Machiavelli and the Prince Chippet

Machiavelli polemicises against his classical authorities and humanist understanding of the prints. He wants to say one thing they completely forget is that a key to success in politics is always to have a reservoir of force, pure power,. And it's remarkable how much that was not said in humanist political theory. For example, Erasmus' advice to the Christian prince, written at almost exactly the same time, is a pacifist document. Now, for Machiavelli, that's the greatest heresy you can utter.