Niccolo Machiavelli

Grayscale illustration of a statue of a man from the waist up. The man wears a serious expression and plain, modest clothing.

At a political supper in the Rucellai Gardens, Bernardo Rucellai speaks among Florentine elites about the value of intellect in advancing political aims. By invoking Machiavelli as a standard of talent, he frames scholarship as an active instrument of influence, reinforcing the novel’s contrast between strategic intelligence and moral responsibility. "There is your scholarship, which may always be a pretext for such journeys; and what is better, there is your talent, which it would be harder to match than your scholarship. Niccolò Macchiavelli might have done for us if he had been on our side, but hardly so well" ("A Supper in the Rucellai Gardens", Chapter 39).

Unknown

Unger, William (1837-1932), etcher

George Eliot Archive , edited by Beverley Park Rilett, https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Unknown, Niccolo Machiavelli, George Eliot Illustrations Gallery, George Eliot Archive , edited by Beverley Park Rilett, https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org, Accessed September 7, 2026. https://www.georgeeliotarchive.org/items/show/83633