My paper is an analysis of the use of priv* words, mostly “privatus”, in Hermann Conring’s translation into Latin and commented edition of Machiavelli’s The Prince in 1651. Hermann Conring was a professor at the University of Helmstedt in Germany. An Aristotelian, he had previously held the chairs of natural philosophy and of medicine before getting the chair of Politik in 1650, the year he translated Machiavelli into Latin.
I identify two groups of use of the word “private.” The first one refers to the origins of an individual who becomes ruler: coming from private condition, private life, or private fortune. The second one refers to private interests or private property as opposed to the public good.