the prince-第2章

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　pour　myself　out　as　fully　as　I　can　in　meditation　on　the　subject；　discussing　what　a　principality　is；　what　kinds　there　are；　how　they　can　be　acquired；　how　they　can　be　kept；　why　they　are　lost：　and　if　any　of　my　fancies　ever　pleased　you；　this　ought　not　to　displease　you：　and　to　a　prince；　especially　to　a　new　one；　it　should　be　welcome：　therefore　I　dedicate　it　to　his　Magnificence　Giuliano。　Filippo　Casavecchio　has　seen　it；　he　will　be　able　to　tell　you　what　is　in　it；　and　of　the　discourses　I　have　had　with　him；　nevertheless；　I　am　still　enriching　and　polishing　it。〃

The　〃little　book〃　suffered　many　vicissitudes　before　attaining　the　form　in　which　it　has　reached　us。　Various　mental　influences　were　at　work　during　its　composition；　its　title　and　patron　were　changed；　and　for　some　unknown　reason　it　was　finally　dedicated　to　Lorenzo　de'　Medici。　Although　Machiavelli　discussed　with　Casavecchio　whether　it　should　be　sent　or　presented　in　person　to　the　patron；　there　is　no　evidence　that　Lorenzo　ever　received　or　even　read　it：　he　certainly　never　gave　Machiavelli　any　employment。　Although　it　was　plagiarized　during　Machiavelli's　lifetime；　〃The　Prince〃　was　never　published　by　him；　and　its　text　is　still　disputable。

Machiavelli　concludes　his　letter　to　Vettori　thus：　〃And　as　to　this　little　thing　＇his　book＇；　when　it　has　been　read　it　will　be　seen　that　during　the　fifteen　years　I　have　given　to　the　study　of　statecraft　I　have　neither　slept　nor　idled；　and　men　ought　ever　to　desire　to　be　served　by　one　who　has　reaped　experience　at　the　expense　of　others。　And　of　my　loyalty　none　could　doubt；　because　having　always　kept　faith　I　could　not　now　learn　how　to　break　it；　for　he　who　has　been　faithful　and　honest；　as　I　have；　cannot　change　his　nature；　and　my　poverty　is　a　witness　to　my　honesty。〃

Before　Machiavelli　had　got　〃The　Prince〃　off　his　hands　he　commenced　his　〃Discourse　on　the　First　Decade　of　Titus　Livius；〃　which　should　be　read　concurrently　with　〃The　Prince。〃　These　and　several　minor　works　occupied　him　until　the　year　1518；　when　he　accepted　a　small　commission　to　look　after　the　affairs　of　some　Florentine　merchants　at　Genoa。　In　1519　the　Medicean　rulers　of　Florence　granted　a　few　political　concessions　to　her　citizens；　and　Machiavelli　with　others　was　consulted　upon　a　new　constitution　under　which　the　Great　Council　was　to　be　restored；　but　on　one　pretext　or　another　it　was　not　promulgated。

In　1520　the　Florentine　merchants　again　had　recourse　to　Machiavelli　to　settle　their　difficulties　with　Lucca；　but　this　year　was　chiefly　remarkable　for　his　re…entry　into　Florentine　literary　society；　where　he　was　much　sought　after；　and　also　for　the　production　of　his　〃Art　of　War。〃　It　was　in　the　same　year　that　he　received　a　commission　at　the　instance　of　Cardinal　de'　Medici　to　write　the　〃History　of　Florence；〃　a　task　which　occupied　him　until　1525。　His　return　to　popular　favour　may　have　determined　the　Medici　to　give　him　this　employment；　for　an　old　writer　observes　that　〃an　able　statesman　out　of　work；　like　a　huge　whale；　will　endeavour　to　overturn　the　ship　unless　he　has　an　empty　cask　to　play　with。〃

When　the　〃History　of　Florence〃　was　finished；　Machiavelli　took　it　to　Rome　for　presentation　to　his　patron；　Giuliano　de'　Medici；　who　had　in　the　meanwhile　become　pope　under　the　title　of　Clement　VII。　It　is　somewhat　remarkable　that；　as；　in　1513；　Machiavelli　had　written　〃The　Prince〃　for　the　instruction　of　the　Medici　after　they　had　just　regained　power　in　Florence；　so；　in　1525；　he　dedicated　the　〃History　of　Florence〃　to　the　head　of　the　family　when　its　ruin　was　now　at　hand。　In　that　year　the　battle　of　Pavia　destroyed　the　French　rule　in　Italy；　and　left　Francis　I　a　prisoner　in　the　hands　of　his　great　rival；　Charles　V。　This　was　followed　by　the　sack　of　Rome；　upon　the　news　of　which　the　popular　party　at　Florence　threw　off　the　yoke　of　the　Medici；　who　were　once　more　banished。

Machiavelli　was　absent　from　Florence　at　this　time；　but　hastened　his　return；　hoping　to　secure　his　former　office　of　secretary　to　the　〃Ten　of　Liberty　and　Peace。〃　Unhappily　he　was　taken　ill　soon　after　he　reached　Florence；　where　he　died　on　22nd　June　1527。



THE　MAN　AND　HIS　WORKS

No　one　can　say　where　the　bones　of　Machiavelli　rest；　but　modern　Florence　has　decreed　him　a　stately　cenotaph　in　Santa　Croce；　by　the　side　of　her　most　famous　sons；　recognizing　that；　whatever　other　nations　may　have　found　in　his　works；　Italy　found　in　them　the　idea　of　her　unity　and　the　germs　of　her　renaissance　among　the　nations　of　Europe。　Whilst　it　is　idle　to　protest　against　the　world…wide　and　evil　signification　of　his　name；　it　may　be　pointed　out　that　the　harsh　construction　of　his　doctrine　which　this　sinister　reputation　implies　was　unknown　to　his　own　day；　and　that　the　researches　of　recent　times　have　enabled　us　to　interpret　him　more　reasonably。　It　is　due　to　these　inquiries　that　the　shape　of　an　〃unholy　necromancer；〃　which　so　long　haunted　men's　vision；　has　begun　to　fade。

Machiavelli　was　undoubtedly　a　man　of　great　observation；　acuteness；　and　industry；　noting　with　appreciative　eye　whatever　passed　before　him；　and　with　his　supreme　literary　gift　turning　it　to　account　in　his　enforced　retirement　from　affairs。　He　does　not　present　himself；　nor　is　he　depicted　by　his　contemporaries；　as　a　type　of　that　rare　combination；　the　successful　statesman　and　author；　for　he　appears　to　have　been　only　moderately　prosperous　in　his　several　embassies　and　political　employments。　He　was　misled　by　Catherina　Sforza；　ignored　by　Louis　XII；　overawed　by　Cesare　Borgia；　several　of　his　embassies　were　quite　barren　of　results；　his　attempts　to　fortify　Florence　failed；　and　the　soldiery　that　he　raised　astonished　everybody　by　their　cowardice。　In　the　conduct　of　his　own　affairs　he　was　timid　and　time…serving；　he　dared　not　appear　by　the　side　of　Soderini；　to　whom　he　owed　so　much；　for　fear　of　compromising　himself；　his　connection　with　the　Medici　was　open　to　suspicion；　and　Giuliano　appears　to　have　recognized　his　real　forte　when　he　set　him　to　write　the　〃History　of　Florence；〃　rather　than　employ　him　in　the　state。　And　it　is　on　the　literary　side　of　his　character；　and　there　alone；　that　we　find　no　weakness　and　no　failure。

Although　the　light　of　almost　four　centuries　has　been　focused　on　〃The　Prince；〃　its　problems　are　still　debatable　and　interesting；　because　they　are　the　eternal　problems　between　the　ruled　and　their　rulers。　Such　as　they　are；　its　ethics　are　those　of　Machiavelli's　contemporaries；　yet　they　cannot　be　said　to　be　out　of　date　so　long　as　the　governments　of　Europe　rely　on　material　rather　than　on　moral　forces。　Its　historical　incidents　and　personages　become　interesting　by　reason　of　the　uses　which　Machiavelli　makes　of　them　to　illustrate　his　theories　of　government　and　conduct。

Leaving　out　of　consideration　those　maxims　of　state　which　still　furnish　some　European　and　eastern　statesmen　with　principles　of　action；　〃The　Prince〃　is　bestrewn　with　truths　that　can　be　proved　at　every　turn。　Men　are　still　the　dupes　of　their　simplicity　and　greed；　as　they　were　in　the　days　of　Alexander　VI。　The　cloak　of　religion　still　conceals　the　vices　which　Machiavelli　laid　bare　in　the　character　of　Ferdinand　of　Aragon。　Men　will　not　look　at　things　as　they　really　are；　but　as　they　wish　them　to　beand　are　ruined。　In　politics　there　are　no　perfectly　safe　courses；　prudence　consists　in　choosing　the　least　dangerous　ones。　Then　to　pass　to　a　higher　planeMachiavelli　reiterates　that；　although　crimes　may　win　an　empire；　they　do　not　win　glory。　Necessary　wars　are　just　wars；　and　the　arms　of　a　nation　are　hallowed　when　it　has　no　other　resource　but　to　fight。

It　is　the　cry　of　a　far　later　day　than　Machiavelli's　that　government　should　be　elevated　into　a　living　moral　force；　capable　of　inspiring　the　people　with　a　just　recognition　of　the　fundamental　principles　of　society；　to　this　〃high　argument〃　〃The　Prince〃　contributes　but　little。　Machiavelli　always　refused　to　write　either　of　men　or　of　governments　otherwise　than　as　he　found　them；　and　he　writes　with　such　skill　and　insight　that　his　work　is　of　abiding　value。　But　what　invests　〃The　Prince〃　with　more　than　a　merely　artistic　or　historical　interest　is　the　incontrovertible　truth　that　it　deals　with　the　great　principles　which　still　guide　nations　and　rulers　in　their　relationship　with　each　other　and　their　neighbours。

In　translating　〃The　Prince〃　my　aim　has　been　to　achieve　at　all　costs　an　exact　literal　rendering　of　the　original；　rather　than　a　fluent　paraphrase　adapted　to　the　modern　notions　of　style　and　expression。　Machiavelli　was　no　facile　phrasemonger；　the　conditions　under　which　he　wrote　obliged　him　to　weigh　every　word；　his　themes　were　lofty；　his　substance　grave；　his　manner　nobly　plain　and　serious。　〃Quis　eo　fuit　unquam　in　partiundis　rebus；　in　definiendis；　in　explanandis　pressior？〃　In　〃The　Prince；〃　it　may　be　truly　said；　there　is　reason　assignable；　not　only　for　every　word；　but　for　the　position　of　every　word。　To　an　Englishman　of　Shakespeare's　time　the　translation　of　such　a　treatise　was　in　some　ways　a　comparatively　easy　task；　for　in　those　times　the　genius　of　the　English　more　nearly　resembled　that　of　the　Italian　language；　to　the　Englishman　of　to…day　it　is　not　so　simple。　To　take　a　single　example：　the　word　〃intrattenere；〃　employed　by　Machiavelli　to　indicate　the　policy　adopted　by　the　Roman　Senate　towards　the　weaker　states　of　Greece；　would　by　an　Elizabethan　be　correctly　rendered　〃entertain；〃　and　every　contemporary　reader　would　understand　what　was　meant　by　saying　that　〃Rome　entertained　the　Aetolians　and　the　Achaeans　without　augmenting　their　power。〃　But　to…day　such　a　phrase　would　seem　obsolete　and　ambiguous；　if　not　unmeaning：　we　are　compelled　to　say　that　〃Rome　maintained　friendly　relations　with　the　Aetolians；〃　etc。；　using　four　words　to　do　the　work　of　one。　I　have　tried　to　preserve　the　pithy　brevity　of　the　Italian　so　far　as　was　consistent　with　an　absolute　fidelity　to　the　sense。　If　the　result　be　an　occasional　asperity　I　can　only　hope　that　the　reader；　in　his　eagerness　to　reach　the　author's　meaning；　may　overlook　the　roughness　of　the　road　that　leads　him　to　it。

The　following　is　a　list　of　the　works　of　Machiavelli：

Principal　works。　Discorso　sopra　le　cose　di　Pisa；　1499；　Del　modo　di　trattare　i　popoli　della　Valdichiana　ribellati；　1502；　Del　modo　tenuto　dal　duca　Valentino　nell'　ammazzare　Vitellozzo　Vitelli；　Oliverotto　da　Fermo；　etc。；　1502；　Discorso　sopra　la　provisione　del　danaro；　1502；　Decennale　primo　（poem　in　terza　rima）；　1506；　Ritratti　delle　cose　dell'　Alemagna；　1508…12；　Decennale　secondo；　1509；　Ritratti　delle　cose　di　Francia；　1510；　Discorsi　sopra　la　prima　deca　di　T。　Livio；　3　vols。；　1512…17；　Il　Principe；　1513；　Andria；　comedy　translated　from　Terence；　1513　（？）；　Mandragola；　prose　comedy　in　five　acts；　with　prologue　in　verse；　1513；　Della　lingua　（dialogue）；　1514；　Clizia；　comedy　in　prose；　1515　（？）；　Belfagor　arcidiavolo　（novel）；　1515；　Asino　d'oro　（poem　in　terza　rima）；　1517；　Dell'　arte　della　guerra；　1519…20；　Discorso　sopra　il　riformare　lo　stato　di　Firenze；　1520；　Sommario　delle　cose　della　citta　di　Lucca；　1520；　Vita　di　Castruccio　Castracani　da　Lucca；　1520；　Istorie　fiorentine；　8　books；　1521…5；　Frammenti　storici；　1525。

Other　poems　include　Sonetti；　Canzoni；　Ottave；　and　Canti　carnascialeschi。

Editions。　Aldo；　Venice；　1546；　della　Tertina；　1550；　Cambiagi；　Florence；　6　vols。；　1782…5；　dei　Classici；　Milan；　10　1813；　Silvestri；　9　vols。；　1820…2；　Passerini；　Fanfani；　Milanesi；　6　vols。　only　published；　1873…7。

Minor　works。　Ed。