Letters of Marsilio Ficino

These volumes contain the first English translation of the corpus of letters published during the lifetime of the philosopher priest who helped to shape the Renaissance worldview. The letters in this volume span just seventeen months, from 13th April, 1491 to 13th September, 1492. This period marked a critical time for the whole of Florence, occasioned by the death of Lorenzo de’ Medici, effective ruler of the city for more than two decades. The youth and inexperience of his son and successor, Piero, led to discontent and instability, a situation that would soon be exploited by the radical reforming friar, Girolamo Savonarola. On the other hand it was a period of prolific creativity in literature and the arts, described by Ficino as a "golden age". 1491 saw the publication of important works in philosophy by Pico della Mirandola and in philology by Poliziano. Ficino himself brought out his great Plotinus translation with the commentary that had occupied him for several years. His next major task lay in translating works of Dionysius, the short Mystical Theology and the much longer Divine Names. He also sent copies of some fascinating minor texts he had explored to his friends, including extracts from newly discovered writings of Proclus on Plato’s Republic and Alcibiades I . A particular feature of this volume is Ficino’s German correspondence.