The Prince (review)

224 HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY Machiavelli. The Prince. Edited and translated by James B. A~inson. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill , 1976. Pp. xx + 426. Only three considerations can justify a new translation: a better interpretive apparatus, greater readability, or greater accuracy; and it is in this order that Atkinson's edition of The Prince excels. Compared to other English translations over the past thirty years (the last one more than a decade ago), this version provides roughly three times the annotation, three times the commentary, and four times the bibliography. The abundant notes interfacing with the text identify individuals, describe historical background, point out parallel passages in either contemporary works or Machiavelli's other writings, effect important cross references, explain difficult terms or concepts, comment on the Italian text, point out conflicting scholarly interpretations, and identify Machiavelli's literary and historical sources. The bibliographical section lists the principal editions and translations of the works of Machiavelli and Guicciardini, arranges most of Machiavelli's literary, historical, and political works in chronological order, and selects from recent, if not current, works of scholarship and criticism. Atkinson thus largely succeeds in realizing his chief aim: to provide "an adequately annotated edition" conducive to "the proper study of The Prince" and Machiavelli's "universe of discourse." This ambitious effort is not without its flaws, however: in the bibliographical section, where there are some significant omissions; and in the long introductory essay, where some emphases seem misplaced or discussions incomplete. Doubtless, every selected bibliography is imperfect; but this one is marred by the fact that, for an edition appearing in 1976, the fifty-eight items classified under general scholarship cite fifty-three studies from the 1960s or earlier, two items from 1970, none from 1971, and three from 1972. (A few of the notes bring the citations up to 1973.) The general bibliography thus avoids the most important findings of scholarship appearing in and after 1969 apropos of the quincentennial celebrations of Machiavelli's birth. ~ While obviously no bibliographical appendage need cite all or most of these studies, Atkinson's list is dated and uneven: for example, he cites the first volume of Chiappelli's indispensable edition of Machiavelli's diplomatic writings, but not the second, which appeared in 1973.2 He cites Ridolfi's biography of Machiavelli in the first English edition, not the far more important fifth Italian edition.3 He omits Martelli's important new edition of Machiavelli's works and Isaiah Berlin's quintessential essay, "The Originality of Machiavelli.''4 Then, too, regarding the inescapable concept of virt~, he includes Neal Wood's essay, but omits Price's analysis, and Hannaford's comment on Wood. 5 (The significance of these omissions will emerge in my comments on Atkinson's introductory essay.) The chronological arrangement should have included Machiavelli's Ghiribizzi (Fantasies, 1506), although Atkinson discusses their dating and importance for the germination of The Prince in his introduction (p. 11). Also helpful would have been some mention of the fact that the Description of the Method Adopted by Duke Valentino when Murdering ViteUozzo Vitelli .... assigned to 1503, was entirely rewritten during the exile period after 1512. This explains what Atkinson describes (p. 8) as the "more literary cast" of the piece as compared to the other dispatches of 1503. Finally, it should be noted that while this edition was in press, the dating of See J. H. Geerken, "Machiavelli Studies since 1969," Journal of the History of Ideas 37 (I976):351-68. 7N. Machiavelli, Legazioni, Commissarie, Scritti di governo, Vol. H: 1501-1503, ed. Fredi Chiappelli (Bail: Laterza, 1973). 3R. Ridolfi, Vita di NiccolO Machiavelli, 5th ed. (Florence: Sansoni, 1972). 4 Tutte le opere, ed M. Martelli (Florence: Sansoni, t971); Berlin, "The Originality of Machiavelli," in Myron P. Gilmore, ed., Studies on Machiavelli (Florence: Sansoni, 1972), pp. 147-206. 5Wood, "Machiavelli's Concept of VirtO Reconsidered," Political Studies 15 (1967):159-72; I. Hannaford, "Machiavelli's Concept of Virt~ in The Prince and The Discourses Reconsidered," Political Studies 20 (1972):185-89; R. Price, "The Sense of Virt~ in Machiavelli," European Studies Review 31 (1973):315-46. BOOK REVIEWS 225 Machiavelli's Discourse or Dialogue on Language, disputedly assigned to 1514-16, was...