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3 0 6 I n t e r p r e t a t i o n Volume 41 / Issue 3such conditions are not guaranteed. The apologetical speeches of philosophymust be directed for the first time toward generating deeds that will alter thecondition of all men so as to preserve or reinstate those conditions conduciveto the existence of those men devoted to the pursuit of philosophy. Effectivedefense requires broad offensive measures and philosophy must be willing togo to war. If the beautiful woman is the savior of our hero, he must effect hersalvation in turn and do so precisely by taking on a task unknown to or atleast unattempted by her: spiritual warfare directed to the founding of newmodes and orders. 58 This spiritual warfare will be devoted to defeating theremnants of the empire of Circe over the minds of men as a precondition forestablishing a new empire on new foundations. It is Machiavelli’s view thatthe true captains and the true founders are the greatest authors and that thewritings of these men lay the groundwork for whatever is built by the politicalmen who are the imitators of the “imitations” of these writers. Thus Scipiowas an imitator of Xenophon’s imitation of Cyrus, and Caesar an imitatorof Alexander who was, in turn, an imitator of Homer’s imitation of Achilles,and, finally, Machiavelli implies, any faithful Christian is an imitator ofthe imitation of Jesus that is the work of the Christian authors, Paul aboveall. 59 Machiavelli will turn the weapons of Paul against Paul and combat theregnant Pauline doctrine with a new Machiavellian doctrine designed to cutaway the branches and tear up the roots of the Christian plantations.In the final three chapters of The Ass, Machiavelli gives us a taste of thecharacter of this new anti-Pauline teaching. In doing so he reveals that thisteaching is no less asinine than the teaching that now prevails, but is neverthelessfar from being, after the fashion recommended by the beautifulwoman, in external conformity to it. If the hero-author is to take on the guiseof an ass, it will not be of the kind that afforded Jesus a vehicle to his pacificconquest of Jerusalem and from there the world.On her return in the evening from her quotidian duties, the beautifulwoman fulfills the promise she had made to the hero to take him to a placewhere he could discover “the total condition of our state” (VI.30). She nowshows him the natures of men as they present themselves on the contemporarystage and as illuminated by the teachings and examples of ancient58Though unknown to her, this task can only be accomplished with her support: the discovery andfounding of new modes and orders presupposes the knowledge of sites, which can only be gained byrecourse to ancient wisdom. Ancient wisdom is that undefended “peak” above the position of theenemy that represents “the citadel of our hope and salvation” (Discourses, 3.40.2).59Machiavelli, Prince, chap. 14.