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own, through the insubordination of the troops underhim. The state of Florence instructed its envoys : —“ According to circumstances you may accuse him vio-lently, and cast on him the imputation of cowardice andcorruption ; or free him from all blame, and, speakinghonourably of him, throw all the fault upon others.And take care how you criminate him, as we do notwish to lose his favour, without gaining any thing else-where by such a proceeding.”

Machiavelli and his fellow envoy remained in France three months, following the king and his court to Mont-argis, Melun , Flessis, and Tours. They were faithfuland industrious in fulfilling their duties, especiallyMachiavelli ; Francesco della Caza being taken ill, andspending the greater part of his time at Paris . Theyfailed in their object: the king wishing Florence toengage troops from him on the same terms, of payingall the expenses, and the Florentines wishing to inducehim to for m the siege at his own risk, reimbursing himonly in case of success. Machiavelli meanwhile wasvery desirous to return home ; “ because,” he writes,“ my father died only a month before my departure,and since then I have lost a sister, and all my affairsare in disorder, so that I am injured in many ways.”Towards the end of October, Florence sent an ambas-sador with greater powers to the French court, and theenvoys returned to Italy .

His next legation was to Caesar Borgia . It is ne-cessary to enlarge upon this mission. The great doubtthat clouds Machiavelli ’s character regards the spirit inwhich he wrote the “ Prince,” — whether he sincerelyrecommended the detestable principles of governmentwhich he appears to advocate, or used the weapons ofirony and sarcasm to denounce a system of tyrannywhich then oppressed his native country. The ex-ample he brings forward most frequently in his treatise,is that of Caesar Borgia : his mode of governing hisstates, and the artifice and resolution with which he de-stroyed his enemies, are adduced as worthy of applauses 4