Unrestored contemporary sheepskin. The first edition in English of Machiavelli's extraordinary treatise on the art of government, widely acclaimed as the first great work of modern political philosophy.

'Hitherto political speculation had tended to be a rhetorical exercise based on the implicit assumption of Church or Empire. Machiavelli founded the science of modern politics on the study of mankind... His concept of the qualities demanded from a ruler and the absolute need of a national militia came to fruition in the monarchies of the seventeenth centuries' (PMM).

The Prince was first published in Italian in 1532, five years after its author's death, under licence from the Medici Pope Clementine VII, who had earlier commissioned Machiavelli's Florentine Histories. Widely condemned, strict censorship laws prevented its publication in England until 1584 when the printer John Wolfe managed to evade restrictions by releasing the work under a false imprint. It was to be more than 50 years until the first edition in English was published in this translation by Edward Dacres, appearing at a time of considerable political tension in England, which saw the collapse of Charles I's personal rule and the summoning of the Long Parliament.

Dacre's translation is also noteworthy for his 'animadversions', his observations and critical thoughts on the text, which provide important insight into the reception of The Prince by early modern readers. Finding not much 'blame-worthy' until the seventh chapter, Dacres objected to portrayal of Cesare Borgia as a 'paterne to new Princes... [for] though this Caesar Borgia contrived all his businesse so warily, that our Author much commends him... Policy shewed it selfe short sighted; for hee foresaw not at the time of his Father's death, he himself should bee brought unto deaths dore also' (pp59-60).

A charming copy in unsophisticated contemporary sheepskin, the upper cover with an unusual cut design comprising four interlocking circles. With contemporary and later manuscript annotations, the earliest offering a one-word comparison to the Greek Stoic philosopher 'Epictectus' (to the front pastedown), and twice noting Psalm 120, verse 7: 'cum hic qui oderunt pacem eram pacificus' ('with them that have hated peace, I was peaceable', Vulgate 119:7, in pen to title verso and the head of the Epistle to the Reader). Later characterful annotations in pencil note passages found to be 'very good' (p.10) and 'Bravo!' (p.118), and speculate as to the nature of 'Hectique fever' — 'does he mean consumption?' (p.15).

First edition; 12mo (15 x 9 cm); annotation in pen to front pastedown, later annotations in pen to title, Latin inscriptions in pen to title blank verso and to header of A4r, faint annotations in pencil to B5v, B8r, B11v-12r, F8v (erased), F10v, G11r, pinhole to I3 upper margin corner, light creasing, offsetting to title margins, otherwise internally clean, lacking front free endpaper; unsophisticated contemporary sheep, upper cover with cut design of four interlocking circles, loss to lower spine and end caps, edges and corners rubbed, a little tightly bound, preserved in a custom made leather-backed cloth box; [12], 305, [9]pp.

ESTC S111853; USTC 3020903; cf.PMM 63; Transcript of the Register of the Company of Stationers, IV, p.468.