Niccolò Machiavelli · Complete work
Chapter I
Chapter I of 27. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
Open the complete readerOriginal Italian
Quante siano le specie de’ Principati, e con quali modi si acquistino.
Tutti gli Stati, tutti i dominii che hanno avuto, e hanno imperio sopra gli uomini, sono stati e sono o Repubbliche o Principati. I principati sono o ereditari, de’ quali il sangue del loro Signore ne sia stato lungo tempo Principe, o e’ sono nuovi. I nuovi o sono nuovi tutti, come fu Milano a Francesco Sforza, o sono come membri aggiunti allo stato ereditario del Principe che gli acquista, come è il Regno di Napoli al Re di Spagna. Sono questi dominii, così acquistati, o consueti a vivere sotto un Principe, o usi ad esser liberi; ed acquistansi o con le armi di altri o con le proprie, o per fortuna o per virtù.
Musean translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the Italian text of all 26 chapters and the dedication for fidelity, Machiavelli’s force and cadence, and modern clarity.
How Many Kinds of Principalities There Are, and by What Means They Are Acquired
All states, all dominions that have held and still hold power over people, have been and are either republics or principalities. Principalities are either hereditary, when the ruler's family has long held power, or new. The new are either wholly new, as Milan was to Francesco Sforza, or like members added to the hereditary state of the Prince who acquires them, as the Kingdom of Naples is to the King of Spain. Dominions acquired in this way are either accustomed to living under a Prince or used to being free; and they are acquired either with the arms of others or with one's own, either through fortune or through ability.
Plain English translation
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from the Italian text of all 26 chapters and the dedication.
How Many Kinds of Principalities There Are, and How They Are Acquired
Every state and every dominion that has held or now holds power over people has been or is either a republic or a principality. Principalities are either hereditary, when the ruler's family has held power for a long time, or new. New principalities are either entirely new, as Milan was for Francesco Sforza, or they are territories added to the hereditary state of the Prince who acquires them, as the Kingdom of Naples is to the King of Spain. These acquired dominions are either used to living under a Prince or used to being free. They are gained either with someone else's arms or with one's own, either through fortune or through ability.