Belfagor arcidiavolo (" Belfagor the archdaemon") is a novella by Niccolò Machiavelli , written between 1518 and 1527, and first published with his collected works in 1549. The novella is also known as La favola di Belfagor Arcidiavolo ("The fable of Belfagor the archdaemon") and Il demonio che pres...