A weak but noble king and a strong but low-born one: The teachers say that the people prefer a strong king, though low-born, [precisely] because he is strong. Though nobly-born, the people can be induced to follow a weak king only with difficulty. Kautilya disagrees. People will naturally obey a high-born king though he is weak, because a man of nobility has a natural capacity to rule. Furthermore, people frustrate the intrigues of the low-born, however strong he may be, because, as the saying goes: ‘When there is love, one sees all the virtues in the beloved.’ {8.2.21-24}
