The Early History of India, from 600 B.C. to the Muhammadan Conquest, including the Invasion of Alexander the Great c18.108

c18.108

The relations between the kingdoms prior to the consolidation of the Maurya empire consequently involved an unceasing struggle for existence. Might was right. No prince pretended to trust any other ruler for a moment, or to keep faith if he felt strong enough to break the pact. No considerations of morality were allowed to influence statecraft, which avowedly preferred the use of insidious and treacherous means, including every form of secret assassination. The maxim that the vices of ordinary people are virtues in kings was plainly enunciated, and, as history shows, was constantly acted on. Skill in intrigue was a better qualification for kingship than either power or enthusiasm.²