Christianos Ridiculosos: Overcoming Shame, with Life-Notes of Bracciolini

Books might help build an inner life of values, but could they dissuade those Christians that loved pain more? As Stephen Greenblatt hopes, in his 2011 book The Swerve, "... a prestigious cultural tradition that has shaped the inner lives of the elite does not disappear easily, even in those who welcome its burial." p. 94
Notes here are cribbed from that.

St Jerome wrote the Vulgate, but loved the pagans like Cicero, Quintillian, Fronto and Pliny. In time even these he had to renounce for his jealous God, pp. 94-6; ; Gregory tells of Benedict's famous renunciation of paganism, p 97. Was this because there was no place in Epicureanism for shame, so Christians could not abide by it? p. 98;

Early Christian testimony was quick to wither before risible mockery by Epicureans, pp 100-2 and so Christians had to attack them, and so completely (p. 102) that they could not resurface.

This took centuries, and self-harm was a way to overcome temptation of sin for Christians from Lactantius and Benedict, p. 103, while pagans and epicures pursued pleasure pp 103-5; the Christians began leaving cities and in time, setting up monasteries to suffer, all for their love of pain, pp. 105-9.
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Poggio Bracciolini is the book-hunter credited with finding the ancient epicurean goldmine of Lucretius. Bracciolini's eventual De Rerum Natura came from a copy made in 800's. p 109.  Poggio, from Florence, early life, family, siblings, politics, pp. 110-15. He was a young man from Arezzo seeing Giotto's new belltower next to the Duomo. This one:

Poggio's new printed letters, how this was so Renaissance pp. 115-8; Petrarch as forerunner with words and classics and humanists, in Florence, pp.119-22;

Florence was one among many powers, p 122; Coluccio Salutati was a temporary leader, and notary and humanist and proud Florentine pp 122-5; Leonardo Bruni was another, p 125, Niccolo Niccoli another 126-9; what Niccoli wanted from books pp 129-33

Poggio needed a more stable life, so he sought Rome pp 134-6; the Pope 136-41, the Lie Factory pp 141-6; the Facetiae, Contra Hypocrites pp 144-9; Lorenzo Valla pp 149-51; Poggio could have succumbed financially or cynically but did not p 152 and that was for books pp 154

Council of Constanza pp 155-80

De Rerum Natura, pp 180-202

the copies of the text itself, pp 203-5; text didn't start circulating from NN til (at least) after 1429, p. 207

Poggio's subsequent life:
-as Sec to Henry Beaufort of Winchester, uncle of Henry V, pp 206-7; But he knew no English and found little of humanist or classical authors there
- letters back to NN, pp 207-8
- found way back to Rome, and the Vatican, 1422; p 208
- trying to get copied text of DRN sent to him, pp 208-9
- married life, growing business, selling manuscripts, his growing wealth: p 210-11
- On benefits of marriage in old age: pp 212-3
- serving the Pope and Nicholas V; p 214
- found a nice home in Terranuova to complete his retirement, acclaim from Florence, p 215
- served as chancellor of Florence for five years 1453-8; p 216
- the end and honors, pp 217-8

As promised, much of these will be expanded on.

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notes and pages: Greenblatt, Stephen: The Swerve: How the World Became Modern; W.W. Norton & Co., NY, 2011