The 48 Laws Of Power

fering

withhiswork.In 1528 Aretinodecidedto

attempt

anew

strategy

in

the

patronagegame.Leaving

Rome,

he establishedhimselfin

Venice,

wherefewhadheardofhim.Hehadafairamountof

money

hehadman-

aged

to

save,

butlittleelse.Soonafterhemovedintohisnew

home,

how-

ever,

heflirew

open

its doors to rich and

poor, regaling

them with

banquets

andamusements.Hebefriendedeachand

everygondolier,tip-

ping

them

royally.

Inthe

streets,

he

spread

his

moneyliberally,

giving

it

away

to

beggars,orphans,

Washerwomen.

Among

the

city’s

commoners,

word

quicklyspread

that

Aretino

was

more

than

just

a

great

writer,

hewas

amanof

power—-a

kindoflord.

Artistsandmenofinfluencesoon

began

to

frequent

Areu‘no’shouse.

Withinafew

years

hemadehimselfa

celebrity;

no

visiting

dignitary

would

thinkof

leaving

Venicewithout

paying

himacall.His

generosity

hadcost

himmostofhis

savings,

buthad

bought

him

influenceand

a

good

name—

acornerstone

in

thefoundationof

power.

SinceinRenaissance

Italy

as

elsewherethe

ability

to

spendfreely

wasthe

privilege

ofthe

rich,

thearisv

tocracythought

Aretinohadtobe amanof

influence,

sincehe

spent

money

likeone.Andsincetheinfluenceofamanofinfluenceisworth

buying,

Aretinobecame the

recipient

ofall sortsof

gifts

and

moneys.

Dukesand

duchesses,

wealthy

merchants,

and

popes

and

princes

com-

peted

to

gain

his

favor,

andshoweredhimwithallkindsof

presents.

Aretino’s

spending

habits,

of

course,

were

strategic,

andthe

strategy

workedlikeacharm.Butforreal

money

and

comfort

he

needed

a

great

patron’s

bottomless

pockets.Havingsurveyed

the

possibilities,

heeventu-

ally

set

his

sights

onthe

extremelywealthyMarquis

of

Mantua,

andwrote

an

epicpoem

thathededicatedtothe

marquis.

Thiswasacommon

prac-

ticeofwriters

looking

for

patronage:

In

exchange

foradedication

they

would

get

asmall

stipend,enough

towrite

yet

another

poem,

sothat

they

spent

theirlivesinakind

ofconstant

servility.

Aretino,however,

wanted

power,

nota

measly

wage.

He

might

dedicatea

poem

tothe

marquis,

but

hewouldofferittohimas

a

gift,implyingbydoing

sothathewasnota

hiredhack

looking

fora

stipend

butthatheandthe

marquis

were

equals.

Aret.ino’s

gift-giving

didnot

stop

there:As

a

closefriend

of

twoof

Venice’s

greatest

artists,

the

sculptorJacopo

Sansovino

andthe

painter

Titian,

he convincedthesemento

participate

inhis

gift-giving

scheme.

Aretinohadstudiedthe

marquis

before

going

toworkon

him,

andknew

histasteinsideand

out;

hewasabletoadviseSansovirioandTitianwhat

subject

matterwould

please

the

marquis

most.WhenhethensentaSanso-

vino

sculpture

andaTitian

painting

tothe

marquis

as

gifts

fromallthreeof

them,

themanwasbesidehimselfwith

joy.

Overthenextfew

months,

Aretinosentother

gifts——swords,

saddles,

the
glass

thatwasaVenetian

specialty,things

heknewthe

marquisprized.

Soon

he,Titian,

andSansovino

began

toreceive

gifts

fromthe

marquis

in

return.Andthe
strategy

went

further:When

the

son-in—law

of

a

friend

of

Aretino’sfoundhimselfin
jail

in

Mantua,

Aretinowasableto

get

themar-

quis

to

arrange

hisrelease.Aretinds

friend,

a

wealthy

merchant,

wasa

manof
great

influencein

Venice;

byturning

the

goodwill

hehadbuilt

up

your:pussrrrlbyafter

{his

promlxe,

and

Pharaoh,

(loomed 10

min,

rrnntinmrrl

to

live

inallhis

I?1agIl|fi(‘(!fl(,‘f’.

Mums’u-as

impulienl

for

Godto

destroy

Plmruolz

quickly,

and

hecouldnorendureto

wail

any

longer.

Sohe

V/listedforforty(lays

andwenttoMount

Sinai,

andinlzir

communing

with

god

he

said,

"0

Lord,

Thou

didrr

pVI)mtS£‘

(hut

Tlwuwouldst

rlesrrov

Pharaoh,

andStillhe

has

formkm

none

of

his

hlrzsphenzies

and

prr',t('n.vim1x.

So

when

WlllThou

dc.\'lroy

him?"

Avoice

came

from

The

Truth

xnyirig,

“0

Moses,

you

wamMeto

destroy

Pharaohas

quickly

as

possilzle.

but

athousandtimesa

rlwuscmd

of

My

servantswant

Mt:never

(0do

so,

b€(’IIIlSt'

they

partakenflzishmmty

and

enjoytranquillity

umlcrhisrule.

ByMy

power

Iswearthatas

long

ashe

provides

abunrlam‘

food

and

comfortforMy

crea-

tures,

Ishallnot

destroy

him

"

Moses

said,

"Then

whenwill

Thypromixc

be

fulfilled?"

Godmid,

“Mypromise

willbe

fulfilled

wlmnhewith-

holdslzis

provisirm

fromMy

creulzares,

If

everhe

begins

Iolarsrlrz

his

bounty.

lmowthat

hishouris

drawing

near.

"

Itclmnrezlthanone

day

Plmmohsazdto

Ihzmnzn,"Moseshas

gmherell

theSzms

of

l.S'fl1l’.l1lb()Illhimandis

causing

us

rlixquiel.

ll/I’

knownorwhatwillbe

LAW 40 339