1802.] 
quences ; that is to fay, by maintaining (a 
tafk in which there was not much diffi- 
culty), that in charging the Church of 
Rome, not only with all the mifgovern- 
ment of Chriftendom, but even with the 
depravation, and almoft total deftruétion, 
of the Chriftian religion itfelf throughout 
Italy, he neither taught men impiety, nor 
made way for atheifm. 
The tone of this juftification is not 
the mot conciliating in the world: it has 
fome humour, but contains a great deal of 
moft bitter farcafms againft the church of 
Rome: the following is a fufficient fpeci-~ 
men :—** I fhall conclude this difcourfe, 
after I have faid a word of the moft hel- 
lifh of all the innovations brought in by 
the Popes—which is the clergy ; thefe are 
a fort of men, under pretence of mi- 
niftering to the people in holy things, fet 
a-part and feparared from the reft of man- 
kind, from whom they have a very dif- 
- tin&, and a very oppofite, intereft, by a 
human ceremony, called by a divine name, 
viz. ordination; thefe, wherever they are 
found, with the whole body of the Monks 
and Friars,whoare called the regularclergy, 
make a band which may be called the 
Janizaries of the Papacy ; thefe have been 
the caufes of all the folecifms and immo- 
ralities in government, and of all the im- 
Pieties and abominationsin religion ; and, 
by confequence, of all the diforder, vil- 
lany, aad corruption we fuffer under this 
deteftable age; thefe men, by the Bifhop 
of Rome’s help, have crept into all the 
governments of Chriftendom, where there 
is any mixture of monarchy, and made 
themfelves a third eftate; that 1s, have, 
by their temporalities, which are almoft 
a.third part of all the land in Europe, 
given them by the blind zeal, or rather 
folly, of the Northern people who over- 
yan this part of the world, ftepped into 
the throne ; and what they cannot perform 
by thefe fecular helps, and by the depen- 
dency their vaffals have upon them, they 
fail not to claim and to ufurp by the 
power they pretend to have from God, 
and his viceregent at Rome.”’ eae | 
now come to the laft branch of my charge; 
which is, that I teach princes villany, and 
“how to enflave and opprefs their fubjects. 
If any man will-read over my book of 
the Prince with impartiality, and ordinary 
charity, he will eafily perceive, that it is - 
notmy intentiontherein torecommend that 
government, or thofemen theredefcribed to 
the world; much lefstoteach mento trample 
upon good men, and all that is facred and 
MonTuiy Mac. No. 87. 
Defence of Machiavel. . 
443 
venerable upon earth, laws,religion,honelty, 
and what not; if I have been a little too 
punétual in defcribing thefe monfters, and 
drawn them to thelife in all their lineaments 
and colours, I hope mankind will’ know 
them the%better, to avoid them ; my trea- 
tife being both a fatire againft them, and 
a true character of them. 
<¢ Whoever in his empire is tied to no 
other rules than thofe of his own will and 
luft,mufteither be a faint or elfe a very devil 
incarnate ; or,if he beneither of thefe, both 
his life and his reign are like to be very 
fhort ; for whofoever takes upon him fo 
execrable an employment, as to rule men 
againft the laws of nature and reafon, 
muft turn all topfy-turvy, and never ftick 
at any thing; fer, if once he halt, he will 
fall, and never rife again, &c.—-And fo I 
bid you farewel.”’ 
Here then, in very plain terms, Machi« 
avel ftates the object he had in view, when 
he wrote that work which has called forth 
the noble indignation of many a patriotic 
writer, who did not perceive the author’s 
intention : the veil, however, was certain- 
ly feen through by Rouffeau, who, in his 
** Social Contraé,’’ has the following 
paflage :—-** Machiavel étoit un honnéte 
homme, et un bon citoyen ; mais, attaché a 
la maifon de Medici, il étoit forcé, dans | "Ope 
preffion de fa patric, de deguifer fon amour 
pour la liberté. Le choix feul de fon exe~ 
crable heros manifefte affex fon intention fe- 
crete ; et Voppofition des maximes de fon 
livre du Prince a celles de fes Difcours fur 
Tite Live, et de ‘fon Hiftoire de Florence, de- 
montre que ce profond politique n'a eu juf- 
quiet que des lectures fuperficiels ou corrome 
Pus Lie ITC. 6, 
The following paffage in Bacon, fo 
often quoted on this occafion, evidences 
that that profound philofopher faw the 
real drift of the Florentine fecretary :— 
“* Eft quod gratias agamus Machiavello, et 
aujusmodi fcriptoribus qui aperté et indif= | 
Sinulanter proferunt quid homines facere fa- 
leant, non quid debeant,’’ De Augment. Sci- 
ent. Lib. VII. Cap. 2, Fol.347. Harring- 
ton, Clarendon, and many other writers of 
celebrity, have fufpeéted that Machiavel 
wanted to throw a deadly odium upon 
monarchy. His charaéter and works have 
been very ably detended by a writer in 
the Cabinet, Vol. IIT. 
Tbe elegant hiftorian of Lorenzo the 
Magnificent is not convinced by the apo- 
logifls of Machiavel, and treats his cha- 
rater with a degree of feverity unufual 
tohim. After having fated their argu- 
M ments, 
