57 books for « niccolo machiavelli »Edit

‎Histoire florentine de Nicolas Machiavel citoien et Secretaire de Florence. Nouvellement traduicte d'Italien en Francois, Par le Seigneur de Brinon Gentil-homme ordinaire de la chambre du Roy. - [FIRST FRENCH TRANSLATION OF MACHIAVELLI'S 'FLORENTINE HISTORIES']‎

‎Paris, Guillaume de la Noue, 1577. 8vo. In recent full limp vellum with yapp edges. Woodcut printer's device on title, woodcut headpieces and initials. Small closed tear to upper inner margin of title-page. First 33 ff. with small worm tract in inner margin, with minor loss of text. Light dampstaining to first and last leaves. A good copy. (36), 294, (6) pp. ‎

‎The exceedingly rare first French, and presumably very first overall, translation, of Machiavelli's Florentine Histories" his famous account of the political events and power struggles in Florence during the Renaissance. Essentially being a panegyric to the house of Medici, Machiavelli's work offers valuable insights into the rise and fall of political factions, the challenges faced by republican governments, and the dynamics of power in a city-state. Although often overshadowed by his more famous 'The Prince', the present work is important in understanding Machiavelli's broader political philosophy and is an indispensable document in understanding renaissance politics in general. The Histories constitute an essential work for understanding the political development of the late Machiavelli, and is “also an important item in modern historiography because for the first time the issue of conflict, and more precisely of urban conflict, finds itself at the heart of historical narrative (…).Infact, the Histories constitute the first attempt in modern historiography to analyze the totality of individual and collective agents and factors that allow a community to sustain itself or to founder. This analytical quality was certainly at the basis of the interest in the work outside Florence and the fact of its being translated. As Yves de Brinon explains in dedicating his ‘Histoire Florentine [the present work] to Cathrine de Medici, the case of Florence is a model for the dangers that threaten the integrity of every state and the Kingdom of France in Particular.” (Landi, A re-reading of Machiavelli). Machiavelli visited France, representing the Republic of Florence, where he - and later his writings - exercised great influence. The Huguenot, Innocent Gentillet, whose work commonly referred to as 'Discourse against Machiavelli' or 'Anti Machiavel', accused Machiavelli of being an atheist and accused politicians of his time by saying that his works were the ""Koran of the courtiers"", that ""he is of no reputation in the court of France which hath not Machiavel's writings at the fingers ends"" (Birely, The Counter Reformation, 1990). “Although Machiavelli became the embodiment of a real ""devil theory of history,"" there was nothing supernatural or even suspicious about his journey across the Alps. As the French translator remarked to his customers in 1544, ""This Florentine merchant has voluntarily left his own country to be received into yours.... Do not be so ungracious as to refuse him citizenship. From all appearances he was welcomed with open arms, or at least open minds. Within a few years, one of his admirers declared that he was a prophet honored more in France than in his own country."" (Kelley, Murd'rous Machiavel in France: A Post Mortem). Following the crisis of 1513, which involved arrests for conspiracy and torture, Machiavelli's relationship with the Medici family gradually improved. Despite the dedication of his book ""Il Principe"" to Lorenzo II de' Medici having little effect, Machiavelli found favor with a faction in Florence that was not opposed to him and was granted an appointment. In a letter Machiavelli expressed his dissatisfaction with his idle state and offered his valuable political experience to the new ruler. To further solidify his position, Machiavelli, adopting a somewhat courtier-like attitude, arranged for the staging of his play ""Mandragola"" at the wedding of Lorenzino de' Medici in 1518. In 1520, he received an invitation to Lucca for a semi-private mission, indicating that his ostracism was coming to an end. Later that year, Giulio Cardinal de Medici commissioned him to write a history of Florence. Although this was not exactly the role he desired, Machiavelli accepted it as the only way to regain the favor of the Medicis. The purpose of the work, although unofficial, was to restore the city's official historical standing. The salary for this appointment was not substantial, starting at 57 florins per year and later increased to 100. In May 1526, Machiavelli formally presented the finished work to Giulio de' Medici, who had become Pope Clement VII. The Pope appreciated the work and rewarded Machiavelli, though only moderately, and sought his support in creating a national army based on his theoretical work ""The Art of War,"" in preparation for the War of the League of Cognac. However, Machiavelli's hopes were shattered following the Sack of Rome in 1527 and the fall of the Medici government in Florence. Soon after, Machiavelli passed away. This exceedingly scarce first French edition was issued with two variant title-pages, the present referred to as variant-b. (see Gerber, Niccolo Machiavelli). Bibliopgraphia Machiavelliana, p. 60, no. 160. Gerber, dritter teil, p. 37, D-b. Brunet 1279.‎

‎Machiavelli N. The Time of the Sovereign: with comments and explanations. In Ru‎

‎Machiavelli N. The Time of the Sovereign: with comments and explanations. In Russian /Makiavelli N. Vremya gosudarya: s kommentariyami i obyasneniyami. NB The texts in the series Philosophy on the Finger are printed in abbreviation. You are welcome to reach out to us for a detailed description of the copies currently available. Delivery of this book may take longer than usual including extended processing and pre-shipping time, no expedited shipping is available. Please advise us if you have a set date or a deadline to receive your order.SKUalb65eed892ba9f14ac‎

‎Machiavelli N. Reflections on the First Decade of Titus Libya In Russian /Makia‎

‎Machiavelli N. Reflections on the First Decade of Titus Libya In Russian /Makiavelli N. Rassuzhdeniya o pervoy dekade Tita Liviya. Gosudar. Translated from Italian by M.A. Yushima. Series: The History of Political Thought. Moscow, ROSSPEN, 2002. You are welcome to reach out to us for a detailed description of the copies currently available. Delivery of this book may take longer than usual including extended processing and pre-shipping time, no expedited shipping is available. Please advise us if you have a set date or a deadline to receive your order.SKUalbecf887f736ecd845‎

‎Machiavelli N. Sovereign. Reflections on the First Decade of Titus Libya (compi‎

‎Machiavelli N. Sovereign. Reflections on the First Decade of Titus Libya (compilation) In Russian /Makiavelli N. Gosudar. Rassuzhdeniya o pervoy dekade Tita Liviya (sbornik) Philosophy Minsk Harvest 2004. We have thousands of titles and often several copies of each title may be available. Please feel free to contact us for a detailed description of the copies available. SKUalb5e38e6dc589d8cad.‎

‎Machiavelli N. Sovereign. In Russian /Makiavelli N. Gosudar.‎

‎Machiavelli N. Sovereign. In Russian /Makiavelli N. Gosudar. Series of 100 major books Moscow E 2016. 676s.We have thousands of titles and often several copies of each title may be available. Please feel free to contact us for a detailed description of the copies available.SKUalb157c1a8e6160b796.‎

‎Machiavelli N. Sovereign. In Russian /Makiavelli N. Gosudar.‎

‎Machiavelli N. Sovereign. In Russian /Makiavelli N. Gosudar. Sbornik. Translated from Italian by D.G. Muravyeva. M. AST. 2009. 480s. We have thousands of titles and often several copies of each title may be available. Please feel free to contact us for a detailed description of the copies available. SKUalbb34717a6582a20b7.‎

‎Machiavelli N. Sovereign. In Russian /Makiavelli N. Gosudar.‎

‎Machiavelli N. Sovereign. In Russian /Makiavelli N. Gosudar. M. Eksmo. 2014. 1080s. We have thousands of titles and often several copies of each title may be available. Please feel free to contact us for a detailed description of the copies available. SKUalba4cb924c12ba2120.‎

‎Machiavelli N. Sovereign. In Russian /Makiavelli N. Gosudar.‎

‎Machiavelli N. Sovereign. In Russian /Makiavelli N. Gosudar. The series Giants of Thought Moscow. St. Petersburg Exmo, Midgard. 2007. 976 p. We have thousands of titles and often several copies of each title may be available. Please feel free to contact us for a detailed description of the copies available. SKUalbfdebd481eecb36ae.‎

‎Machiavelli N. Sovereign (IL PRINCIPE). In Russian /Makiavelli N. Gosudar ( IL ‎

‎Machiavelli N. Sovereign (IL PRINCIPE). In Russian /Makiavelli N. Gosudar ( IL PRINCIPE). Writing by Nikolai Machiavel. St. Petersburg The printing house of the Society of Public Usefulness. 1869. 38 p. We have thousands of titles and often several copies of each title may be available. Please feel free to contact us for a detailed description of the copies available. SKUalb40a31a83aa2a3bcc.‎

‎Machiavelli N. Sovereign (Il principe) and reflections on the first three books‎

‎Machiavelli N. Sovereign (Il principe) and reflections on the first three books of Titus Livia. In Russian (ask us if in doubt)/Makiavelli N. Gosudar' (Il principe) i rassuzhdeniya na pervye tri knigi Tita Liviya. Short description: In Russian (ask us if in doubt).Translation from Italian edited by N. Kurochkin. St. Petersburg: Tiblen Printing House 1869. 4 X 502 p. We have thousands of titles and often several copies of each title may be available. Please feel free to contact us for a detailed description of the copies available. SKUalbf2e7c792c898b099‎

‎Machiavelli N. Sovereign. In Russian (ask us if in doubt)/Makiavelli N. Gosudar'‎

‎Machiavelli N. Sovereign. In Russian (ask us if in doubt)/Makiavelli N. Gosudar'. Short description: In Russian (ask us if in doubt).Ill. A. Durrer H. Burgmayer. Moscow Leather Mosaic Publishing House. 2018. 330s. We have thousands of titles and often several copies of each title may be available. Please feel free to contact us for a detailed description of the copies available. SKUalb67f92963ad6cd9bb‎

‎Istorie florentine‎

‎Non daté, GLN-132, G, B, Paravia ‎

‎Satisfaisant‎

‎Il principe‎

‎DX2-C111, Librairie Hatier, Collection Les Classiques pour tous, Collection Etrangère 1947‎

‎Satisfaisant‎

‎DER FÜRSTE. FRIEDRICH DER GROSSE. ANTIMACHIAVELL.‎

‎DEUTSCHE BIBLIOTHEK IN BERLIN. NON DATE. In-12. Relié plein cuir. Etat d'usage, Couv. légèrement passée, Dos frotté, Intérieur frais. 196 pages. Texte en allemand (caractères gothiques).. . . . Classification Dewey : 830-Littératures des langues germaniques‎

‎ Classification Dewey : 830-Littératures des langues germaniques‎

‎OPERE MINORI rivedute sulle migliori edizioni con note filologiche e critiche di F. L. Polidori.‎

‎FELICE LE MONNIER. 1852. In-12. Relié demi-cuir. Etat d'usage, Coins frottés, Dos satisfaisant, Intérieur frais. 652 pages. Étiquette et tampons de bibliothèque.. . . . Classification Dewey : 850-Littératures italienne, roumaine, rhéto-romane‎

‎ Classification Dewey : 850-Littératures italienne, roumaine, rhéto-romane‎

‎Oeuvres complètes. - Introduction par Jean Giono. - Texte présenté et annoté par Edmond Barincou. ‎

‎ S.l. (Paris), nrf / Bibliothèque de la Pléiade, s.d. (1964). In-16, reliure d'éditeur pleine peau brune, dos lisse orné de filets dor., titre dor., sous jaquette rhodoïd, tranchefiles, double signet, tête grise.‎

‎Quatre-vingt-douzième volume de la "Bibliothèque de la Pléiade". Deuxième édition, la première datant de 1952, ici sans son emboitage, complet des tableux généalogiques en fin de volume. Petit froissement du rhodoïd, sinon bel exemplaire. ‎

‎Machiavelli N. Reflections on the First Decade of Titus Libya. On Military Art:‎

‎Machiavelli N. Reflections on the First Decade of Titus Libya. On Military Art: Sat. In Russian /Makiavelli N. Rassudeniya o pervoy dekade Tita Liviya. O voennom iskusstve: Sb. Translated from itap. Mon.Popurri 1998. Contact us for details or to request photos of available books. Delivery of this book could take longer than normal due to additional handling time before shipping, and no rush delivery options are available. Please let us know if you have a specific date by which you need to receive your order. SKUalba5aa20d1aa375e62‎

‎Machiavelli N. Sovereign: How to treat people In Russian /Makiavelli N. Gosudar‎

‎Machiavelli N. Sovereign: How to treat people In Russian /Makiavelli N. Gosudar. O tom, kak nadlezhit postupat s lyudmi M Expo 2020.Contact us for details or to request photos of available books. Delivery of this book could take longer than normal due to additional handling time before shipping, and no rush delivery options are available. Please let us know if you have a specific date by which you need to receive your order.SKUalb4452e83378593e9c‎

‎Machiavelli N. Sovereign. In Russian /Makiavelli N. Gosudar.‎

‎Machiavelli N. Sovereign. In Russian /Makiavelli N. Gosudar. Anthology of Thought series M-Kharkov Exmo-Folio 2004.Contact us for details or to request photos of available books. Delivery of this book could take longer than normal due to additional handling time before shipping, and no rush delivery options are available. Please let us know if you have a specific date by which you need to receive your order.SKUalbd17e13b429b16120‎

‎Machiavelli N. Sovereign. In Russian /Makiavelli N. Gosudar.‎

‎Machiavelli N. Sovereign. In Russian /Makiavelli N. Gosudar. Anthology of thought series. Moscow: EXMO-PRESS. 1998.Contact us for details or to request photos of available books. Delivery of this book could take longer than normal due to additional handling time before shipping, and no rush delivery options are available. Please let us know if you have a specific date by which you need to receive your order.SKUalb03fc0ad163f0b796‎

‎Machiavelli N. Sovereign. In Russian /Makiavelli N. Gosudar.‎

‎Machiavelli N. Sovereign. In Russian /Makiavelli N. Gosudar. M., SPB Exmo, Midgard 2006. Contact us for details or to request photos of available books. Delivery of this book could take longer than normal due to additional handling time before shipping, and no rush delivery options are available. Please let us know if you have a specific date by which you need to receive your order.SKUalb9b74d523b34dee34‎

‎Opere di Niccolò Machiavelli cittadino e segretario fiorentino (10 Volumi) Volumi I-III : Istorie di Niccolo Machiavelli (Istorie Fiorentine) ; Volumi IV-X : Opere di Niccolò Machiavelli (IV e V : Opere ; VI : Prose ; VII : Poesie ; VIII, IX, X : Legazioni)‎

‎10 vol. in-8 reliure demi-chagrin rouge, dos à 4 nerfs, Per Niccolo Conti, Firenze, 1818 - 1821, ‎

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‎Completo del ritratto di Machiavelli inciso in rame all'antiporta e della pagina raffigurante una lira nel primo volume, della tavola calcografica nel quinto volume ("Figura dell'Allogiamento") e del facsimile all'antiporta del decimo volume. Bon état (petits frott. en reliures, épidermures au mors du tome 2, bonne fraîcheur intérieure). Voir également, dans notre catalogue, la traduction française et complétée, en reliure identique.‎

‎Histoire de Florence. Traduction nouvelle. 2 vols.‎

‎Amsterdam, Henri Desbordes, 1694. 8vo. Uniformly bound in two contemporary full calf bindings with five raised bands and richly gilt spines. Edges of boards gilt. Small paper label pasted on to upper compartment of spines. A very nice set. (34), 588 pp. 624 pp.‎

‎A fine late 17th century-edition of Machiavelli's Florentine Histories" his famous account of the political events and power struggles in Florence during the Renaissance. Essentially being a panegyric to the house of Medici, Machiavelli's work offers valuable insights into the rise and fall of political factions, the challenges faced by republican governments, and the dynamics of power in a city-state. Although often overshadowed by his more famous 'The Prince', the present work is important in understanding Machiavelli's broader political philosophy and is an indispensable document in understanding renaissance politics in general. The Histories constitute an essential work for understanding the political development of the late Machiavelli, and is “also an important item in modern historiography because for the first time the issue of conflict, and more precisely of urban conflict, finds itself at the heart of historical narrative (…).Infact, the Histories constitute the first attempt in modern historiography to analyze the totality of individual and collective agents and factors that allow a community to sustain itself or to founder. This analytical quality was certainly at the basis of the interest in the work outside Florence and the fact of its being translated. As Yves de Brinon explains in dedicating his ‘Histoire Florentine [the present work] to Cathrine de Medici, the case of Florence is a model for the dangers that threaten the integrity of every state and the Kingdom of France in Particular.” (Landi, A re-reading of Machiavelli). Machiavelli visited France, representing the Republic of Florence, where he - and later his writings - exercised great influence. The Huguenot, Innocent Gentillet, whose work commonly referred to as 'Discourse against Machiavelli' or 'Anti Machiavel', accused Machiavelli of being an atheist and accused politicians of his time by saying that his works were the ""Koran of the courtiers"", that ""he is of no reputation in the court of France which hath not Machiavel's writings at the fingers ends"" (Birely, The Counter Reformation, 1990). “Although Machiavelli became the embodiment of a real ""devil theory of history,"" there was nothing supernatural or even suspicious about his journey across the Alps. As the French translator remarked to his customers in 1544, ""This Florentine merchant has voluntarily left his own country to be received into yours.... Do not be so ungracious as to refuse him citizenship. From all appearances he was welcomed with open arms, or at least open minds. Within a few years, one of his admirers declared that he was a prophet honored more in France than in his own country."" (Kelley, Murd'rous Machiavel in France: A Post Mortem). Following the crisis of 1513, which involved arrests for conspiracy and torture, Machiavelli's relationship with the Medici family gradually improved. Despite the dedication of his book ""Il Principe"" to Lorenzo II de' Medici having little effect, Machiavelli found favor with a faction in Florence that was not opposed to him and was granted an appointment. In a letter Machiavelli expressed his dissatisfaction with his idle state and offered his valuable political experience to the new ruler. To further solidify his position, Machiavelli, adopting a somewhat courtier-like attitude, arranged for the staging of his play ""Mandragola"" at the wedding of Lorenzino de' Medici in 1518. In 1520, he received an invitation to Lucca for a semi-private mission, indicating that his ostracism was coming to an end. Later that year, Giulio Cardinal de Medici commissioned him to write a history of Florence. Although this was not exactly the role he desired, Machiavelli accepted it as the only way to regain the favor of the Medicis. The purpose of the work, although unofficial, was to restore the city's official historical standing. The salary for this appointment was not substantial, starting at 57 florins per year and later increased to 100. In May 1526, Machiavelli formally presented the finished work to Giulio de' Medici, who had become Pope Clement VII. The Pope appreciated the work and rewarded Machiavelli, though only moderately, and sought his support in creating a national army based on his theoretical work ""The Art of War,"" in preparation for the War of the League of Cognac. However, Machiavelli's hopes were shattered following the Sack of Rome in 1527 and the fall of the Medici government in Florence. Soon after, Machiavelli passed away. ‎

‎Tutte le opere DI NICOLO MACHIAVELLI Cittadino et Secretario fiorentino, divise in V. parti, et di nuovo con somma accuratezza ristampati. Al Santissimo et Beatissimo Padre signore nostro Clemente VII. ‎

‎ Sans lieu , une des Editions dites " Alla Testina", imprimée à Genève, la pagination de notre exemplaire le désigne comme étant la troisième, quatrième ou cinquième Edition 'alla testina' entre 1628-1670, avec 5 textes reliés en un volume in-8 de 230x170x55 mm environ : I. Libro primo Delle Historiae di Nicolo Machiavelli Cittadino et Secretation Fiorentino (p.11 à 320), il manque les 10 première pages y compris le titre et 1 feuillet (p. 201-202), - 2. Discorsi di Nicolo Machiavlli Cittadino et Secretario Fiorentino sopra la pime Deca di T. Livio à Zonobi Buondelmonti et a Cosimo Rucellai, 8ff. (titre avec portrait, epître), 280 pages, - 3. I Sette Libre dell'arte della guerra, 152 pages, avec 9 planches dont une double, - 4. Il Principe. La Vita di Castruccio Castracani da Lucca. Il Modo che tene il Duca Valentino. I Ritratti delle cose della Francia et della Alamagna, 2ff. (titre avec vignette -portrait), 102 pages, 1f.blanc, il manque 1 feuillet (p. 103-104) - 5. L'Asino d'oro. manque la page de titre suivi de : Capitolo dell' occasione. Capitolo di fortuna. Capitolo della ingratitvdine. Capitolo dell' ambitione. Decennale, cioè compendio delle coste fatte in X. anni in Italia. Novella piacevolissima. Mandragola, Comedia. Clitia Comedia (manquent les p. 135 à 140 et p. 151 à 158), p. 3 à 150, texte en italien, plein veau brun, dos à nerfs portant titres dorés, orné de caissons à riches motifs dorés. Des rousseurs, cernes et pages brunies, des notes anciennes manuscrites à l'encre et au crayon à papier, des ratures par endroits.‎

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‎Nicolas Machiavel (en italien : Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli) est un humaniste florentin de la Renaissance, né le 3 mai 1469 à Florence, et mort dans cette même ville le 21 juin 1527. Théoricien de la politique, de l'histoire et de la guerre, mais aussi poète et dramaturge, il a été pendant quatorze ans fonctionnaire de la République florentine pour laquelle il a effectué plusieurs missions diplomatiques, notamment auprès de la papauté et de la cour de France. Merci de nous contacter à l'avance si vous souhaitez consulter une référence au sein de notre librairie.‎

‎Le Prince. Traduit d'Italien en Francoys Par Guillaume Cappel. - [THE BIRTH OF MODERN POLITICAL THOUGHT]‎

‎Paris, Charles Estienne, 1553. Small 4to. Bound in a lovely 19th century red morocco binding with five raised bands and gilt ornamentations to spine. Boards with blindstamped frame-borders and gilt ornamental centre-pieces. All edges of boards gilt and inner gilt dentelles. All edges gilt. ""E. THOMAS"" discreetly printed to top of front free end-paper. Front free end-paper with woodcut armorial book-plate (Bibliotheque du Plessis Villoutreys). First and last leaves with a bit of brownspotting, otherwise very nice and clean throughout. The last three leaves with neat restorations - neatly closed tear, with no loss and a couple of small restorations to top margin (far from affecting text). (8), 148 pp. Estienne's printer's device to title-page and woodcut initials.‎

‎The extremely rare first translation printed in any language, being the first printed French translation, of one of the most important and influential works in the history of mankind, Machiavelli's ""The Prince"". After the original printing in Italian, the present is arguably the most desirable edition of the seminal masterpiece that is Machiavelli's magnum opus. ""The Prince"" constitutes the beginning of modern political philosophy and one of the most influential works in the history of modern thought. It founded the science of modern politics on the study of mankind, and even today no political thinker can disregard the importance of this masterpiece of political theory.The translation not only inaugurated the tradition of translating ""The Prince"" into other languages than Italian, it also exercised the greatest influence upon the entire Machiavellian tradition and constitutes an immeasurable historical source in its own right. Although the work was never reprinted and this extremely scarce edition is the only available version of the text, the effects of it are still clearly visible in our times. It secured the diffusion of the text throughout Europe and it served as the basis for the most important of the later translations, e.g. Jacques Gohory's from 1571, which is considered not much more than a slight reworking of Cappel's translation. As Jean Bingen points to, Cappel's translation also directly influenced (and influences) almost all modern translations of the work. The reason for this continued direct and strong influence is of course not only due to its priority in time over all other translations, it is also due to the fact that Cappel's translation always has been and still is considered the most ""Machiavellian"" translation of ""The Prince"" ever made and the one closest to the source - both in time, in style, and in rendering of the content. Cappel was the only of the early translators who was himself a Machiavellian and his respect for and understanding of the text shines from the pages. ""Besides being a politically charged text, the ""Principe"" was also a piece of beautiful and clear Italian prose, and its tightness and brevity constituted a decisive advantage over the ""Discorsi"". An awareness of the literary qualities of the text is also evident in the preface Guillaume Cappel wrote to his translation (dedicated to Jean Bertrand, Lord Privy Seal), in which he underlines Machiavelli's use of an appropriate style and the good use to which he puts his knowledge of history... These qualities prompted Cappel to undertake his translation...Cappel's enterprise was praised for his literary qualities by the members of the Pléiade who had their own poems inserted at the end of the translation. More recently, his version had been justly praised as ""very literal and sinewy"". It has also been noted, however, that it was not reprinted, thought Jacques Gohery's version, published 1571, followed it ""almost verbatim""."" (Petrina, Machiavelli in the British Isles, p. 12). ""Guillaume Cappel II, sieur de Preigny (1530-86), was widely known in medicine for his work on nutrition and his editing of texts on how to avoid the plague and on general medical diagnosis. A member of the Catholic League, he was determined not only to bring up his brother's children in the Catholic faith but also to exploit Tilloy to his own profit. However, in 1586 he was killed in an affray with the enemies of the League... Family divisions of the kind that occurred at Le Tilloy were customary during the religious wars, but it is not because of his part in them, nor even because of his Catholic enthusiasm and his medical reputation, that Guillaume Cappel deserves attention. In 1553, at the age of twenty-three, he published a French translation of Machiavelli's ""Prince"", dedicating it to a powerful patron, the ""Garde des sceaux"" Jean Bertrand. Appended to the book were poems praising Mchiavelli, and Cappel as his French interpreter, by Marc-Antoine Muret and Rémy Belleau, and other verses about the relative merits of French and Italian princes by Etienne Jodelle. Guillaume Cappel clearly mixed in the foremost literary circles of the time. He claimed to be a student of politics, as well as of medicine and letters, and in his dedication to Bertrand, which he modelled on Machiavelli's own prefatory letter to Lorenzo de' Medici, he expressed an admiration for Machiavelli that knew no bounds. Politics, he remarked, constituted the highest branch of philosophy, itself the queen of the ""sciences"". Other political writers were sophists producing utopias, but Machiavelli wrote of government as it really was. Cappel went on to argue in his preface that men were more ungrateful towrads their ruler than any animal towrads its master. The exercise of power was shaped by necessity, not by virtuous intentions, and only those who understood this could govern successfully. For his part, the ruler necessarily pursued two aims, to keep his authority intact and to extend his dominions. According to Cappel, Machiavelli had boldly analysed the faults committed by princes in the pst, had shown how problems could be dealt with in the future, and had brilliantly explained the causes of political upheavals.Guillaume Cappel's translation of ""The Prince"" was the first of three to be published in France before the massacre of St. Bartholomew, when the black legend of Machiavelli became dominant... Guillaume Cappel was not only the first translator of ""The Prince"" but also the one most in sympathy with Machiavelli himself. He scornfully refuted those who accused his author ""de facooner un prince trop rigoreux."" A good doctor, said Cappel in his dedication, did not worry whether his patient disliked the remedy he prescribed, but merely whether the cure would work. Cappel refused to take up the rumor whether Machiavelli was an atheist, because, he claimed, there was nothing he had written that could support or deny the charge... Cappel's translation was sharper, and truer to the original than Gaspard d'Auvergne's or Gohory's.... The young Guillaume Cappel was, at this time at least, a true Machiavellian."" (McMillan Salmo, Renaissance and Revolt, pp. 62-63). The work is of the utmost scarcity, with only few copies known. According to the ""Catalogue général"" of the Bibliothèque National, at least thirty-five editions of three French translations of ""The Prince"" appeared between 1553 and 1664. ""The doctor Guillaume Cappel is credited with the first French translation of ""The Prince"" (1553), followed by Gaspard d'Auvergne (1553) and Jacques Gohory (1571)."" (Jacob Soll, Publishing The Prince, p.73).(See PMM 63 - first edition). ‎