(Nicholas), a famous political writer of the 16th century, was born of a distinguished family at Florence. He wrote in his native language with great elegance and politeness, though he understood very little of the Latin tongue; but he was in the service of Marcellus Virgilius, a learned man, who pointed out to him many of the beautiful passages in the ancients, which Machiavel had the art of placing properly in his works. He composed a comedy upon the ancient Greek model; in which he turned into ridicule many of the Florentine ladies, and which was so well received, that pope Leo X. caused it to be acted at Rome. Machiavel was secretary, and afterwards historiographer, to the republic of Florence. The house of Medici procured him this last office, together with a handsome salary, in order to pacify his resentment for his having suffered the torture upon suspicion of his being an accomplice in the conspiracy of the Soderini against that house, when Machiavel bore his sufferings without making any confession. The great encomiums he bestowed upon Brutus and Cato, both in his conversations and writings, made him strongly suspected of being concerned in another conspiracy against cardinal Julian de Medici, who was afterwards pope under the name of Clement VII. However, they carried on no proceedings against him; but from that time he turned everything into ridicule, and gave himself up to irreligion. He died in 1530, of a remedy which he had taken by way of prevention.—Of all his writings, that which has made the most noise, and has drawn upon him the most enemies, is a political treatise entitled the Prince; which has been translated into several languages, and wrote again by many authors. The world is not agreed as to the motives of this work; some thinking, he meant to recommend tyrannical maxims; others, that he only delineated them to excite abhorrence. Machiavel also wrote Reflections on Titus Livy, which are extremely curious; The History of Florence, from the year 1205 to 1494; and a quarto volume of poems and other pieces. Mr Harrington considers him as a superior genius, and as the most excellent writer on politics and government that ever appeared.