And as in the _Principe_, as its name indicates, Machiavelli is concerned chiefly with the government of a Prince, so the _Discorsi_ treat principally of the Republic, and here Machiavelli's model republic was the Roman commonwealth, the most successful and most enduring example of popular government.

Free Rome is the embodiment of his political idea of the state.

Much that Machiavelli says in this treatise is as true to-day and holds as good as the day it was written.

And to us there is much that is of especial importance.

To select a chapter almost at random, let us take Book I., Chap.