Les Discours De L'Estat De Paix et De Guerre, De Messire Nicolas Machiauelli, Secreataire & Citoyen Froentin, sur la premiere decade de Tite Liue, traduict d'Italien en Francoys

A Paris. Printed by E. Groulleau pour Iean Longis & Nober6t le Mangnyer. 1559. 1st Edition. Hardcover. 8vo, in8's, 16.5cm, [xxiv],279,[1]p., printer's vignette on the title page and author's portrait vignette on final colophon leaf, decorated initial letters, in 18th century full mottled calf, floral gilt decorated spine panels, crushed dark crimson label, marbled endpapers, edges stained red, name crossed out in ink on the bottom title margin, a fine clean sound copy of the first French edition and the first foreign translation of any language, only one copy (this one) located in the auctions records, very rare. (cgc). No copies of this edition listed on WorldCat. Title translation: The Speeches of the State of Peace and War, Niccol di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (Italian:[nikko'l? mmakja'v?lli]; 3 May 1469 21 June 1527) was an Italian diplomat, politician, historian, philosopher, humanist, and writer of the Renaissance period.[1][2] He has often been called the father of modern political science.[3] He was for many years a senior official in the Florentine Republic, with responsibilities in diplomatic and military affairs. He also wrote comedies, carnival songs, and poetry. His personal correspondence is renowned in the Italian language. He was secretary to the Second Chancery of the Republic of Florence from 1498 to 1512, when the Medici were out of power. He wrote his most renowned work The Prince (Il Principe) in 1513. "Machiavellianism" is a widely used negative term to characterize unscrupulous politicians of the sort Machiavelli described most famously in The Prince. Machiavelli described immoral behavior, such as dishonesty and killing innocents, as being normal and effective in politics. He even seemed to endorse it in some situations. The book itself gained notoriety when some readers claimed that the author was teaching evil, and providing "evil recommendations to tyrants to help them maintain their power".[4] The term "Machiavellian" is often associated with political deceit, deviousness, and realpolitik. On the other hand, many commentators, such as Baruch Spinoza, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Denis Diderot, have argued that Machiavelli was actually a republican, even when writing The Prince, and his writings were an inspiration to Enlightenment proponents of modern democratic political philosophy.[5][6][7] In one place, for example, he noted his admiration for the selfless Roman dictator Cincinnatus.