The Use of Pithy Sayings in Franceso Guicciardini's "La Historia D'Italia"
Introduction, Collected to the Benefit of Scholars
La Historia D’Italia, also known as The History of Italy in English, was written by Francesco Guicciardini. This specific version of La Historia D’Italia was published in 1592 by Paulo Ugolino in Venice. The book describes the history of Italy between 1490 to 1534. Before any of the actual history starts, there are some indexes, a table of contents, brief descriptions outlining Guicciardini’s life, and a list of pithy sayings plucked from within the book. This list of pithy sayings is an example of how the works of respected writers were used not only as tools for learning and knowledge, but as style guides. These sayings were specifically printed with the expectation that they would travel and influence other readers and writers. As well, with the incorporation of print, these sayings are able to more easily travel through the hands and minds of a variety of readers.
Historical Context, Collected to the Benefit of Scholars
There were three big elements that typically came together for humanists who wrote historical books, the emphasis on the truth, eloquent writing, and moral virtue. Authors of historical writings used the classical tradition of using the truth and only the truth when writing about events. This emphasis on the truth can be seen in Guarino Veronese in De historiae conscribendae forma, a letter written to Tobia del Borgo in 1446. Veronese stresses that there should be a strong distinction between truth and flattery, that those who undertake historical writing must stay impartial. That being said, he still believed that history must be written eloquently[1].
This can be seen in George of Trebizond’s Rhetoricoum libri quinque, published in 1433 or 1434. George wrote that periods, figures of speech, and fiction were the elements that raised literary style to a level that could be appropriate for history. The way in which the history is written adds to the legitimacy of the historical writing[2]. Which connects back to how Guicciardini’s writing was used as a style guide.
Lastly, a letter by Lapo da Castiglionchio the Younger to Flavio Biondo in 1437, details how history provides examples of moral virtue. How history can lead men away from vices, because if they want to be recorded in these historical writings at some point, they have to be virtuous[3]. All of these elements together create the humanist approach to historical writing. The actual historical writing had a different approach to what modern historians would do.
Humanist historical writers weren’t that interested in analysis and comparing primary sources. They typically only used one source at a time and only adding in other works or public records when strengthening a moral lesson or to create a literary effect. And to connect back to the thesis, all these historical writings were meant to be shared. That’s why there’s emphasis on eloquent writing, on making sure that what is written is the truth, and on moral virtue.
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[1]Robert Black, “Bendetto Accolti and the Beginnings of Humanist Historiography” in The English Historical Review (Oxford University Press, 1981), 37.
[2]Black, “Bendetto Accolti and the Beginnings of Humanist Historiography”36.
[3]Black, “Bendetto Accolti and the Beginnings of Humanist Historiography” 37-38.
The Importance of Sayings and Print, Collected to the Benefit of Scholars
The list of pithy sayings in the front of the book were printed specifically with the expectation that the book would travel and influence readers and writers. As shown above, writing about history was not meant to be private, it was something to be shared. Guicciardini’s own book was written with the express purpose of the public reading it. Even though the pithy sayings were collected and printed posthumously, they still embody the humanist ideal for historical writing.Even the header for the pithy sayings directly state that they were compiled for scholars. As well, the sayings have a heavy moral leaning to them. Sentences like these explicitly state the opinion of not only Guicciardini but also the editor who compiled these sentences. The editor picked sayings that were directly tied to political actions. They also seem to specifically try to push a moral lesson that all men should be a wise man, someone who has the insight to be careful with their future. The word of prudence comes up a lot in these sentences. The implication is that the editor wants those in leadership roles to follow this advice and be more cautious. Subtly putting his hand in the political pot. Which has a hand in the push to have these sayings circulated in scholarly circles. These sentences are not only beautifully written; they are also explicitly showing the moral lessons that readers should take away from the book.
When taking into account the large role the editor took when picking these sentences and how explicit they are in their messages, the expectation of what these pithy sayings would do is just as explicit. These sentences are not part of a personal collection, they are meant to spread to other scholars and readers. Especially with the incorporation of print, the intent to get these sentences moving is clear. Print was the vehicle that got these sentences to spread and the editor knew this. Without print, the accessibility of these humanist moral lessons in historical writings would be severely impacted. Being able to reproduce curated knowledge at a faster rate than a manuscript is vital in the spread of that knowledge, and this list of sentences is a great example of that.