Poyson and Malice

Though it was available in England in manuscript form prior to its first official English translation, Machiavelli's The Prince became officially available in 1640. Unfortunately for those who wanted to get ahead in politics, The Prince was almost immediately re-banned in 1643. This despite the introduction by the translator Edward Dacres in which he rather ambiguously extolls the virtues of the text.

This book carryes its poyson and malice in it; yet mee thinks the judicious peruser may honestly make use of it in the actions of his life, with advantage.

England was not the first to specifically bar the work as it had previously made the Index librorum prohibiturum, the Catholic Church's list of banned books. The cynical might say that the initial ban by the Church was not because it found the subject matter inherently heretical, but because Machiavelli's treatise urged a ruler to always consider the ruler's own self interest ahead of every other concern - which naturally posed a threat to the political might of the Church.

Our copy is well thumbed with numerous annotations in Latin and English in the margins by previous owners. The notations include many references to English history including one on Queen Elizabeth which appears next to an underlined passage that reads:

Afterwards ought hee encourage his Citizens... but rather provide rewards for those that shall set these matters afoot, or for any one else that shall in any way amplifie his City or State.

Though our copy is currently uncatalogued, you can ask for it by title and date (1640) and mention that it's part of the Hickmott uncatalogued material.