The secrets of men since born: Il Machiavelli di Lord Acton

Abstract

Lord Acton was one of the most eminent intellectuals of the Victorian age. His political thought aimed at reconciling his Catholic faith with liberal prin-ciples. Although he has never written a book, his essays expressed an histo-riography that has exerted great influence in the study of history, the most known example of which is the Cambridge Modern History, conceived by Lord Acton himself. This article aims at showing that his interpretation of Ma-chiavelli, expressed in the introduction to the famous edition of the Prince edited by Arthur Burd, is a precious testimony of the widespread circulation of Machiavellian thought in Europe.