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Front Page  Titles (by Subject) LETTER XV. - The Historical, Political, and Diplomatic Writings, vol. 4 (Diplomatic Missions 1506-1527)
LETTER XV. - Niccolo Machiavelli, The Historical, Political, and Diplomatic Writings, vol. 4 (Diplomatic Missions 1506-1527) [1506]Edition used:The Historical, Political, and Diplomatic Writings of Niccolo Machiavelli, tr. from the Italian, by Christian E. Detmold (Boston, J. R. Osgood and company, 1882). Vol. 4.
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- Missions. (continued.)
- Missions to Various Parts of the Florentine Dominion. *
- I.: From the Magistracy of the Ten to Niccolo Machiavelli, Secretary, In Mugello. 3 January, 1506.
- II.
- III.: To Niccolo Machiavelli.
- IV.
- V.: To Niccolo Machiavelli. 5 March, 1506.
- VI.
- VII.: To Niccolo Machiavelli, At Poppi. 7 March, 1506.
- Second Mission to the Court of Rome.
- Instructions Given to Niccolo Machiavelli, Sent to Rome.
- Letter I.
- Letter II.
- Letter III.
- Letter IV.
- Letter V.
- Letter VI.
- Letter VII.
- Letter VIII.
- Letter IX.
- Letter X.
- Letter XI.
- Letter XII.
- Letter XIII.
- Letter XIV.
- Letter XV.
- Letter XVI.
- Letter XVII.
- Letter XVIII.
- Letter XIX.
- Letter XX.
- Letter XXI.
- Letter XXII.
- Letter XXIII.
- Letter XXIV.
- Letter XXV.
- Letter XXVI.
- Letter XXVII.
- Letter XXVIII.
- Letter XXIX.
- Letter XXX.
- Letter XXXI.
- Letter XXXII.
- Letter XXXIII.
- Letter XXXIV.
- Letter XXXV.
- Letter XXXVI.
- Letter XXXVII.
- Letter XXXVIII.
- Letter XXXIX.
- Letter Xl.
- Third Mission to Sienna. *
- Letter I.
- Letter II.
- Letter III.
- Mission to the Emperor of Germany. *
- Letter I.
- Letter II.
- Letter III. *
- Letter IV.
- Letter V.
- Letter VI.
- Letter VII.
- Letter VIII.
- Letter IX.
- Letter X.
- Letter XI.
- Letter XII.
- Letter XIII.
- Letter XIV.
- Second Mission Into the Interior of the State. *
- Letters Patent.
- Third Commission to the Army Before Pisa. *
- Letter I. to Niccolo Capponi, Commissary-general, Etc.
- Letter II.
- Commission to Niccolo Machiavelli, Resolved Upon By the Magistracy of the Ten On the 10 Th of March, 1509. *
- Letter III.
- Letter IV.
- Letter V.
- Letter VI.
- Letter VII.
- Letter VIII.
- Letter IX.
- Letter X.
- Letter XI.
- Letter XII.
- Letter XIII.
- Letter XIV.
- Letter XV.
- Letter XVI.
- Letter XVII.
- Letter XVIII.
- Letter XIX.
- Letter XX.
- Letter XXI.
- Letter XXII.
- Letter XXIII.
- Letter XXIV.
- Mission to Mantua On Business With the Emperor of Germany. *
- Commission Given to Niccolo Machiavelli to Proceed to Mantua and Its Vicinity,
- Letter I.
- Letter II.
- Letter III.
- Letter IV.
- Letter V.
- Letter VI.
- Letter VII.
- Letter VIII.
- Letter IX.
- Letter X.
- Letter XI.
- Letter XII.
- Letter XIII.
- Third Mission to the Court of France. *
- Instructions From Piero Soderini, Gonfaloniere, to Niccolo Machiavelli,
- Letter I.
- Letter II.
- Letter III.
- Letter IV.
- Letter V.
- Letter VI. *
- Letter VII.
- Letter VIII.
- Letter IX.
- Letter X.
- Letter XI.
- Letter XII.
- Letter XIII.
- Letter XIV.
- Letter XV.
- Letter XVI.
- Letter XVII.
- Letter XVIII.
- Commission to the Interior of the State.
- Patent. We, the Ten of Liberty and Balia of the Florentine Republic,
- Commission to Sienna.
- Patent and Passport. We, the Ten of Liberty and Balia of the Florentine Republic,
- Mission to the Lord of Monaco.
- Patent and Passport. We, the Ten of Liberty and Balia of the Florentine Republic,
- The Purpose of the Convention to Be Concluded With Luciano Grimaldi, Lord of Monaco, Is As Follows: —
- Fourth Mission to the Court of France.
- Letters Patent.
- Instructions Given to Niccolo Machiavelli, Sent By the Illustrious Ten to Lombardy and France.
- Letter I.
- Letter II.
- Letter III.
- Letter IV.
- Commission to Pisa At the Time of the Council. *
- I.: The Ten to the Cardinals That Were At Pisa. 2 November, 1511.
- II.: The Ten to the Seigneur De Lautrec. 2 November, 1511.
- III.: The Ten to Niccolo Machiavelli. 3 November, 1511.
- IV. And V.
- Commission For Raising Troops.
- Letters Patent. We, Nine of the Ordinance and Florentine Militia, *
- Letter.
- Commissions to Pisa and Other Places Within and Without the Florentine Dominion.
- Letter I.
- Letter II.
- Letter III.
- Letter IV.
- Letters Patent. We, the Ten of Liberty and Balia of the Florentine Republic, Etc.,
- Letter V.
- Letter VI. *
- Letter VII.
- Letter VIII.
- Letter IX.
- Letter X.
- Letter XI.
- Mission to the Chapter of the Minorite Brothers At Carpi. *
- Instructions of the Eight of Practice. Deliberated, the 11th of May, 1521.
- Other Instructions By Father Hilarion.
- To the Most Reverend and Most Illustrious Cardinale Giulio De’ Medici.
- Mission to Venice.
- Credentials. Serenissimo Principi Et Excellentissimo Domino AndreÆ Gritti, Dei Gratia Duci Venetiarum Patr. Observ.
- Brief Instruction to You, Niccolo Machiavelli, As to What You Have to Do In Your Mission to Venice, By Our Order.
- Representations.
- Mission to the Army of the League, Engaged In the Siege of Cremona. *
- Instructions Given to Michiavelli By Francesco Guicciardini, Lieutenant of the Pope At the Army of the League.
- Mission to Francesco Guicciardini.
- Instructions to Niccolo Machiavelli, Sent By the Magistracy of the Eight of Practice to Messer Francesco Guicciardini, Lieutenant of His Holiness the Pope.
- Letter I.
- Letter II.
- Second Mission to Francesco Guicciardini.
- Instructions to Niccolo Machiavelli, Resolved By the Eight of Practice, 3 February, 1527.
- Letter I.
- Letter II.
- Letter III.
- Letter IV.
- Letter V.
- Letter VI.
- Letter VII.
- Letter VIII.
- Letter IX.
- Letter X.
- Letter XI.
- Letter XII.
- Letter XIII.
- Letter XIV.
- Letter XV.
- Letter XVI.
- Letter XVII.
- Letter XVIII.
- Letter XIX.
- Letter XX.
- Letter XXI.
- Miscellaneous Papers.
- Description of the Manner In Which the Duke Valentino Proceeded to Kill Vitellozzo Vitelli, Oliverotto Da Fermo, and the Signor Pagolo and the Duke Gravina Orsini. *
- Report On the Affairs of Germany.
- Second Report On the Affairs of Germany. Made 17 June, 1508.
- Discourse On the Affairs of Germany and On the Emperor.
- An Account of the Affairs of France.
- Of the Nature of the French.
- Confidential Instructions
LETTER XV.
Magnificent Signori, etc.: —
The enemy’s troops did not start, as in my letter of yesterday I reported they intended to do. I believe the cause is the heavy rain and snow that has continued falling all night. We do not know, therefore, whether they will move to-morrow or not, but we do know that they maintain themselves here with the greatest difficulty, so that it seems almost impossible for them to remain here; and what ought to alarm them most is that they cannot better themselves by a change of encampment. If these difficulties were increased in any way by us, they would assuredly be destroyed; but our own unfortunate position prevents our doing anything of the kind. This causes the Lord Lieutenant the greatest anxiety; he organizes and applies remedies wherever he can; may it please the Almighty to enable him to do what is necessary to produce the desired effect! Nothing more is heard of the Fieramosca or of the truce; I have therefore nothing further to tell you on that subject. Every one has come to the conclusion that we have nothing to expect but war, since the perfidy of others prevented the success of a peace that would have been most useful and beneficial. There is no occasion, therefore, to delay resolving upon war; it should be done at once, so as to show to everybody that it is idle to think any more of peace. But we must act so that the Venetians and the king of France shall have no fear of our concluding any peace without their consent. And if this be done, and you succeed promptly in winning back the Venetians so that they come effectually to our assistance, then the delays which the storm has caused to the enemy will prove an advantage to us, inasmuch as it will have given us time enough for our forces to be sufficiently united to hold them in check. For your Lordships will see that it was fifteen days ago to-day that they decided to pass, but have not yet been able to do it; so that we may reasonably hope that the same causes may keep them fifteen days more, if not here where they are, at least this side of the mountains. But it behooves us, as I have said, to employ this time well, otherwise our ruin will only have been postponed, and will be the greater, the same as bodies that have been enfeebled by long disease are less able to support it than they were in its beginning. Valete!
Servitor Niccolo Machiavelli. Bologna, 30 March, 1527.
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