Status Updates From The Civilization of the Ren...

“It was not the revival of antiquity alone, but its union with the genius of the Italian people, which achieved the [Renaissance] conquest of the western world. The amount of independence which the national spirit maintained in this union varied according to circumstances. In the modern Latin literature of the period, it is very small, while in the visual arts as well as in other spheres, it is remarkably great;

“Each individual protested inwardly against despotism but was disposed to make tolerable or profitable terms with it rather than to combine with others for its destruction. Things must have been [especially bad]before the citizens united to destroy or expel the ruling house. They knew in most cases only too well that this would but mean a change of masters. The star of the republics was certainly on the decline.”