THE FATHER OF MODERN POLITICAL SCIENCE: 1680 SECOND EDITION IN ENGLISH OF MACHIAVELLI’S WORKS

MACHIAVELLI, Niccolo. The Works of the Famous Nicholas Machiavel, Citizen and Secretary of Florence, Written Originally in Italian, and from thence newly and faithfully Translated into English. London: Printed for John Starkey, Charles Harper, and John Amery, 1680. Tall quarto, contemporary full brown marbled calf rebacked with original spine and spine label neatly laid down, raised bands.

Second edition of Henry Neville’s English translation of the great Italian statesman’s most important writings, including The Art of War, Discourses on Livy, and his primer of power politics, The Prince, in contemporary boards.

"Machiavelli founded the science of modern politics on the study of mankind… Politics was a science to be divorced entirely from ethics, and nothing must stand in the way of its machinery" (PMM 63). "Machiavelli is a popular symbol for the… completely unprincipled, and unscrupulous politician whose whole philosophy is that the end justifies the means. The highest law to Machiavelli, it is universally believed, was political expediency… From a comparative reading of [The Discourses and The Prince], one must come to the startling conclusion that Machiavelli was a convinced republican. He had no liking for despotism, and considered a combination of popular and monarchical government best. No ruler was safe without the favor of his people. The most stable states are those ruled by princes checked by constitutional limitations… His ideal government was the old Roman republic, and he constantly harked back to it in the Discourses… It is hardly disputable that no man previous to Karl Marx has had as revolutionary an impact on political thought as Machiavelli" (Downs, 12). As Lord Acton noted, "The authentic interpreter of Machiavelli is the whole of later history." Henry Neville first published his "excellent translation" (DNB) of Machiavelli's collected works in 1675, although English translations of his individual works began appearing as early as 1562 with The Art of War. Includes the "Letter in Vindication of Himself and His Writings" which, despite the publisher's explanation of its provenance ("it lurk'd for above 80 years in the private Cabinets of his own Kindred…") was written by Neville. With separate title pages for The History of Florence, The Prince, Discourses on Livy, and The Art of War. Wing M129. Lowndes, 1438. Owner signatures, one contemporary.

One small hole and minor ink mark on the title and the contents pages, infrequent faint dampstains. Final two leaves with repaired closed tears. Corners restored. A handsome copy.