20-24 septembrie 2009 - Biblioteca Metropolitana Bucuresti

Nicolae Mavrocordat’s notes to Niccolo Machiavelli 167aspects of life. They say that prudent and pious people shall not fear to becontaminated with this kind of behavior. Mavrocordat agrees with Morhofin the opinion that “the lives of evil people are lessons for the good people”. 6The analysis of Machiavelli’s conception about the relation betweenpolitics and ethics make some scholars to think there is a gap betweenthem. Machiavelli states that, in politics, the goal is clearly more importantthan the means. Selecting his means, the prince shall favor the utility overthe ethics. The famous formula: “The goal excuses the means”, (a hallmarkof Machiavellism for many), means that there is out there a paramount“reason of state”. The social ethics is irrelevant in politics, who has anethics of its own, an ethics of goals. Maxims such as: “Nothing is impossiblein politics”, “You can get discredited everywhere but politics”, “Politicsis only for opportunists” are immoral if you don’t take into account theparamount goal pursued by Machiavelli: a free and united Italy. 7 ForNicolae Mavrocordat, the prince has to be guided by religious ethics, tosee God as the foundation of his happiness, to obey God’s commandments.Machiavelli scholars state that his dissertations on Titus Livius attesthis talent and depth. Mavrocordat, at his turn, writes, after reading the“Discorsi” that “I came to the end of the careful reading of the famousdiscorsi of Machiavelli, really evil an author; many tasteless, inappropriatefor a statesman, be he a mere Godless scoundrel; many nonetheless captureour attention” 8 .Nicolae Mavrocordat quotes a passage of Ammirato about the wayMachiavelli treats the art of history: “he messes the years, he changes thenames, he alters the actions, confuses the causes, he adds, he increases,he diminishes, and does everything he pleases” 9 . Although he doesn’tcomment the text, it is worth to notice that Mavrocordat kept this passagewhere Ammiranto is against Machiavelli, saying that, in order to correct hiserrors, he would resort to the “décor of history”.We must stress the fact that the works of Machiavelli are not worksof history, but works of observation, of analysis of the political actions.With good reason, Machiavelli is seen as the creator of the modern politicalscience. He uses historical dates and facts in order to demonstrate orexemplify specific political ideas, and not to make chronologies. Thus, in“The life of Castruccio Castricani”, while narrating the life of the famous6Grigoraş, Em., Machiavel şi Mavrocordat, Adevărul literar şi artistic, 25 martie1925.7Machiavelli, N. 1960, Principele, Bucureşti: Editura Ştiinţifică, 92-93.8Grigoraş, Em., op.cit.9Ibidem.