-frequenting the company of those in authority, and
-there is not a court in the world where ministers or
-others are not open to various kinds of approach,
-either because they are indiscreet and often say
-more than they should, or because they are discontented
-and ready to reveal secrets in order to satisfy<span class="pagenum" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</span>
-their jealousy. And even the most practised and
-reliable ministers are not always on their guard. I
-have seen highly trained and well-proven statesmen
-who none the less in the course of conversation,
-and by other signs, allowed expressions to
-escape them which gave important clues to their
-policy. And there are courtiers at every court
-who, though not members of the King’s Council,
-know by long practice how to discover a secret, and
-who are always prepared to reveal it in order to show
-their own importance and their penetration. It
-is almost impossible to conceal from an active, observant,
-and enlightened negotiator any important
-design of public policy, for no departure of state
-can ever be made without great preparation which
-entails the sharing of many secrets by many persons,
-and this is a danger against which it is almost impossible
-to guard even by those who take the
-greatest precautions.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">On the Transmission
-of
-Information.</span></div>
-
-<p>Now in the transmission of information of this
-kind the negotiator must give an exact account of
-all the circumstances surrounding it, that is to say,
-how and by whom he acquired it; and he should
-accompany it with his own comments and conjectures
-in order that the prince may be fully
-informed, and may be able to judge whether the
-conclusions drawn from all the circumstances are
-well or ill founded. There are certain things which<span class="pagenum" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</span>
-a clever minister will discover for himself, and of
-which he must give an exact account to his master,
-for such knowledge is often a sure clue even to the
-most secret designs. Thus he can by his own
-observation discover the passions and ruling interests
-of the prince to whose court he is sent:
-whether he is ambitious, painstaking, or observant;
-whether he is warlike or prefers peace; whether
-he is the real ruler of the country, and if not
-by whom he is ruled; and in general what are
-the principal inclinations and the interests of those
-who have most influence over him. He must also
-inform himself exactly of the state of the military
-forces both on land and sea, of the number and
-strength of fortified places, whether they are always
-kept in a high state of efficiency and well supplied
-with ammunition, of the condition of the sea-ports,
-of his vessels of war, and of his arsenals, of the
-number of troops which he can put into the field
-at once, both of cavalry and of infantry, without
-stripping his fortresses bare of their garrisons. He
-must know the state of public opinion, whether it is
-well disposed or discontented; he must keep in his
-hands the threads of every great intrigue, knowing
-all the factions and parties into which opinion
-is divided; he must know the leanings of ministers
-and other persons in authority in such matters as
-religion. He should not even neglect the observation<span class="pagenum" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</span>
-of the King’s personal household, of the
-manner in which his domestic affairs are conducted,
-of his outlay, both on his household and on his
-military establishments, of the time spent in them,
-etc. He must know the alliances, both offensive
-and defensive, concluded with other Powers, especially
-those which appear hostile in design; he
-must be able to describe at any moment the attitude
-of all the principal states towards the court to
-which he is accredited, and to give an account of
-the diplomatic relations which exist between
-them.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Action Appropriate
-to
-Democratic
-States.</span></div>
-
-<p>He must pay the prince assiduous attention, and
-thus acquire a sufficient familiarity with him to be
-able to see and speak to him frequently without
-ceremony, so that he may be always in a position
-to know what is going on, and to insinuate into the
-prince’s mind what is favourable to his master’s
-design. If he lives in a democratic state he must
-attend the Diet and other popular assemblies. He
-must keep open house and a well-garnished table to
-attract the deputies, and thus both by his honesty
-and by his presence gain the ear of the ablest and
-most authoritative politicians, who may be able to
-defeat a hostile design or support a favourable one.
-If people of this kind have a freedom of <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">entrée</i> to
-the ambassador, a good table will greatly assist in
-the discovery of all that is going on, and the expense<span class="pagenum" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</span>
-laid out upon it is not merely honourable but
-extraordinarily useful if only the negotiator himself
-knows how to profit from it.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Value of
-Good Cheer.</span></div>
-
-<p>Indeed it is in the nature of things that good
-cheer is a great conciliator, that it fosters familiarity,
-and promotes a freedom of exchange between the
-guests, while the warmth of wine will often lead
-to the discovery of important secrets. There are
-several other functions for the employment of
-public ministers, as for instance that of informing
-a prince of good or evil tidings regarding his own
-master, or that of conveying compliments or condolences
-in a similar case to the prince himself.
-A negotiator who knows his business will not neglect
-even the least of such opportunities, and he will
-perform his function in such a manner as to show
-that his master is truly interested in all that passes
-at the foreign court. Indeed the best negotiator
-is he who forestalls even the orders of his own
-master, and shows himself so apt a negotiator of his
-intentions that he is able to act in advance of each
-event of the kind, and thus present his master’s
-sentiments in appropriate language before any
-other foreign diplomatist has even begun to consider
-the matter. And when he actually receives his
-master’s orders on the subject, should they turn
-out to be of a somewhat different character than
-the expressions he has already used, his own adroitness<span class="pagenum" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</span>
-will enable him to bridge the apparent difference.
-The diplomatist’s functions cease automatically
-on the death of his master or on the death
-of the prince to whom he is accredited, and are not
-revived until new letters of credence are received.
-They also come to an end on his withdrawal or
-upon a declaration of war, but it should be noted
-that the privileges attached to the office of ambassador
-under the law of nations continue unbroken,
-notwithstanding any declaration of war or
-other interpretation of his functions, and these
-privileges remain in force until he reaches his own
-national territory.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Conduct of
-Negotiations.</span></div>
-
-<p>Diplomacy is a matter for orally conducted and
-for written communications. The first is the
-common method where one is dealing with a royal
-court, the second is usual in republics and those
-states in which assemblies, such as the Diet of the
-Empire of Switzerland, are the repositories of
-power. It is always the custom where states are
-assembled in France to exchange statements of
-policy in writing. But it is always more advantageous
-for the practised diplomatist to negotiate
-face to face, because by that means he can discover
-the true intentions of those with whom he is dealing.
-His own skill will then enable him both to act and
-to speak in an appropriate and apt fashion. Most
-men in handling public affairs pay more attention<span class="pagenum" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</span>
-to what they themselves say than to what is said to
-them. Their minds are so full of their own notions
-that they can think of nothing but of obtaining
-the ears of others for them, and will hardly be prevailed
-on to listen to the statements of other people.
-This fault is peculiar to those lively and impatient
-nations like ours, who find it difficult to bridle
-impetuous temperaments. It has often been
-noticed that in ordinary conversation Frenchmen
-speak all at one time, and interrupt one another
-incessantly, without attempting to hear what each
-has to say.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Apt
-Listener.</span></div>
-
-<p>One of the most necessary qualities in a good
-negotiator is to be an apt listener; to find a skilful
-yet trivial reply to all questions put to him, and to
-be in no hurry to declare either his own policy, still
-less his own feelings; and on opening negotiations
-he should be careful not to reveal the full extent of
-his design except in so far as it is necessary to
-explore the ground; and he should govern his
-own conduct as much by what he observes in
-the faces of others as by what he hears from their
-lips. One of the great secrets of diplomacy is to
-sift the real from the trivial, and so to speak, to
-distil drop by drop into the minds of your competitors
-those causes and arguments which you
-wish them to adopt. By this means your influence
-will spread gradually through their minds almost<span class="pagenum" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</span>
-unawares. In acting thus the negotiator will bear
-in mind that the majority of men will never enter
-upon a vast undertaking, even though advantageous
-to themselves, without they can see beforehand
-the whole length of the journey upon which
-they are asked to embark. Its magnitude will
-deter them. But if they can be brought to take
-successfully one step after another they will find
-themselves at the end of the journey almost unawares.
-Herein is to be found the importance of
-not revealing vast designs except to a few chosen
-spirits whose minds are properly attuned to them.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Diplomacy a
-Bowling
-Green.</span></div>
-
-<p>A truth of this kind applies to friend and foe
-alike. Thus in the approach to difficult negotiations
-the true dexterity of diplomacy, like a good bowler
-using the run of the green, consists in finding the
-existing bias of the matter. As Epictetus, the
-ancient philosopher, said in his manual: ‘There
-are in every matter two handles, the one by which
-it is easy to carry, the other difficult. Do not take
-it by the difficult end, for if you do so you will
-neither be able to lift it nor carry it. But if you take
-it by the right side you will carry it without trouble.’
-Now the easiest way to find the right bias is to make
-each proposition which you put forward appear
-as a statement of the interests of those with whom
-you are negotiating, for since diplomacy is the attempt
-to find a basis of common action or agreement,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</span>
-it is obvious that the more the opposing
-party can be brought to see your designs in their
-own light and to accept them thus, the more surely
-will their co-operation for any action be fruitful
-alike to themselves and to you.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Bias of
-Human
-Nature.</span></div>
-
-<p>Now, of course there are few men who will entirely
-divest themselves of their own sentiments in
-favour of those of others, or who will confess that
-they were wrong, especially if the matter be conducted
-in an acrimonious discussion in which the
-negotiator meets all arguments freely by contradiction.
-But none the less the astute diplomatist
-will know how to exploit human nature in such a
-manner as to cause even the most stiff-necked opponents
-gradually to relax their hold upon certain
-opinions; and this may be most easily attained by
-abandoning the approach which caused the original
-dispute, and taking up the matter from another
-aspect. Thus by flattery of his <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">amour-propre</i>, or
-by some other device which may put him in a good
-humour, the competitor in a negotiation may be
-brought to consider the matter in a new light, and
-to accept at the end of the negotiation that which
-he repudiated with violence at its commencement.
-And, however unreasonable the majority of mankind
-is, it will always be observed that men retain
-so much respect for reason that they will always
-hope to be judged by the other man as acting<span class="pagenum" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</span>
-upon reasonable grounds. The negotiator will
-know how to exploit this subtle form of intellectual
-pride. And especially where there is more than
-one party to the negotiation the astute diplomatist
-will be able to exploit the foibles of each of the
-other two parties, and yet to flatter each in turn
-for his reasonable and statesmanlike attitude.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Ce n’est que le
-premier pas
-qui coûte.</span></div>
-
-<p>Above all, at the commencement of a negotiation,
-as I have said, it is necessary in any long and
-complicated business to present the matter in hand
-in its easiest and most advantageous light, and so to
-speak to insinuate all parties into it so that they
-may be well launched upon the whole enterprise
-before they are aware of its magnitude. For this
-purpose the negotiator must appear as an agreeable,
-enlightened, and far-seeing person; he must beware
-of trying to pass himself off too conspicuously as
-a crafty or adroit manipulator. The essence of
-skill lies in concealing it, and the negotiator must
-ever strive to leave an impression upon his fellow
-diplomatists of his sincerity and good faith. And
-he should beware of attempting to force a decision,
-or to ride roughshod over difficulties that are raised,
-for if he behaves thus he will not fail to draw upon
-himself the aversion of those with whom he is dealing,
-and thus to bring prejudice upon his master’s
-designs. It would be better for him to pass for
-less enlightened than he really is, and he should<span class="pagenum" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</span>
-attempt to carry his own policy to success by good
-and solid reasons rather than by pouring contempt
-upon the policy of others. The opposite fault is
-equally to be avoided. The negotiator must not
-let himself pass under the influence of other men,
-especially of those powerful personalities whose
-wont it is to sway the minds of all whom they meet.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Diplomacy
-does not thrive
-upon Menaces.</span></div>
-
-<p>The more powerful the prince, the more suave
-should his diplomatist be, for since power of that
-kind is likely to awaken jealousy in his neighbours,
-the diplomat should let it speak for itself, and
-rather use his own powers of persuasion by means
-of moderation to support the just rights of his
-prince than to vaunt his power or the extent of his
-dominions. Menaces always do harm to negotiation,
-and they frequently push one party to
-extremities to which they would not have resorted
-without provocation. It is well known that injured
-vanity frequently drives men into courses which
-a sober estimate of their own interests would lead
-them to avoid. Of course when a prince has real
-subjects of complaint against another, especially
-against an inferior, in circumstances where it is
-necessary to make an example of the delinquent,
-the blow must fall immediately after the threat is
-given, so that the delinquent cannot be in a position,
-either by the delays of diplomacy or by any
-other means, to shield himself from just punishment.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</span>
-The longer the delay is between the threat
-and its fulfilment, the more likely it is that the
-culprit will be able to form alliances with other
-Powers, and thus avoid the just chastisement of
-the prince whom he has wronged.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Good
-Christian.</span></div>
-
-<p>The wise and enlightened negotiator must of
-course be a good Christian, and he must let his
-character appear in all his speeches, in his way of
-living, and must forbid evil and loose-living persons
-to cross his threshold. Justice and modesty should
-govern all his actions; he should be respectful to
-princes; affable and approachable with his equals;
-considerate to his inferiors, and civil and honest with
-everybody.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">At Home in
-the Foreign
-Country.</span></div>
-
-<p>He must fall into the ways and customs of the
-country where he lives without showing repugnance
-or expressing contempt for them, as is frequently
-done by diplomatists who lose no opportunity
-of praising their own country and decrying
-all others. The diplomatist must bear in mind
-once for all that he is not authorised to demand
-that a whole nation shall conform to his way of
-living, and that it is more reasonable, and in the
-long run greatly to his own comfort, to accommodate
-himself to foreign ways of living. He
-should beware of criticising the form of government
-or the personal conduct of the prince to whom
-he is accredited. On the contrary he should always<span class="pagenum" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</span>
-praise that which is praiseworthy without affectation
-and without flattery, and if he properly
-understands his own function he will quickly discover
-that there is no nation or state which has
-not many good points, excellent laws, charming
-customs as well as bad ones; and he will quickly
-discover that it is easy to single out the good points,
-and that there is no profit to be had in denouncing
-the bad ones, for the very good reason that nothing
-the diplomatist can say or do will alter the domestic
-habits or laws of the country in which he lives.
-He should take a pride in knowing the history of
-the country, so that he may be able to give the
-prince pleasure by praising the great feats of his
-ancestors, as well as for his own benefit to interpret
-current events in the light of the historical movements
-of the past. When it becomes known that
-the negotiator possesses such knowledge and uses
-it aptly, his credit will certainly rise, and if he is
-adroit enough to turn his conversations at court to
-those subjects of which he is a master, he will find
-that his diplomatic task is greatly assisted, and that
-the pleasure he gives to those around him is amply
-repaid to him in the smoothness of negotiation.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Secret of
-Success.</span></div>
-
-<p>The diplomatist must, however, bear constantly
-in mind both at work and at play the aims which
-he is supposed to be serving in the foreign country,
-and should subordinate his personal pleasure and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</span>
-all his occupations to their pursuit. In this matter
-the two chief aims which the able negotiator places
-before himself are, as I have said, to conduct the
-affairs of his master to a prosperous issue, and to
-spare no pains to discover the designs of others.
-And since the means to be employed in both cases
-are the same, namely by acquiring the esteem,
-friendship, and confidence of the prince himself and
-of those in authority around him, there is no surer
-way of employing them than by becoming personally
-agreeable. It is marvellous how a <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">persona grata</i>
-may contrive to uproot even the deepest suspicions
-and wipe out the memory of the gravest insults.
-If the diplomatist be looked upon with disfavour
-at the court he is not a true servant of his master’s
-interests; for one who is out of favour will not be
-in a position to know what is going on, and will
-therefore be but a poor guide to his home government
-in assisting them to frame their policy. The
-responsibility for placing the wrong kind of diplomatist
-in a good position rests of course with the
-minister who appoints him, but there are many
-cases in which an ill-fitting appointment has been
-redeemed by the dauntless assiduity and unfailing
-courtesy of the diplomatist himself; but since this
-imposes an unnecessary strain upon the ambassador,
-the Foreign Minister should ever have a care to
-appoint suitable men to all foreign posts.</p>
-
-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</span></p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Support from
-Home.</span></div>
-
-<p>I have already described those characteristics
-which compose suitability; I will but add here that
-no diplomatist can succeed in his foreign task unless
-he is well supported by his own government and
-given every opportunity to understand its policy.
-By this means he will be in a position to exploit
-every situation as far as may be to advantage, and
-he will also be able to deny false rumours set afloat
-by the enemy. This support from his home
-government implies a complimentary application
-on his part, for it is of the highest importance that
-he should keep himself apprised of all contemporary
-movements in his own country; that he
-should know intimately the personal character both
-of the sovereign and of his Foreign Minister, so that
-in moments of doubt he may be able to guess
-shrewdly what is in the mind of those who employ
-him. Without such knowledge he will certainly
-go astray, and without a constant contact with
-his home government the conduct of diplomacy
-cannot possibly prosper in his hands.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Good Faith the
-Best Weapon.</span></div>
-
-<p>As regards the relations which the diplomatist
-maintains in a foreign country, we must observe
-that while his success will partly depend upon his
-affability to all men, he must use the utmost discretion
-in all his more intimate relationships, and,
-above all, he should try to form professional friendships
-on the basis of mutual advantage and respect.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</span>
-There is no permanence in a relationship begun by
-promises which cannot be redeemed, and therefore,
-as I have said before, the use of deceit in diplomacy
-is of necessity restricted, for there is no curse which
-comes quicker to roost than a lie which has been
-found out. Beyond the fact that a lie is unworthy
-of a great minister, it actually does more harm than
-good to policy because, though it may confer
-success to-day, it will create an atmosphere of suspicion
-which will make success impossible to-morrow.
-No doubt an ambassador will receive
-a great deal of information which it is his duty to
-transmit; but if he is not in a position to test it
-he will merely pass it on without comment or
-guarantee of its truth. In general it should be
-the highest aim of the diplomatist to gain such
-a reputation for good faith with his own government
-and also abroad that they will place reliance
-both upon his information and upon the advice
-which he gives.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Value of
-a Candid
-Report.</span></div>
-
-<p>In this respect he should take good care in reporting
-the course of negotiations to his master from
-time to time not to hold out prospects of success
-before success itself is in his grasp. It is much
-better that he should depict the difficulties of the
-case and the improbability of success even when
-he is virtually sure in his own mind that he will
-succeed. He will acquire vastly greater credit by<span class="pagenum" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</span>
-success in an undertaking of which he himself
-promises little than he will in one upon which he
-has reported favourably throughout. It is always
-good for the credit of a negotiator if good reports
-of him arrive from different sources, for such independent
-proof of the value of a diplomatist’s services
-must be highly prized by every prince, and
-will redound to the benefit of the diplomatist himself.
-It is obvious that the more successful he is in
-the relationships which he forms at a foreign court,
-the more surely will the diplomatist receive such
-independent testimony to his merit. But let him
-not seek such testimony by unworthy means. For
-this purpose he should neither bribe the servants
-of others, nor take natives of a foreign court into his
-own service. It is too obvious that they will probably
-be spies.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">On Accepting
-Gifts.</span></div>
-
-<p>He himself ought never to consent to accept gifts
-from a foreign court except with the express knowledge
-and permission of his master, or in such cases
-as are commonly permitted by the usage of the
-court, such as those given on the arrival or departure
-of an ambassador. He who receives gifts on any
-other condition may be accused of selling himself,
-and therefore of betraying the prince whom he
-serves. Unless he preserves his independence he
-cannot possibly represent his own master or maintain
-the high dignity of his office. This dignity<span class="pagenum" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</span>
-must be kept beyond suspicion. It is indispensable
-to every ambassador, though it need not be carried
-out at all times and at all places, for the diplomatist
-will readily understand that at certain times he
-can win the good grace of those around him by
-living in an easy, affable, and familiar manner among
-his friends. To wrap oneself in official dignity at
-all times is mere preposterous arrogance, and the
-diplomatist who behaves thus will repel rather than
-attract.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">The Tale of
-Don Estevan
-de Gamarre.</span></div>
-
-<p>There are many important occasions when the
-diplomatist will require all his wit and all his
-prudence. It will often happen that he has to tell
-bad news or give unpalatable advice to a prince
-accustomed to be flattered by his ministers, who
-for various private reasons usually conceal bad
-news from him. Let me give an example of what
-I mean: Don Estevan de Gamarre had served the
-King of Spain for many years with zeal and fidelity
-both in war and in diplomacy, particularly in the
-Low Countries where he had been ambassador for
-a long time. He had a relative in the King’s
-Council fully disposed to put the ambassador’s services
-in the best light, and yet he received no reward,
-while late-comers of all kinds received advancement
-to high offices both at home and abroad. He
-resolved to go to Madrid to discover the cause of his
-evil fortune. He complained to his relative the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</span>
-minister, giving a number of instances in which
-important services which he had rendered had been
-passed over and forgotten. The minister having
-heard him, quietly replied that he had no one to
-blame but himself, and that if he had been as good
-a courtier as he was a brilliant diplomatist and faithful
-subject, he would have received the same advancement
-as those whose deserts were less, but
-that his sincerity was an obstacle to his good
-fortune, for his despatches were always full of
-distasteful truths which set the King’s teeth on
-edge.
-<span class="italic sidenote">The King’s Teeth on Edge.</span>
-For instance, when the French gained a
-victory he told the story faithfully and without
-regard for Spanish feelings in his despatches. Or
-if they set siege to a town, he would predict its
-certain fall unless help were sent. Or in another
-case, where an ally had expressed displeasure because
-the Spanish Court seemed likely not to keep
-faith with it, he insisted that the King should keep
-his word in language which was neither diplomatic nor
-persuasive, and all the while other Spanish negotiators
-in other parts of France, with better eye to their
-own interests, were informing the King that the
-French were decadent, that their armies were undisciplined
-and quite incapable of effective campaigning,
-and so on: to which the minister himself
-added that the King in Council could not too
-highly reward those who sent such good news, nor<span class="pagenum" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</span>
-too readily forget a man like himself who never
-wrote anything but the unpalatable truth.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Deceit in
-Favour in
-Madrid.</span></div>
-
-<p>Thereupon Don Estevan de Gamarre, in his surprise
-at this picture of the Court of Spain drawn
-for him by his relative, replied: ‘Apparently
-fortune in Madrid favours the deceiver and the
-favour of the Court may be won by mendacity. I
-have no longer any qualms about my future.’ He
-then returned to the Low Countries, where he profited
-so easily by the advice of his relative, that, to
-employ a Spanish term, he won several <i lang="es" xml:lang="es">mercedes</i>,
-and he saw his own affairs prosper in the measure
-in which he succeeded in inventing reasons why
-the affairs of the enemy must come to nought.
-From this one may conclude that the Court of
-Spain wished to be deceived, and gave its ambassadors
-a free rein to make their own fortunes at the
-expense of the true interests of the monarchy.
-There is a moral here both for ministers at home
-and for ambassadors abroad, on which I need not
-insist. The truth requires two agents, one to tell
-and another to hear.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">On Treaties
-and their
-Ratifications.</span></div>
-
-<p>Between sovereign states there are many kinds of
-treaty, the principal of which are treaties of peace,
-armistices, commercial treaties, and those which
-regulate alliances or guarantee neutrality. There
-are both public and secret treaties. There are even
-contingent treaties, so called because their success<span class="pagenum" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</span>
-depends upon future events. When the ministers
-of two equal Powers sign a treaty they make two
-copies of it which are called a double instrument.
-In each copy the ambassador who draws it up
-places the name of his own prince at the head and
-signs his in order at the foot, thereby indicating
-that neither he nor his master relinquishes his
-claim to the first place in Europe. And since all
-new treaties are based upon the precedent of old
-ones, and probably refer to measures taken under
-previous treaties, they are always drawn up in the
-same form, and often in the same number of articles.
-Now in drawing up a treaty it is the duty of the
-enlightened diplomat to see that the statement
-of policy contained in the document in hand does
-not conflict with or injure some other enterprise of
-his government. He must also see that the conditions
-are laid down so clearly that they cannot be
-subject to diverse interpretations. It is obvious
-from this that the negotiator must be master of the
-language in which the negotiation is conducted, and
-especially that in which the treaty itself is written,
-otherwise he will find himself in endless difficulties
-and complications. The meaning of a treaty may
-easily turn on a single word, and unless the diplomatist
-is thoroughly at home in the language in
-question he will not be in a position to judge
-whether the words proposed to be used are suitable.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</span>
-Ignorance of foreign languages indeed is perhaps
-the most serious drawback with which diplomacy
-can be afflicted. Now though princes and sovereign
-states entrust negotiations to diplomatists armed
-with full powers, none the less they never conclude
-or sign treaties except upon their own explicit ratification
-given with their own hand and sealed with
-their own seal, and the treaties are never published
-until they have been ratified, and cannot take effect
-until they are published except in cases specially
-provided for, where certain articles and sometimes
-the whole treaty is deliberately kept secret.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">On Writing
-Despatches.</span></div>
-
-<p>While the art of handling a foreign court is the
-principal part of diplomacy, it is no less important
-that the diplomatist himself should be able to give
-an exact and faithful account in writing of his own
-court, both in respect of the negotiations in his
-charge and in respect of all other business which
-arises. The letters which a diplomatist writes
-to his prince are called despatches, and should be
-stripped of verbiage, preambles, and other vain and
-useless ornaments. They should give a complete
-account of his actions, beginning with his first
-<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">démarche</i> on arrival at the foreign court, describing
-in detail the manner in which he was received, and
-thereafter proceeding to report step by step the
-ways in which he proposes to arrive at an understanding
-of all that goes on around him. Thus<span class="pagenum" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</span>
-the despatches of a really adept diplomatist will
-present a picture of the foreign country, in which
-he will describe not only the course of the negotiations
-which he himself conducts, but a great
-variety of other matters which form the essential
-background and setting of his political action.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">A Portrait
-Gallery.</span></div>
-
-<p>It will contain the portraits not only of the King
-himself but of all his ministers, and indeed of all
-those persons who have influence upon the course
-of public affairs. Thus the able diplomatist can
-place his master in command of all the material
-necessary for a true judgment of the foreign country,
-and the more successfully he carries out this part
-of his duties, the more surely will he make his
-master feel as though he himself had lived abroad
-and watched the scenes which are described. In
-present circumstances all French diplomatists, both
-ambassadors and envoys, are permitted the honour
-of communicating direct with the King in order to
-give account of their stewardship abroad, whereas
-in previous times they were only allowed to transmit
-their reports through a Secretary of State for Foreign
-Affairs. The latter procedure undoubtedly caused
-them to be more circumspect both in the matter
-and in the style of their despatches. This is to be
-regretted, for there is nothing more important than
-that the diplomatist living abroad should feel himself
-able to write with candour, freedom, and force,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</span>
-in all his efforts to describe the land in which he
-lives.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Qualities of a
-Good
-Despatch.</span></div>
-
-<p>The best despatches are those written in a clear
-and concise manner, unadorned by useless epithets,
-or by anything which may becloud the clarity of
-the argument. Simplicity is the first essential, and
-diplomatists should take the greatest care to avoid
-all affectations such as a pretence of wit or the
-learned overweight of scientific disquisitions. Facts
-and events should be set down in their true order,
-and in such a manner as to enable the proper deductions
-to be made from them. They should be
-placed in their right setting to indicate both the
-circumstances and the motives which guide the
-action of foreign courts. Indeed, a despatch which
-merely recites facts, without discussing them in
-the light of the motives and policy of persons in
-authority, is nothing more than an empty court
-chronicle. The right kind of despatch need not
-be long, for even the fullest discussion of motive
-and circumstance can be presented in a compact
-form; and the more compact and clear it is, the
-more certainly will it carry conviction to the reader.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">On Keeping a
-Diary.</span></div>
-
-<p>This leads me to suggest that the diplomatist
-will find it useful to make a daily note of the principal
-points of which he must render an account,
-and he should make a special practice of sitting
-down at his desk immediately he comes from a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</span>
-royal audience, and writing out to the best of his
-recollection exactly what was said, how it was said,
-and how it was received. This diary, which is a
-valuable part of diplomatic equipment, will greatly
-assist him in composing his despatches, and will
-give him a means of correcting his own memory
-at any later date. He should draw up his despatches
-in the form of separate short articles, each
-to a single special point, for if he were to present
-his despatch in one unwieldy, unbroken paragraph
-it might never be read. A shrewd old negotiator
-of my acquaintance said with truth that a despatch
-written in an orderly fashion and in several short
-clear paragraphs was like a palace lighted by many
-windows so that there was not a dark corner in it.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Orderly
-Archives.</span></div>
-
-<p>Besides his diary, the negotiator should keep an
-exact minute of all the despatches which he writes,
-and should preserve them in chronological order
-for easy reference. He should do the same with
-those which he receives. A properly organised
-registry is a good thing for the negotiator. There
-are certain negotiators who on sitting at their desks
-at night write down everything which they have
-learnt or guessed during the day, so that they may
-always be ready to supply from this journal the raw
-material, so to speak, of their judgments of events.
-It is sometimes wise to follow the practice of the
-Roman Court, and to devote separate letters,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</span>
-separately sealed, to each of the principal subjects
-on which despatches are being sent. This is
-especially the case where it is necessary to supply
-an ambassador with instructions upon several different
-points, for he may be required to produce his
-instructions to the Foreign Minister, and it would
-be well that he should be able to do so regarding
-points at issue without revealing the instructions
-he has received on other subjects.</p>
-
-<p>When important negotiations are on hand no
-expense should be spared in keeping an efficient
-service of couriers, though on the other hand the
-young diplomatist should beware of sending anything
-by special courier which is not of the very
-first importance....</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Discretion in
-Despatch
-Writing.</span></div>
-
-<p>It is for the negotiator himself to make up his
-mind how freely he may write regarding the persons
-and events of a foreign country. It would be wise
-for him to make up his mind to the extent to which
-he can rely on the good faith either of his own King
-or of his Foreign Minister, for it is conceivable that
-the despatches which he writes may be shown to
-the prince or the ministers described in them. In
-this, as in many other matters, the diplomatist
-must know the characters both of the personage
-whom he describes and of the personages to whom
-his despatches are addressed. As he sits at his
-desk composing his despatch he should remember<span class="pagenum" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</span>
-how important a link he is between two great
-nations; how much may turn upon the manner in
-which he presents his reading of events to his own
-government, and therefore how vital and far-reaching
-are the interests confided to his hands.
-Remembering this he will instruct his secretary
-and the attachés of his embassy to act as the eyes
-and ears of his diplomacy, and to imitate his example
-by keeping a careful daily record of impressions,
-events, and persons. By comparing notes with his
-subordinates he will be able all the better to carry
-out one of his principal duties, which is to distinguish
-with care between doubtful and true
-information.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">News in its
-Proper Setting.</span></div>
-
-<p>It often happens that news is most uncertain at
-the moment when it is most important. He should
-therefore take care to transmit it in the proper
-setting of all its attendant circumstances, so that
-the prince may have some material by which to
-judge whether the advice of his ambassador is well
-founded. There is no doubt that in crises of this
-kind the habit of private correspondence between
-the Foreign Minister and the King and his ministers
-abroad is of the utmost use, for it enables them to
-discuss all questions with a freedom which is denied
-to despatches of a more formal kind; and it will
-often place the home government in possession of
-knowledge which will be of the utmost value to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</span>
-them. And since a true judgment of events in one
-country will often depend upon what is happening
-in others, a diplomatist in foreign parts will ever
-keep in touch with his colleagues in other foreign
-countries, so that he may be informed of the course
-of events elsewhere. This co-operation between
-ambassadors abroad is one of the most useful
-features in diplomacy.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Ciphers.</span></div>
-
-<p>As secrecy is the very soul of diplomacy, the art
-of writing letters in cipher has been invented in
-order to disguise the written message, but unless
-the cipher is unusually clever the industry of men,
-whose wits are sharpened by necessity and by self-interest,
-will not fail to discover the key to it.
-Indeed, to such a pitch has this been brought that
-there are now men who are known as professional
-decipherers, though in all probability, as I believe,
-their reputation rests largely upon the ineptitude
-of poor ciphers rather than upon their discovery of
-a good cipher. For as a matter of fact experience
-shows that a well-made and well-guarded cipher is
-practically undiscoverable except by some betrayal,
-that is to say, that the wits even of the cleverest
-student of ciphers will fail to pierce its secret unless
-aided by corruption. It is therefore the duty
-of the ambassador, having satisfied himself that the
-ciphers of his government are adroitly made, to take
-all means for their due protection, and especially<span class="pagenum" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</span>
-to satisfy himself that the staff of his embassy understand
-not only the use of the cipher itself, but the
-extreme importance of guarding it from unauthorised
-eyes. And certainly the ambassador ought not
-to adopt the indolent practice, of which I have
-known one or two cases, where the less important
-part of a despatch was written <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">en clair</i>, and the
-ambassador himself added the vital part in cipher.
-Action of that kind is a masterpiece of futility, for
-it leads directly to the compromise of the cipher
-itself. For if the letter fall into enemy hands it
-will not be difficult for a clever spy to divine the
-manner of the sentence in cipher from the context
-written <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">en clair</i>.</p>
-
-<p>In a word, the ambassador and his staff should
-guard a cipher as they would the inmost secrets of
-their own hearts. A really effective cipher is literally
-worth far more than its weight in gold.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">General
-Duties.</span></div>
-
-<p>It is the duty of ministers residing at foreign
-courts to take steps to see that nothing is there
-published contrary to the honour or reputation of
-their sovereign, and to take all measures necessary
-to prevent the circulation of stories and rumours
-prejudicial to his interests. The ambassador must
-take care to protect the interests of all his master’s
-subjects, both in such matters as the free exercise
-of their religion, in which he should even offer his
-embassy as an asylum for those who are persecuted,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</span>
-and in other matters, acting as a mediator
-between his fellow-countrymen on occasions of dispute.
-At need he should be ready to assist them
-and in all ways to live among them on terms of easy
-yet dignified friendship. And, on the other hand,
-persons of position on visiting a foreign country
-should never neglect to pay their respects to their
-own ambassador, and it is also the ambassador’s
-duty to remind them of their duty towards the
-foreign court itself. If they are persons of court
-standing, they will be guilty of a gross breach of
-etiquette unless they take the proper steps to make
-themselves known to the sovereign. And on all
-kinds of public festivity he should make it his
-especial care to see that the members of his own
-national colony take their proper share in them
-and are accorded their due rights. The better his
-relations are with his countrymen living abroad,
-the more surely will he discover how large are the
-reciprocal benefits to be gained thus, for it will
-often happen that unofficial persons receive information
-as it were by accident which may be of
-the utmost importance to the ambassador in his
-negotiations. Unless good relations exist between
-him and them he may remain in ignorance of important
-facts.</p>
-
-<hr class="tb" />
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">These Precepts
-the Fruit of
-Experience.</span></div>
-
-<p>In the foregoing observations I have done no<span class="pagenum" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</span>
-more than give a sketch of the qualities and duties
-of the diplomatist. Of necessity there is much that
-is lacking in these fugitive notes; but I think I
-may claim that all diplomatists of experience will
-approve of the advice I have given, and will declare
-that the more my precepts are observed in the
-practice of diplomacy, the more surely will success
-attend the policy of our nation. If I have laid
-stress upon the essentials rather than upon the form
-and circumstance of diplomatic work, if I have also
-spoken with candour, both regarding the duties of
-the minister at home and of his agents in foreign
-parts, it is because I believe that a knowledge of
-the truth is the necessary forerunner of fruitful
-reform.</p>
-
-<div class="sidenote"><span class="italic">Diplomacy
-Rich in
-Opportunity.</span></div>
-
-<p>My final word to diplomatists, young and old,
-is that in normal times they may reasonably expect
-that where they have given proof of sterling merit
-in negotiation, their services will be recognised and
-honours conferred upon them, and in such matters
-the higher honour is undoubtedly to find oneself
-entrusted with ever more important affairs of
-state. But if the diplomatist should lack such
-recognition, he may find his own recompense in the
-satisfaction of having faithfully and efficiently discharged
-the duties laid upon him. It has often
-been said that the public service is an ungrateful
-task in which a man must find his chief recompense<span class="pagenum" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</span>
-within himself. If I am held to agree to this, I
-cannot allow it to be used as a discouragement to
-young men of good birth and ability from entering
-my own profession. Disappointment awaits us in
-all walks of life, but in no profession are disappointments
-so amply outweighed by rich opportunities
-as in the practice of diplomacy.</p>
-
-<hr />
-
-<p class="center mb2">Printed by T. and <span class="smcap">A. Constable</span>, Printers to His Majesty
-at the Edinburgh University Press</p>
-
-<div class="transnote break">
-<p class="ph">Transcriber’s Notes</p>
-
-
-<p>In this file, text in _italics_ is indicated by underscores, and text
-in SMALL CAPS is in uppercase.</p>
-
-<p>The following alterations were made to the text as printed:</p>
-
-<p>Page 79: “ceremonial vists” changed to “ceremonial visits”</p>
-
-<p>80: “whereever insult is offered” changed to “wherever insult is
-offered”</p>
-
-<p>81: “illicit traffic The privileges” changed to “illicit traffic. The
-privileges”</p>
-
-<p>101: “tranferred his confidence” changed to “transferred his confidence”</p>
-
-<p>105: “Craft at the Card Table” changed to “Craft at the Card-table”</p>
-</div>
-
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