The Political Testament of Cardinal Richelieu: The Significant Chapters and Supporting Selections

VI. The Need for Continuous Negotiation in Diplomacy (Complete)

CHAPTER VI THE NEED FOR CONTINUOUS NEGOTIATION IN DIPLOMACY m Statesreceive so muchbenefit from uninterrupted foreign negotiations, if they are conducted with prudence , that it is unbelievable unless it is known from experience . I confess that I realized this truth only five or six years after I had been employed in the direction of your affairs. But I am now so convinced of its validity that I dare say emphatically that it is absolutely necessary to the well-being of the state to negotiate ceaselessly, either openly or secretly, and in all places, even in those from which no present fruits are reaped and still more in those for which no future prospects as yet seem likely. I can truthfully say that I have seen in my time the nature of affairs change completely for both France and the rest of Christendom as' a result of my having, under the authority of the King, put this principle into practicesomething up to then completely neglected in this realm. Some among these plantings produce their fruits more 94 DIPLOMACY 9S quickly than others. Indeed, there are those which are no sooner in the ground than they germinate and sprout forth, while others remain long dormant before producing any effect. He who negotiates continuously will finally find the right instant to attain his ends, and even if this does not come about, at least it can be said he has lost nothing while keeping abreast of events in the world, which is not of little consequence in the lives of states. Negotiations are innocuous remedies which never do harm. It is necessary to act everywhere, near and far, and above all at Rome. Among the three items of advice which Antonio Perez 28 gave to the late king, he placed first that of making His Majesty appear powerful at the papal court. This was not without reason, since the ambassadors of all the princes of Christendom present there judge that those who are treated by that court with respect and as having authority are in fact those actually most powerful. In truth their judgment is not badly founded, for while it is certain that there is no one in the world who should have greater respect for reason than the pope, yet there actually is no place where power is more highly rated than at his court. This is made clearly evident by the fact that the respect rendered there to ambassadors of princes rises and falls day by day accordingly as the affairs of their masters wax or wane. 28Antonio Perez (1534-16II), secretary to Philip II of Spain, from whose wrath he fled in 1591, finding refuge at the court of Henry IV of France. It was mainly from his venomous pen that the world derived the commonly accepted harsh portrait of Philip. CONTINUOUS NEGOTIATION Indeed, it often occurs that ministers receive two contradictory treatments on the same day if a courier who arrives in the evening carries different news than the one who came in the morning. States correspond to the human body. A good color in a man's face leads the doctor to conclude that there is nothingseriously wrong inside, as that good appearance arises from the sound condition of the internal organs. By the same token it is certain that the best means which a prince can employ to stand well at Rome is to put his own house in good order. It is almost impossible to have a great reputation in that city, which has long been the diplomatic and geographical center of the world, without everywhere enjoying great advantage to our interests. Common sense teaches us that it is necessary to watch our neighbors closely, because their proximity gives them the chance to be bothersome. But it also puts them in the position of serving as the outposts preventing the close approach to our walls. Mediocre minds restrict their reach to the confines of the state in which they were born. But those to whom God has gIven more intelligence , learning from doctors that with the most serious diseases the manifestations are more visible at the extremities , omit nothing which can fortify them thoroughly against any eventualities. It is necessary to act in each instance, I should point out, according to the particular circumstances and with means appropriate for those with whom one is negotiat- IN DIPLOMACY 97 ing. Different nations have different...