A study in exile

Machiavelli has been dismissed from office, briefly imprisoned, and sent into the country, where he spends his days with woodcutters and his evenings with the ancients. He has written a short book and cannot decide whether to publish it, so he has invited three men whose judgment he trusts.

Erasmus, in Italy on his way back north, is disturbed by the book's coldness; More, who has been turning over the idea of a just commonwealth, argues that the prince should be judged by the good he does; Copernicus, who cares more for the heavens than for politics, asks whether any state can be ruled by reason alone. Machiavelli reads them a chapter and waits. The ravioli, partridge, and broad beans go cold on the table while they argue.