The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-05-04
MACHIAVELLI.

An unenviable immortality is at- tached to Nicholas Machiaveli. Out of his surname has been coined word for treacherous, crafty dealings -"Machiavellian policy"
 Machiave1li was born in Florence on May 3, 1469. He was of an an- cient, but not wealthy, family. He received a liberal education, and, when 29 years of age. was appointed secretary to the august 'NTen"-the committee of foreign affairs for the Venetian republic. The Ten" quickly discovered his ability and penetration, and sent him from time to time on various arduous and dip lomatic missions to the courts Of doubtful allies, and enemies. These missions required the skill of just such a crafty man as was Machi- avel1i. For the FTorentines were rich and strong, and they were the. envy of the poor and weak; so, to save themselves from ruin it was necessary to trim adroitfy between France, Spain, Germany, and the neighboring Italian powers, Siena, Lucca, Pisa, Bologna, Venice. Machiaveln proved a valuable instrument for just this kind of work; his despatches to Florence read like a romance, while they furnished authentic pictures of the remorseless cruelty and deceit of the statesmen of that epoch.
 In 1512, the brothers Giuliano and Giovanni de Medici re-entered Flor ence, from which they had been ex- pelIed in 1494; overthrow the govern
 ment, and seized the reins of power Machiavel1i lost his place, and was thrown into prison on the charge o1 conspiring against the new regime Giovanni was elected Pope under the name of Leo x. The adrOit Machia- veIli, knowing the Medicean love oi literature, addressed a sonnet to the Pope, half humorous, half sad, ex- plaining how annoying to him were the cries of his fellow prisoners put to the torture, and begging for re lease that he might serve the 'Hol5 Father" The sonnet accomplished it's purpose. MachiavelH was sci free, two of his companions being executed in his place.
 He retired for years to his country | house near Florence, where he gave ! himself to literary pursuits. But he hoped to be serviceable to tht l Medici. He wrote to them, gro prove 1 to these powerful princes of Flor l ence that I have not spent the l; years in which I have studied the ar l of government, in vain, write then
 a book, called The Prince Thi | book has covered Machiavellfs namt with eternal obloquy. It was writer | for the private study of the Medici | It did indeed prove to them that h | was a master in the art of craft ant Italian statesmanship. In 1519, thu Medici received him again in person "The Prince" was not publishes publicly until 1532, five years afte | Machiavelli's death in 1527.
 1 This book, '|The Prince," is one o | the most masterfy guides to secre chicanery extant. It is a code of pol | icy for one who rules in stat
 where he has many enemies, tn case, for instance, of the Medicis O | Florence In ''The Prince tn
 author makes no account of moral 1 ity, possibly unconscious of the prfn
 ciples and scruples we designate b
 that name? He displays a deep an 1 subtle acquaintance with human ma | ture.
 Upon the publication of ''Th
 Prince a wave of horror and indig nation swept throughout Europe | Was Machiavelli writing in irony asked the heads of government. Ol I N--
 Medici on to their destruction? Ger
 tainly, in luminous and foTc!ble Ian l guage, Machiavelli transcribes tn Epractices of the ablesit statesmen C
 his time. Secrets of statecraft ar revealed in ''The Prince. And herei
 lies a glorious irony: The book wa denounced most loudly by men who's
 true aversion to it arose from it's ez
 posture of their acts!
 Machiavellian policy: The term ha
 passed into the language. Ever
 reader of history knows that Spanisl
 French, German, and English-ye
 Anerican-statesmen never hesitate
 to act out the maxins contained s"The Prince when occasion scene
 expedient. Study intently Europea , diplomacy today. With both hand rulers are handling the rules of Stat ) conduct put forth by Machiavelli. G.T-TI-DI-F-Y