The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-05-15

THESE ideals burn in Machia-
- velli's memory, and never leave
him, even in defeat. Suddenly Bor-
gia falls i'll; his father dies and is
succeeded by Borgia's forceful enc
my, julius II: the ruthless Duke
is captured and exported to Spain,
where he dies in an attempt to win
his way back to freedom.
The Florentine Republic falls be-
fore the assaults of the returning
Medici; the citizens of Florence, too,
recently armed, take to their heels
at the first smell Of death; and
Soderini, "Gonfaloniere Of the Com
mune," surrenders almost without
resistance.
Machiavelli, despising him merci-
fully, saves Solderini's life by taking
him to the home of his friend, Vet
tori, who is influential with the
Medici; then he consigns him to
Limbo, on the ground that Hell is
too proud to admit towards. He re-
signs his office as secretary and the
next day, Indifferent to republics or
monarchies if onlv Italy can find
a leader, pays his respects to the
triumphant Lorenzo (the Younger
and begs reinstatement.
Instead, he is arrested, and lies
for month in a cell with no COM
pany but rats like cats and lice
"as plump as butterflies" Freed
then with six coils of the lash, he
retires to his country villa, COM
pletes his History Of Florence"
writes 'Discourses on Livy" and in
cidentally produces a little book
which is to stir up all the world
for centuries. He calls it "The
Prince" and forgetting his stripes
Cor the itch for office burning more
brightly than these memories) dedi-
Gates it to young Lorenzo:
Nicolo Machiavelli to the Mag
nif1oent Lorenzo: Desiring to pre-
sent myself to your magnificence
with some proof Of my devotion,
have not found among my various
furniture aught that prize more
than the knowledge of the actions
of great men acquired by me
through a long experience of mod
ern affairs and a continual study
of ancient.
And though I judge this work
unworthy of your presence, yet I
am confident that I could not
make you a greater gift than this,
of enabling you, in few days, to
understand what 1 have learned
through perils and discomforts in
lengthy course of years.
Il II
TT is his last and most passionate
4 plea for the adoption of a new
philosophy as the prelude to a new
and united Italy. He filings aside all
moral considerations; there is no
need of considering justice, or hui
manity, for these are but phrases,
designed for idealogists and saints.
Humanity in practice consists Of
a billion or more cyclists, composed
Of a majority of fools and a minor
ity of knaves.
whoever organizes a state, or
lays down laws in it, must necessar-
lily assume that all men are bad,
and that they will follow the wick
edness of their own hearts, when
ever they have a free opportunity
to do so. Men never do good
except through necessity"
What enobles this mass of human
raw material, Machiavelli thinks,
is leadership, genius that takes the
clay and moulds it into organized
grandeur and power. Machiavelli
idealizeS the state and it's master,
because the state is with him still
an IDEAL brilliant with the colors of
imagination; it is not yet a reality,
imperfect and regrettable, blotched
with a thousand sins; not for four
years yet will Luther pin his thesis
to the door Of Wittenberg Church,
and begin the age of states and
nations.
But what a premonition of all this
lies in "The Prince"-here Europe
begins to be conscious of itself, rec
ognizes the decay of the Catholic
theology and temperance of pagan
morals, have made the church I'M
able to continue its sway over the
turbulent continent; a new system
Of order must come. Religion may
remain, but only as a means, as a
mystic sanction for laws whose real
source and ultimate assurance are