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366 IL PRINCIPE.
vano tempi da onorare un principe nuovo, e se ci era
materia che desse occasione a uno prudente e virtuoso
d' introdurvi nuova forma che facesse onore a lui e bene
as a later addition, forms in reality the necessary conclusion to the
whole work ; without it The Prince would be artistically imperfect ;
it would stop, but could hardly be said to end. Triantafillis [Nuovi
Studii, &c.] has pointed out that a portion of this chapter appears to
be derived from Isocrates' exhortation to Philip ['I_o_pdrov_ q_DtLTrrro_;
Teubner text, vol. i. p. 88]; his conclusion is as follows: 'Certo il
modo di esprimersi del Machiavelli non 6 identico a quello d' Isocrate :
il Machiavelli non ha tradotto l'opera dell'autore greco, ma si
ispirato ad essa, e sono le idee d' Isocrate che predominano nell'
ultimo capitolo del Principe, capitolo che 6 il pi/a caratteristico di
questo lavoro, giacch6 ci rivela l' altissimo scopo cui tendeva il grande
patriotta' [p. 33.] This view he supports by an extract from
Isocrates [in the Italian translation of Lavanti] consisting of various
passages from the ¢/XLrmo_, woven together to form a connected
whole. These passages we may assume to be those to which
TriantafiUis believes Machiavelli to be most indebted ; he has how-
ever given no references, so that the following list may be of use :--
[Teubner text ; ed. Benseler and Blass]
§ 14--16.
§ 3o, from qb,yAyhp Xp_va, to 6_ovoe_uzro,_creL_.
§ 39, 4°, 41 to the words o-vo'r_o-a_ _vuqOdq_.
§ 45, from _7_ ,_v Tap to _ara Tpdrrov.
§ 46 to 57, omitting the last words of §49, the opening sentence
of § 55, the last two words of the same section, the last
sentence of § 56, and all § 57 from the words ¢/v7_p Cav_cnv.
§ x44.
86,87.
Ia4 to I26, omitting from Kai_o_ _q3to"rag._vovg to end of § z_5.
§ _49 to § I5_.
§_.5+
A careful comparison of the abo'_e passage_ with th_ text of the
Breaentehaotershowsthat thereis undoubtedlya certaingeneral
resemblance between Isocrates" appeal to Philip and Machiavelli's
appeal to Lorenzo: but it is a question whether coincidence of
subject may not be enough to account for this resemblance. The
points of contact between the two writers appear to have been given
a somewhat exaggerated prominence, and on the whole it is more
remarkable how little Machiavelli has borrowed--Isocrates' Philip
occupies thirty-seven pages of the Greek text--and how largely he
has altered the little which he did take.