Nicolo Machiavelli The Complete Collection: (4 Books) The Prince, The Art of War, The Discourses on Livy, History of Florence,Used

BOOK ONE:The Prince Is a 16thcentury political treatise, by the Italian diplomat and political theorist Niccol?Machiavelli. From correspondence a version appears to have been distributed in 1513, using a Latin title, De Principatibus (About Principalities). However, the printed version was not published until 1532, five years after Machiavellis death. This was done with the permission of the Medici pope Clement VII, but "long before then, in fact since the first appearance of The Prince in manuscript, controversy had swirled about his writings". Although it was written as if it were a traditional work in the mirrors for princes style, it is generally agreed that it was especially innovative. This is only partly because it was written in the vernacular Italian rather than Latin, a practice which had become increasingly popular since the publication of Dantes Divine Comedy and other works of Renaissance literature. BOOK TWO: The Art of War Is a treatise by the Italian Renaissance political philosopher and historian Niccol?Machiavelli. The format of The Art of War is a socratic dialogue. The purpose, declared by Lord Fabrizio Colonna (perhaps Machiavellis persona) at the outset, "To honor and reward virt? not to have contempt for poverty, to esteem the modes and orders of military discipline, to constrain citizens to love one another, to live without factions, to esteem less the private than the public good." To these ends, Machiavelli notes in his preface, the military is like the roof of a palazzo protecting the contents. Written between 1519 and 1520 and published the following year, it was Machiavellis only historical or political work printed during his lifetime, though he was appointed official historian of Florence in 1520 and entrusted with minor civil duties. BOOK THREE:The Discourses on Livy Is a work of political history and philosophy written in the early 16th century (ca. 1517) by the Italian writer and political theorist Niccol?Machiavelli, best known as the author of The Prince. The Discourses were published posthumously with papal privilege in 1531. The title identifies the works subject as the first ten books of Livys Ab urbe condita,which relate the expansion of Rome through the end of the Third Samnite War in 293 BCE, although Machiavelli discusses what can be learned from many other eras including contemporary politics. Machiavelli saw history in general as a way to learn useful lessons from the past for the present, and also as a type of analysis which could be built upon, as long as each generation did not forget the works of the past. BOOK FOUR: HISTORY OF FLORENCE After the crisis of 1513, with arrests for conspiracy, torture and after being sentenced to house arrest, Machiavellis relationship with the Medici family passively began to mend itself. If the dedication of Il Principe (1513) to Lorenzo II de Medici had not any effect, part of the then dominant faction of the Florence was not against him, and instead granted him an appointment. In his letter he deplores of his idle state, offering his precious political experience to the new lord. To sustain that timid request Machiavelli, with a considerably courtierlike spirit, set his Mandragola for the wedding of Lorenzino de Medici (1518). In 1520, he was invited to Lucca for a mission of a semiprivate character, indicating that the ostracism was to be raised up. At the end of that year, Giulio Cardinal de Medici commissioned him to write a History of Florence. Although this was not exactly the charge he desired, Machiavelli accepted it as the only possible way to come back into the graces of the Medici. The intent of the work, although semiofficially, was to recover the citys charge of historic officiality. The wage for the appointment was not large (57 florins per year, later increased to 100).