The Civilisation of the Renaissance in ItalyBurckhardt, Jacob
History
The Civilisation of the Renaissance in Italy
Burckhardt, Jacob
Italy -- Civilization; Renaissance -- Italy
whatever was paid to place or circumstances. In Rome, under Sixtus IV.,
the academy[483] of Pomponius Lætus gave the wreath on its own
authority. The Florentines had the good taste not to crown their famous
humanists till after death. Carlo Aretino and Lionardo Aretino were thus
crowned; the eulogy of the first was pronounced by Matteo Palmieri, of
the latter by Giannozzo Manetti, before the members of the council and
the whole people, the orator standing at the head of the bier, on which
the corpse lay clad in a silken robe.[484] Carlo Aretino was further
honoured by a tomb in Santa Croce, which is among the most beautiful in
the whole course of the Renaissance.
CHAPTER V.
THE UNIVERSITIES AND SCHOOLS.
The influence of antiquity on culture, of which we have now to speak,
presupposes that the new learning had gained possession of the
universities. This was so, but by no means to the extent and with the
results which might have been expected.
Few of the Italian universities[485] show themselves in their full
vigour till the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, when the increase
of wealth rendered a more systematic care for education possible. At
first there were generally three sorts of professorships--one for civil
law, another for canonical law, the third for medicine; in course of
time professorships of rhetoric, of philosophy, and of astronomy were
added, the last commonly, though not always, identical with astrology.
The salaries varied greatly in different cases. Sometimes a capital sum
was paid down. With the spread of culture competition became so active
that the different universities tried to entice away distinguished
teachers from one another, under which circumstances Bologna is said to
have sometimes devoted the half of its public income (20,000 ducats) to
the university. The appointments were as a rule made only for a certain
time,[486] sometimes for only half a year, so that the teachers were
forced to lead a wandering life, like actors. Appointments for life
were, however, not unknown. Sometimes the promise was exacted not to
teach elsewhere what had already been taught at one place. There were
also voluntary, unpaid professors.
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