Presidential Address: Machiavelli's Il Principe

Extract

Few names are so familiar as that of Machiavelli, who has given at least an adjective to every European language, and few books have been subjected to such intense scrutiny and such industrious commentary as his most impressive work, The Prince. It may well be thought that there is nothing more to be said about either the author or the book, and that an apology is needed for adding even an ephemeral address to the enormous mass of literature about Machiavelli. My apology or explanation is a simple one. The great majority of the critics and commentators deal with problems which are of great interest in themselves but do not concern my immediate object. One of these is the ethical question as to how far the supposed interest of the state—the raison d'état—justifies a departure from the ordinary accepted canons of morality or honesty. Another is the place of Machiavelli in the history of what is called Pohtical Science. And a third very fruitful topic is the influence of Machiavelli's teaching upon political action in successive generations after his death. I do not propose to deal with any of these matters, but to concentrate attention upon the narrower problem of the motive and purpose which induced Machiavelli to write one particular book, II Principe. This problem, in comparison with the others to which I have referred, has been largely neglected or obscured because most commentators have treated the book, in connection with the Discorsi, as a deliberate statement of Machiavelli's views as to the methods which should be adopted in founding, extending, and maintaining a principality.