Translation Excepts from my Work at The Patrizi Project at Harvard University
Francesco Patrizi is one of the most influential political thinkers during the Renaissance. Yet, his work has not been studied enough due to most of his manuscripts not being available in print or in translation. My work with the team at the Harvard University Patrizi Project tries to recover, translate, and make available the work of this great political thinker so that his works could be further studied. The ultimate goal is to help our society gain a more complete understanding of the political intellectual context of the Italian Renaissance. Attached below are some of my favorite translations of Patrizi's De Gerundo Magistratu, which is essentially an instruction manual he wrote instructing leader how to be virtuous and run a successful state.
Patrizi on Justice:
"But of all the virtues, none will commend you to the people more than justice, which truly lays the foundations of human society; without it no states could exist. Justice indeed ought to be of such a kind that it is corrupted by no favor, no fear, no hope, and no promises, but assign to each what is his own."
Patrizi on Humility and Resilience:
"but speak with humility and gentleness, and make yourself like the deepest rivers, which always flow with the faintest sound, even when they rush with the most violent current."
Patrizi on Civic Duty:
"You must work for all. Therefore, see to it that everyone understands that their children, their spouses, their reputation and their fortunes are no less your concern than each man’s own most personal and important possessions are to him, as to the best father of a household."