The Art of War
- Language:
- English
- Status:
- Complete work
- Authorship:
- Written by the author
- Condition of the text:
- No scanning noise detected (automatic measure over the whole text, not checked by hand)
- Extent:
- ~100,000 words · 484 passages
Cite this work
- APAMachiavelli. (n.d.). The Art of War. Digital reproduction: SigPhi. https://sigphiai.com/en/works/machiavelli/the-art-of-war
- MLAMachiavelli. The Art of War. Digital reproduction, SigPhi, https://sigphiai.com/en/works/machiavelli/the-art-of-war.
- ChicagoMachiavelli. The Art of War. Digital reproduction, SigPhi. https://sigphiai.com/en/works/machiavelli/the-art-of-war.
Reference to the edition that SigPhi reproduces: SigPhi is its digital reproduction, not its publisher. The edition's year is not in the metadata (hence "n.d."), and the translator appears only when recorded.
What it is about
The Art of War (1521): the only major work Machiavelli published in his lifetime.
Context and history
A dialogue defending citizen militia against mercenary companies — the same political thesis as all his work: whoever has no army of their own has no state of their own. This is an English translation; the Italian original is not in the catalogue.
Editorial context, not a citable source: unlike the passages of the work itself, these statements cannot be checked against the corpus.
Fabritio was regal'd with as much pomp and magnificence, as were confiflencwith the time and the place: but dinner being ended, the tables taken away, and all the formalities of the Feaft over, which among perfons of great minds, whofe thoughts are employ 'd upon more honourable things, are not fo tedious as with other people, the day being long, and heat excedive, Ccfmo thought it convenient for the better fatisfaAion of his defigns, under pretence of avoiding the heat, to carry Fabritio into a clofe and fiiady Arbour in the Garden, where they might difcourfe with more leifure and ^privacy ; and having brought him and the reft of the Company to the place, fome'of them difpofed themfelves upon the grafs, (which was very pleafanr and green) and others upon feats under the ftiadow ot rhofe lofty trees; Fabntto hcgzn to applaud the deliijhtfomenefs of the place, and then looking particularly upon the trees, anci roc knowing of fome of chem, be flood ftill, as it were in fufpence; which being obfeived by CcfvnOy he told him, 'tis poffible, Sir, you may not be acquainted with thofc trees, but 'tis no wonder, for fome of them were in more requeil with our Fore-fathers than they are with us, and having told him their names, and what delight Scigior Bernado his Grand-father took in planting, Fabrttio replied, I thought they were a^ you fay ; but the pleafantnefs of this place, and the innocence of that employment puts me in mind of fome Princes in the Kingdom of Naples, who delighted themfelves exceedingly in thofe kind of diverfions, and would plant and make delicate Arbours to keep themfelves from the heat; and thereupon breaking off ftort in his difcourfe, he llood fiill…
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