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You are correct, of course, about the Discourses,(hence, the very carefully deployed ""particularly"") but the popular use of ""Machiavellian"" draws on a reputation from word-of-mouth and received knowledge about The Prince unless we believe that almost everyone in the Anglophone world has read and understood it. Contemporary scholarly opinion of Machiavelli does not really encompass that ghoulish usage. I would be surprised if you could find an example that contradicts that. Thanks for the exchange, and for your contribution.   "