The Life of Francesco Guicciardini

In his preface to this book, Marchese Roberto Rudolf writes:

"I must in fact justify myself for having decided to write this book after having sworn in public and in private for so many years that I would never write it...To explain the motives of this unexpected capitulation I would have to go back to my reasons for not writing the book...But above all the overt reasons why I was unwilling to undertake this work there was another which I did not express: that I have never managed to like Guicciardini, though he is possibly the intellect I most admire...

"Thus I was quite unable to make up my mind to write his Life, having always thought, and having recently written, things like this: 'Love and affinities help one to understand, and to look into oneself is always helpful. If a constitution of the republic of letters were promulgated (awful thought), it should compel biographers to portray only men in some way similar or congenial to themselves: so many insincere or lukewarm books would be avoided.'...

"The interesting thing is that my lack of human sympathy for Guicciardini, after having held me back for so long, was what finally made up my mind. Having studied and loved the biographical genre since childhood, I wished in this last experiment to test the truth of my affirmations. It is a bold attempt, as will be seen. If it succeeds, so much the better; if it does not, I shall at least have the meagre comfort of being confirmed in my former belief."