The Imperial Machiavelli
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Tiberius, the Roman emperor (42 B.C. to A.D. 37). His political axiom was: "He who knows not how to dissemble knows not how to reign." It was also the axiom of Louis XI of France.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “The Imperial Machiavelli” mean?
Tiberius, the Roman emperor (42 B.C. to A.D. 37). His political axiom was: "He who knows not how to dissemble knows not how to reign." It was also the axiom of Louis XI of France.
Is “The Imperial Machiavelli” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.