The New Machiavelli Chapter 1

In which a restless man, reflecting on the shadow of Machiavelli and the vanished age of princely power, contemplates the immense complexities of modern politics and the newfound significance of women in the shaping of states. Settled in exile among tranquil vines, he begins the careful task of distilling his own story from a life of political promise undone by the passions of love.