Genoa, which occupied me for an entire winter month.[3] Next I betook
myself to the extreme confines of the land of the barbarians,[4] and
spent three summer months in arranging for peace in Liguria, with that
Roman sovereign who fostered--or I had better say deferred,--the hope
of restoring a sadly ruined Empire. Finally, I went to France[5] to
carry congratulations to King John on his deliverance from an English
prison; here three more winter months were lost. Although during these
three journeys I dwelt upon my usual subjects of thought, nevertheless,
since I could neither write down my ideas nor impress them on my
memory, I call those days lost. It is true that when I reached Italy,
on my return from the last expedition, I dictated a voluminous letter
on the variableness of fortune to a studious old man, Peter of
Poitiers; it arrived too late, however, and found him dead. Here, then,
are seven months lost in the service of princes; nor is this a trifling
sacrifice, I admit, considering the shortness of life. Would that I
need not fear a greater loss, incurred long ago by the vanity and
frivolous employments of my youth!
You add, further, that possibly the measure of life was different in
olden times from what it is in ours, and that nowadays we may regard
men as old who were then looked upon as young. But I can only reply
to you as I did recently to a certain lawyer in this university,[6]
who, as I learned, was accustomed to make that same assertion in his
lectures, in order to depreciate the industry of the ancients, and
excuse the sloth of our contemporaries. I sent by one of his students
to warn him against repeating the statement, unless he wished to be
considered an ignoramus by scholars. For more than two thousand years
there has been no change in the length of human life. Aristotle lived
sixty-three years. Cicero lived the same length of time; moreover,
although he might have been spared longer had it pleased the heartless
and drunken Antony, he had some time before his death written a great
deal about his unhappy and premature decline, and had composed a
treatise on _Old Age_, for the edification of himself and a friend.
Ennius lived seventy years, Horace the same time, while Virgil died at
fifty-two, a brief life even for our time. Plato, it is true, lived
to be eighty-one; but this, it is said, was looked upon as a prodigy,
and because he had attained the most perfect age the Magi decided to
offer him a sacrifice, as if he were superior to the rest of mankind.
Yet nowadays we frequently see in our cities those who have reached
this age; octogenarians and nonagenarians are often to be met with,
and no one is surprised, or offers sacrifices to them. If you recall
Varro to me, or Cato, or others who reached their hundredth year, or
Gorgias of Leontium who greatly exceeded that age, I have other modern
instances to set off against them. But as the names are obscure I
will mention only one, Romualdo of Ravenna, a very noted hermit, who
recently reached the age of one hundred and twenty years, in spite
of the greatest privations, suffered for the love of Christ, and in
the performance of numerous vigils and fasts such as you are now
doing all in your power to induce me to refrain from. I have said a
good deal about this matter in order that you may neither believe nor
assert that, with the exception of the patriarchs, who lived at the
beginning of the world, and who, I am convinced, developed no literary
activity whatever, any of our predecessors enjoyed greater longevity
than ourselves. They could boast of greater activity, not of a longer
life,--if, indeed, life without industry deserves to be called life at
all, and not a slothful and useless delay.
By a few cautious words, however, you avoid the foregoing criticism,
for you admit that it may not be a question of age after all, but
that it may perhaps be temperament, or possibly climate, or diet,
or some other cause, which precludes me from doing what the others
were all able to do. I freely concede this, but I cannot accept the
deduction you draw from it, and which you support with laboriously
elaborate arguments; for some of your reasons are, in a certain sense,
quite opposed to the thesis you would prove. You counsel me to be
contented--I quote you literally--with having perhaps equalled Virgil
in verse (as you assert) and Cicero in prose. Oh, that you had been
induced by the truth, rather than seduced by friendship, in saying
this! You add that, in virtue of a senatus consultum following the
custom of our ancestors, I have received the most glorious of titles,
and the rare honour of the Roman laurel. Your conclusion from all
this is that, with the happy results of my studies, in which I rival
the greatest, and with my labours honoured by the noblest of prizes,
I should leave off importuning God and man, and rest content with my
fate and the fulfilment of my fondest wishes. Certainly I could make
no objection to this if what your affection for me has led you to
believe were true, or were even accepted by the rest of the world; I
should gladly acquiesce in the opinions of others, for I should always
rather trust their judgment than my own. But your view is not shared
by others, and least of all by myself, who am convinced that I have
rivalled no one, except, perhaps, the common herd, and rather than be
like it I should choose to remain entirely unknown.
As for the laurel wreath, it encircled my brow when I was as immature
in years and mind as were its leaves. Had I been of riper age I
should not have desired it. The aged love what is practical, while
impetuous youth longs only for what is dazzling. The laurel brought me
no increase of learning or literary power, as you may well imagine,
while it destroyed my peace by the infinite jealousy it aroused. I
was punished for my youthful audacity and love of empty renown; for
from that time well-nigh everyone sharpened his tongue and pen against
me. It was necessary to be constantly on the alert with banners
flying, ready to repel an attack, now on the left, now on the right;
for jealousy had made enemies of my friends. I might narrate in this
connection many occurrences which would fill you with astonishment.
In a word, the laurel made me known only to be tormented; without it,
I should have led that best of all lives, as many deem, a life of
obscurity and peace.
You put the finishing touch to your argument, it seems to me, when you
urge me to do all that I can to prolong my life as a joy to my friends,
and first and foremost as a solace to you in your declining years,
because, as you say, you desire when you depart hence to leave me still
alive. Alas! our friend Simonides[7] also expressed this wish--a wish
but too speedily granted: if there were any order in human affairs,
it is he who should have survived me. My own desires are, however,
directly opposed to those which my friends--you in particular--harbour.
I should prefer to die while you are all still alive, and leave those
behind in whose memory and conversation I should still live, who would
aid me by their prayers, and by whom I should continue to be loved and
cherished. Except a pure conscience, I believe there is no solace so
grateful to the dying as this.
If your counsels spring from the belief that I cling tenaciously to
life, you are entirely mistaken. Why should I wish to prolong my
existence among customs and manners which make me constantly deplore
that I have fallen on such times? To omit more serious disorders, I am
afflicted by the perverted and indecent clothing of a most frivolous
set of men. I have already too often complained of them, both in
speech and writing, but words are powerless to quiet my indignation
and distress of mind. These fellows, who call themselves Italians,
and were, indeed, born in Italy, do all they can to appear like
barbarians. Would that they were barbarians, that my eyes and those
of the true Italians might be delivered from so shameful a spectacle!
May God Omnipotent confound them, living and dead! Not satisfied with
sacrificing by their pusillanimity the virtues of our ancestors, the
glory of war, and all the arts of peace, they dishonour in their frenzy
the speech and dress of our country, so that we may consider our
forefathers happy to have passed away in good time, and may envy even
the blind, who are spared the sight of these things.
Finally, you ask me to pardon you for venturing to advise me and
for prescribing a mode of life, namely, that I hereafter abstain
from mental exertion and from my customary labours and vigils, and
endeavour to restore, by complete rest and sleep, the ravages wrought
by advancing years and prolonged study. I will not pardon you, but I
thank you, well aware of the affection which makes you a physician
for me, although you refuse to be one for yourself. I beg, however,
that you will obey me, although I refuse to obey you, and will let me
persuade you that, even if I were most tenacious of life, which I am
not, I should assuredly only die the sooner if I followed your advice.
Continued work and application form my soul's nourishment. So soon as
I commenced to rest and relax I should cease to live. I know my own
powers. I am not fitted for other kinds of work, but my reading and
writing, which you would have me discontinue, are easy tasks, nay, they
are a delightful rest, and relieve the burden of heavier anxieties.
There is no lighter burden, nor more agreeable, than a pen. Other
pleasures fail us, or wound us while they charm; but the pen we take
up rejoicing and lay down with satisfaction, for it has the power to
advantage not only its lord and master, but many others as well, even
though they be far away,--sometimes, indeed, though they be not born
for thousands of years to come. I believe that I speak but the strict
truth when I claim that as there is none among earthly delights more
noble than literature, so there is none so lasting, none gentler, or
more faithful; there is none which accompanies its possessor through
the vicissitudes of life at so small a cost of effort or anxiety.[8]
Pardon me then, my brother, pardon me. I am disposed to believe
anything that you say, but I cannot accept your opinion in this matter.
However you may describe me (and nothing is impossible to the pen of
a learned and eloquent writer), I must still endeavour, if I am a
nullity, to become something; if already of some account, to become
a little more worthy; and if I were really great, which I am not,
I should strive, so far as in me lay, to become greater, even the
greatest. May I not be allowed to appropriate the magnificent reply
of that fierce barbarian who, when urged to spare himself continued
exertions, since he already enjoyed sufficient renown, responded,
"The greater I am, the greater shall be my efforts"? Words worthy of
another than a barbarian! They are graven on my heart, and the letter
which follows this[9] will show you how far I am from following your
exhortations to idleness. Not satisfied with gigantic enterprises,
for which this brief life of ours does not suffice, and would not if
doubled in length, I am always on the alert for new and uncalled-for
undertakings,--so distasteful to me is sleep and dreary repose. Do you
not know that passage from Ecclesiasticus, "When man has finished his
researches, he is but at the beginning, and when he rests, then doth he
labour"? I seem to myself to have but begun; whatever you and others
may think, this is my verdict. If in the meanwhile the end, which
certainly cannot be far off, should come, I would that it might find me
still young. But as I cannot, in the nature of things, hope for that,
I desire that death find me reading and writing,[10] or, if it please
Christ, praying and in tears.
Farewell, and remember me. May you be happy and persevere manfully.
PADUA, April 28 (1373).
1: _Sen_., xvi., 2.
2: The first half of the letter is omitted.
3: In 1353.
4: That is, to Prague in 1356.
5: In 1360. All three missions were undertaken for the dukes of Milan.
6: Of Padua.
7: _I.e_., Francesco Nelli, Prior of the church of Santi Apostoli at
Florence. He died of the plague in 1363. Not only did Petrarch dedicate
his _Letters of Old Age_ to Nelli, but of the letters preserved, he
addresses a greater number (thirty-five) to him than to any other of
his correspondents.
8: _Cf_. John of Salisbury's Prologue to his _Policraticus_ for a much
earlier description of the pure joys of literature.
9: Presumably that which contained the translation of Boccaccio's
story of Griselda. See above, pp. 191 _sqq_. (The Story of Griselda)
10: A letter from a contemporary, Manzini de la Motta (July 1, 1388),
thus describes Petrarch's end: "Francesco Petrarca, the mirror of our
century, after completing a vast array of volumes, on reaching his
seventy-first year, closed his last day in his library. He was found
leaning over a book as if sleeping, so that his death was not at first
suspected by his household."--Quoted by Fracassetti, _Let. delle Cose
Fam_., vol. ii., p. 348.
INDEX
Abelard
_Acedia_
_Æneid_, allegorical significance of,
as viewed by Petrarch
_Africa_, Petrarch's epic;
first conceived;
submitted and dedicated to Robert of Naples;
work resumed upon
"Age of despots"
Agrippa, Marcus
Aix-la-Chapelle
Allegorical significance of the _Æneid_
Allegory, Petrarch's mediæval conceptions of
Ancient views of life
Ancisa
Annotations, Petrarch's
Anthony, St.
_Antidotes for Good and Evil Fortune_;
dedicated to Azzo di Correggio
Antiquity, Petrarch's love for
_Archia, Pro_, Petrarch's discovery of
Ardennes, Forest of
Arezzo
Aristotelians, Petrarch attacks
Aristotle, _Ethics_ of;
authority of, in Middle Ages;
works of, brought to Western Europe;
Petrarch's opinion of;
on origin of poetry
Arno
Arnold, Matthew, his view of fame
Arquà
Astrologers
Augustine, St.
interlocutor in Petrarch's _Secret_;
influence of his teaching;
Petrarch's spiritual guide
his opinion of Plato quoted
Augustus, Cæsar
Autobiography, Petrarch's
Autograph-mongers
Averroes
Averroists, Petrarch's _rencontre_ with
Avignon;
seat of papal court;
Petrarch's removal to;
his dislike of;
description of;
removal from
Azzo di Correggio
Babylonish Captivity
Basle edition of Petrarch's works
Benedict, St.
Benefices
Bergamo, goldsmith of;
Petrarch's visit to;
_Best Form of Government, The_, Petrarch's
Boccaccio, Giovanni, Petrarch's first meeting with;
Petrarch's estimate of;
his letters to Petrarch;
his library;
his complaints;
visits Petrarch at Venice;
embassy of, to Avignon;
burns his Italian verses;
forewarned of approaching death;
bidden to renounce literature;
would persuade Petrarch to give up work;
possible author of letter from shade of Homer
Boëthius
Bologna;
Petrarch studies at;
one student of Homer at
Bologna, Giovanni Andrea di;
ignorance of, rebuked
Books, copying of, in the Middle Ages
Bryce, James
Burckhardt gives currency to idea of Renaissance
_Canzoniere_, Petrarch's, editions of;
as an expression of Petrarch's thought
_See also_ Sonnets
Capitol, the, Petrarch's address upon
Capra, Henry
Carpentras, Petrarch's schooling at
Carrara, Giacomo of
invites Petrarch to Padua
Cato
Charles IV., Emperor, his letter to Petrarch
campaign of, in Italy;
visits Italy;
retreat from Italy;
attitude of, toward Rienzo;
his relations with Petrarch;
invites Petrarch to Prague;
Petrarch's letter to, urging him to hasten to Italy;
Petrarch's attitude toward;
Petrarch accompanies him beyond Piacenza
_See also_ Emperor
Charles the Great
Children of Petrarch
Cicero, Petrarch's appreciation of;
Petrarch's views concerning character of;
concerning works of;
influence of, on Petrarch;
letters from Petrarch to;
Petrarch discovers a portion of letters of;
copies a MS. of;
defends from supposed attack of Sidonius
lost works of
_Old Age_ of
Classics, copies of, not uncommon in thirteenth century
neglect of, in Middle Ages
Petrarch's appreciation of
Coins, Roman, presented to the Emperor by Petrarch
Cologne, Petrarch's visit to
literary spirits in
cathedral of
Colonna, _see_ Colonnesi
Colonnesi, patrons of Petrarch
Giacomo Colonna befriends Petrarch
takes him to Gascony
Petrarch's premonition of death of
Giovanni Colonna, Cardinal
Stephano Colonna
Coluccio Salutati, letters of, to Petrarch
Commensal chaplain, Petrarch's position as
Confessions, Petrarch's
_Confessions_, of Augustine
Convennevole
Copyists
faithlessness of
scarcity of
Coronation of Petrarch as poet
importance of;
origin of custom
Correggio, family of
Azzo di
Petrarch's friendship for
Correspondence, obstacles in way of, in Middle Ages
Correspondence, Petrarch's, divisions of
_See also_ Letters
Critic, Petrarch recognised as a
Critical editions of classics, absence of, in fourteenth century
Criticism, want of, in Middle Ages
_Culex_
Dante, friend of Petracco
political views of
attitude toward Rome
on result of personal
acquaintance
on allegory
Petrarch disclaims all jealousy of
eulogises
Petrarch's estimate of
Death, Petrarch's
meditation on
_Decameron_
_Declamations_ of Seneca
_Defensor Pacis_
Despots, Petrarch's relations with;
as patrons of the Humanists
Dialectic, Petrarch's attitude toward
Dialecticians
Diogenes
Dionisio da Borgo San Sepolcro
Diplomatic missions of Petrarch
Disease of writing
Display, Petrarch deprecates
_Divine Comedy, The_
_See also_ Dante
Doctors fall to writing verses
Dreams, Petrarch's view of
Dress, Petrarch's love of
indecent, of certain Italians
_Eclogues_ of Petrarch
Editing of Petrarch's letters
_See also_ Letters
Emperor, Petrarch's audience with;
viewed as a patron of literature
_See also_ Empire, and Charles IV.
Empire, the, Petrarch's conception of, _See also_ Rome
Ennius
Epicurus
_Epistolæ, de Rebus Familiaribus_
_de Rebus Senilibus_
_sine Titulo_
_Variæ_
_See also_ Letters
Erasmus, letters of
Etymologies, mediæval
_Etymologies_ of Isidore of Seville
Eye-glasses
Fame, impossibility of acquiring, during one's lifetime
Petrarch's longing for
"Fantastic," applied to Rienzo
Father, a, upbraids Petrarch for misleading his son
_Finibus, De_, Cicero's
Florentines, Petrarch's estimate of
Dante's view of
offer Petrarch chair in their university
admirers of Petrarch among
students of Homer among
Fountain of the Sorgue
Fracassetti, Giuseppe
France, Petrarch's visits to
Francesca, Petrarch's daughter
Francesco, Petrarch's grandson
Frederick II., his opinion of the Italians
French popes
Gaspary
German emperors in Italy
Germany, Petrarch visits
Ghent
Gherardo, Petrarch's brother
his religious admonitions
letter to, on the nature of poetry
Ghibelline views
Giovanni Andrea di Bologna
Giovanni, Petrarch's son
Goldsmith of Bergamo
Grammarian of Vicenza
Grandes compagnies
Greater Greece
Greek literature, forgotten in Middle Ages
Petrarch's slight knowledge of
Greek studies in Petrarch's day
Greeks, Petrarch asserts inferiority of, to Latins
Gregory the Great
condemns literature
Griselda, story of
effects of the tale
Guglielmo di Pastrengo, letters of, to Petrarch
Hæmus, Mount
Hannibal
Hellenic influences in modern education
Henry VII.
History, Petrarch's fondness for
Holy Land, Petrarch describes the journey to
Holy Roman Empire
_See also_ Rome
Homer, letter to;
Latin translation of;
imitated by Virgil;
students of, in Italy in fourteenth century
Humanism, origin of
furthered by Petrarch
Humanistic conditions, general in fourteenth century
Humanists, means of support of
Ideals, conflict of, in Petrarch's mind
Illegitimate children of Petrarch
Innocent VI.
Isidore of Seville
Isocrates
_Itinerarium Syriacum_
Italian language, Petrarch's opinion of;
Petrarch's reasons for giving up writing in
Italian prose, none from Petrarch's pen
Italian verses of Petrarch
Italy, disorder in
Petrarch's love for
Jacques de Vitry
Jerome
John, King of France
John the Baptist, feast of
John of Salisbury
Journeys, frequency of Petrarch's
_See also_ Travels
Jubilee of 1350
Julius Cæsar
"Lælius"
Lapo da Castiglionchio, letter to
Latin literature, renewed interest in;
not unknown in Middle Ages
Latin works of Petrarch
editions of; well-nigh forgotten,
Laura;
want of knowledge of;
death of;
genuineness of Petrarch's love for
Laurel crown, the, Petrarch's desire for;
his praise of; invitations to receive
offered by King Robert; received at Rome
Law, Petrarch's study of; his attitude toward;
his use of
Lawyers turn to writing verses; conceit of
Letters, Petrarch's character of; influence of,;
number of; style of; editing of;
classes of; to be kept secret; destined
for publication; often lost;
opened on the way; to be read with attention
"Letters to Dead Authors," Petrarch's,
_Letters of Familiar Intercourse_
_Letters of Old Age_
Letters to Petrarch
_Letter to Posterity_; importance of
Letter-writing; Petrarch's view of;
he resolves to desist from
Library, Petrarch's; contents of;
fate of; pledged to Venice
Liège
_Life of Solitude, The_, Petrarch's
Life, human, no longer in ancient times
Literature, not inimical to religion
_Lives of Famous Men_, Petrarch's
Livy, Petrarch's appreciation of
Logic, Petrarch's attitude toward
Logicians, Petrarch's answer to
Love, secular and monastic conceptions of, contrasted
Petrarch's discussion and defence of
Lucan
Ludovico. _See_ "Socrates"
Luther
Lyons
Malaucène
Mankind, waywardness of
Marsiglio of Padua
Mediæval conception of life contrasted with that of Petrarch
Mediæval natural science, Petrarch's attitude toward
Mediæval traits of Petrarch
Messengers, want of
_Metamorphoses_ of Ovid
Milan, Petrarch's residence at. _See also_ Visconti
_Miscellaneous Letters_ of Petrarch
Monastic ideals
Monasticism
Montpellier
Mussato
Name, Petrarch changes his
Naples, Petrarch visits
Nature, Petrarch's love of
Nelli, Francesco
Nolhac, Pierre de
reconstructs catalogue of Petrarch's books
Orders, Petrarch takes
_Otio Religiosorum, De_, Petrarch's
Padua, Petrarch's residence in
Paganism, tendency toward, of Humanists
Pagan writers, propriety of reading
Papal secretaryship avoided by Petrarch
Parents, Petrarch's
Paris; University of
Parma
Petrarch's residence in
Patrimony, Petrarch's loss of
Patriotism of Petrarch
Pavia, description of
_Penitential Psalms_, Petrarch's
Penmanship in fourteenth century
_See also_ Copyists
Pergamum
Peter of Sienna, messages of, to Boccaccio
Peter Lombard
Petracco, Petrarch's father, character of
exiled; friend of Dante; name changed by Petrarch
Petrarch, Francesco, cosmopolitan representative of the Renaissance;
origin and birth of; changes his name;
bodily and mental characteristics;
moral decline of; moral progress of;
humour of;
materials for life of; foreign recognition of;
the father of humanism; his style;
influenced by Seneca; more deeply by Cicero;
as a poet; patriotism of;
his method of study; understanding of literary art;
self analysis of
Philip, Bishop of Cavaillon
Philologist, Petrarch as a
Pierre Dubois
Pilatus, Leo, and his version of Homer
Pisa
Plagiarism
Plague of 1348
Plato
Pliny's letters unknown to Petrarch
Poetry, Petrarch's conception of
his defence of; profaned by the multitude; mediæval
_Policraticus_ of John of Salisbury
Political activity, Petrarch's
Political opinions of Petrarch
Popes, court of, at Avignon
Popularity of Petrarch
Portraits of Petrarch
Prague, Petrarch's visit to
Preface to _Letters of Familiar Intercourse_
Priest, Petrarch not a
_Pro Archia_, Petrarch's discovery of
Psychological analysis, Petrarch's love of
Public library, Petrarch hopes to found a
Quintilian
Ravenna, the old man of; a youth of
Religion not inimical to literature
Religious views of Petrarch
_Remediis Utriusque Fortunæ, De_
Renaissance, character of
obstacles to
Repose, Petrarch's dislike of
_Republica optime administranda, De_, of Petrarch
Rienzo, Cola di
achievements of
popular interest in
believed to be a poet
trial of
sources for life of
letter of, to Petrarch
Petrarch's sympathy for, and relations with
Robert, King of Naples
Roman Empire, at Rome
endless
_See also_ Empire
Roman literature. _See_ Latin
Roman people, Petrarch's letter to
Rome
divine origin and supremacy of
constitution for
genius of