Annex 7 (Book XVIII, chapter 7)
On the capital of the empire
One of the consequences of what we have just said is that it is important to a very great prince to choose the seat of his empire well. He who places it toward the south will risk losing the north, and he who places it in the north will easily retain the south. I am not speaking of particular cases : mechanics indeed has its frictions, which often change or halt the effects of theory ; politics has some as well.