Communing with the Ancients
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The reason those of us who dive deeply into the ancient world is the opportunity to gain a true sense of what it was really like there.
Niccolo Machiavelli captures the meaning in a way no one else has, and it epitomises my own reasons for going there:
‘On the coming of evening, I return to my house and enter my study; and at the door I take off the day's clothing, covered with mud and dust, and put on garments regal and courtly; and reclothed appropriately, I enter the ancient courts of ancient men, where, received by them with affection, I feed on that food which only is mine and which I was born for, where I am not ashamed to speak with them and to ask them the reason for their actions; and they in their kindness answer me; and for four hours of time I do not feel boredom, I forget every trouble, I do not dread poverty, I am not frightened by death; entirely I give myself over to them.
And because Dante says it does not produce knowledge when we hear but do not remember, I have noted everything in their conversation which has profited me, and have composed a little work, On Princedoms, where I go as deeply as I can into considerations on this subject, debating what a princedom is, of what kinds they are, how they are gained, how they are kept, why they are lost.’
Machiavelli was a victim of regime change, exiled from his beloved Florence upon the return of the Medici in 1512. His great desire to remain in political life prompted him to appeal to his friend, Florentine Ambassador, Francesco Vettori, in the hope of securing a patronage.
He is most known for his books, The Prince, and Discourses on Livy - both of which are recommended reading. It is suggested that Machiavelli and the Renaissance do not exist without the other - each connected through time and persona - which positions this Musing perfectly on my Timeline!
You can read the entire letter here.