Category Archives: Renaissance

Philosophy, History and Eloquence

Posted on July 29, 2013 by Matthew Phillips

“For to the truly noble mind, and to those who are obligated to involve themselves in public affairs and human communities, knowledge of history and the study of moral philosophy are the more suitable subjects. The rest of the arts are called … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Learning, liberal arts, Pietro Paulo Vergerio, Politics, Renaissance, teaching | Leave a comment

Studies of Free Individuals

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Matthew Phillips

“We call those studies liberal, then, which are worthy of a free [liber] man: they are those through which virtue and wisdom are either practiced or sought, and by which the body or mind is disposed towards all the best … Continue reading →

Posted in Learning, liberal arts, Pietro Paulo Vergerio, Renaissance | Leave a comment

Christ and Cicero

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Matthew Phillips

“If to admire Cicero means to be a Ciceronian, I am a Ciceronian.  I admire him so much that I wonder at people who do not admire him.  This may appear a new confession of my ignorance, but this is … Continue reading →

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He almost loved Luther

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Matthew Phillips

“I know of no one who loathes the ambition, the avarice, and the sensuality of the clergy more than I–both because each of these vices is hateful in itself and because each and all are hardly suited to those who … Continue reading →

Posted in Francesco Guicciardini, Martin Luther, papacy, Renaissance | Leave a comment

Grammar is the Foundation

Posted on January 19, 2013 by Matthew Phillips

“From the first, stress must be laid upon distinct and sustained enunciation, both in speaking and and in reading.  But at the same time utterance must be perfectly natural; if affected or exaggerated the effect is unpleasing.  The foundation of … Continue reading →

Posted in Battista Guarino, grammar, Renaissance, teaching | Leave a comment

Passion for Learning

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Matthew Phillips

“Let me, at the outset, begin with a caution.  No master can endow a careless and indifferent nature with the true passion for learning.  That a young man must acquire for himself.  But once the taste begins to develop, then … Continue reading →

Posted in Battista Guarino, Learning, Renaissance, teaching, zeal | Leave a comment

Early Elementary Teaching

Posted on September 3, 2012 by Matthew Phillips

“One must lead the child to declensions and to conjugations at the same time as he is learning his letters.  Because, from the fact that the same word changes case and gender, that the first syllables remain and that the … Continue reading →

Posted in grammar, Johann Sturm, Renaissance, teaching | Leave a comment

Persevere in the study of literature

Posted on August 15, 2012 by Matthew Phillips

“To desert our studies shows want of self-confidence rather than wisdom, for letters do not hinder but aid the properly constituted mind which possesses them; they facilitate our life, they do not retard it.  Just as many kinds of food … Continue reading →

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Study as Eating

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Matthew Phillips

“Study is, so to speak, the pabulum of the mind by which the intellect is trained and nourished.  For this reason, just as gastronomes are careful in the choice of what they put in their stomachs, so those who wish … Continue reading →

Posted in Learning, Leonardo Bruni, reading, Renaissance | Leave a comment

Books & Memory

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Matthew Phillips

“For although written records are very valuable indeed for other purposes, they are especially valuable for preserving the memory of the past, as they contain the deeds of mankind, the unhoped-for turns of fortune, the unusual works of nature, and … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Learning, memory, Pietro Paulo Vergerio, Renaissance, teaching | Leave a comment