ask for help on meanings of some sentences

[PageUser]

I have a difficulty in understanding the meaning of the following sentences:

"and in the world there are only the vulgar, for the few find a place there only when the many have no ground to rest on."

the full paragragh:
"For that reason, let a prince have the credit of conquering and holding
his state, the means will always be considered honest, and he will be
praised by everybody because the vulgar are always taken by what a thing
seems to be and by what comes of it; and in the world there are only the
vulgar, for the few find a place there only when the many have no ground
to rest on."

from "The Prince"
http://www.constitution.org/mac/prince18.htm

Can you please help me with a few sentences in plain words on explaining them?
Thanks in advance.

[Marius Hancu]

>"and in the world there are only the vulgar, for the few find a place there only when the many have no ground to rest on."

I think this is a cynical report of the world: the majority of the people are vulgar.

The selected (few) ones (presumably good or educated or intelligent [which are not necessarily identical] people) find a place only when the (vulgar) many/majority are/is not present (for whatever reasons) in that same place.

Read this book with the help of these notes:

http://www.bookrags.com/notes/pri/PART19.html

http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/prince/quotes.html

[OddThomas]

for the few find a place there only when the many have no ground to rest on is a metaphor.

Chapter XVIII explains how a conquering prince should pretend to be merciful, faithful, humane, upright, and religious. Machiavelli says that "it is unnecessary for a prince to have all the good qualities...but it is very necessary to appear to have them."

In the metaphor, Machiavelli is saying that once the vulgar, gullible multitude have deceived themselves, with the prince's help of course, into believing the virtues of the prince (it's so crowded in that place of incorrect opinion there is no place to rest, and they are figuratively forced off their feet by their crushing mass), there is plenty of room for the calculating, dissembling prince to operate to keep them deceived (underneath them).

[PageUser]

thank both of you, Marius Hancu and OddThomas, very much for your answers.