Machiavelli, Volume I
- Language:
- English
- Status:
- Complete work
- Authorship:
- Written by the author
- Condition of the text:
- Clean text · 10 illegible passages, excluded from answers
- Extent:
- ~120,000 words · 571 passages
Cite this work
- APAMachiavelli. (n.d.). Machiavelli, Volume I. SigPhi. https://sigphiai.com/en/works/machiavelli/machiavelli-volume-i
- MLAMachiavelli. "Machiavelli, Volume I." SigPhi, https://sigphiai.com/en/works/machiavelli/machiavelli-volume-i.
- ChicagoMachiavelli. Machiavelli, Volume I. SigPhi. https://sigphiai.com/en/works/machiavelli/machiavelli-volume-i.
What it is about
The first volume of an old English edition of Machiavelli's works, gathering several of his texts.
Context and history
The catalogue also holds 'The Prince' and the 'Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius' as separate works, and this volume repeats material. It is worth looking at the table of contents before citing anything, and always giving the work and the chapter a passage comes from, not merely the volume. That said, having Machiavelli gathered has its value: what one sees on reading him whole is that the same man who advises a prince wrote the most republican book of the century, and that the contradiction exists only if one asks him for a morality instead of a description of how power works.
Editorial context, not a citable source: unlike the passages of the work itself, these statements cannot be checked against the corpus.
Although commonlie every man, moste worthie and renoumed Soveraine, seketh specially to commend and extolle the thing, whereunto he feleth hymself naturally bent and inclined, yet al soche parciallitie and private affection laid aside, it is to bee thought (that for the defence, maintenaunce, and advauncemente of a Kyngdome, or Common weale, or for the good and due observacion of peace, and administracion of Justice in the same) no one thinge to be more profitable, necessarie, or more honourable, then the knowledge of service in warre, and dedes of armes; bicause consideryng the ambicion of the worlde, it is impossible for any realme or dominion, long to continue free in quietnesse and savegarde, where the defence of the sweard is not alwaies in a readinesse. For like as the Grekes, beyng occupied aboute triflyng matters, takyng pleasure in resityng of Comedies, and soche other vain thinges, altogether neclecting Marciall feates, gave occasion to Philip kyng of Macedonia, father to Alexander the Great, to oppresse and to bring theim in servitude, under his subjeccion, even so undoubtedly, libertie will not be kepte, but men shall be troden under foote, and brought to moste horrible miserie and calamitie, if thei givyng theim selves to pastymes and pleasure, forssake the juste regarde of their owne defence, and savegarde of their countrie, whiche in temporall regimente, chiefly consisteth in warlike skilfulnesse. And therefor