Marsilio Ficino’s apologies for De vita libri tres and Amerigo Corsini’s occasional epigram

Abstract

Ficino wrote two apologies for his work De vita libri tres in the form of a letter, both of which were to friends that he could count on in defending the work that he had completed in September 1489. His three books on health and lifestyle, written for scholars, also contain astrological and magical considerations about a life that is healthy, long, and supported by the forces of heaven. The first apology puts arguments in the mouths of his defenders. The second one’s topic, in addition to asking for support, is: why is life necessary to be free from worries and why does it need peace of mind? After an introduction, these letters are published here in a Hungarian translation together with Amerigo Corsini’s epigram, with which he welcomed the book and its author.