The fox and the lion: Machiavelli replies to Cicero

The parallels between Machiavelli's The Prince and Cicero's De Officiis hav e been frequently noted but seldom studied. An examination of the parallels suggests that Machiavelli intended The Prince to offer an improvement on C icero's defence of the active life. He thus completes Cicero's intention in De Officiis to treat political life on its own terms, independent of philo sophy. In so doing, he uncovers inconsistencies and tensions int he Ciceron ian account of the 'intermediate' virtues of the statesman, tensions that a re the product of the classical framework within which Cicero is working. T he statesman's activity secures the good of the polity, but to achieve the good one must know what is good. Ultimately for Cicero the statesman must d epend on knowledge of the good that is the province of philosophy. In The P rince, Machiavelli shows how these tension may be resolved.