history and culture from the beginnings, and the history of the Near
and Middle East from 323 B.C., to the Roman Conquest in 146 B.C.
Part III, Caesar and Christ (1944), carried the story of white
civilization to A.D. 325, centered around the rise and fall of Rome,
and the first centuries of Christianity. Part IV, The Age of Faith
(1950), continued the narrative to 1300, including Byzantine
civilization, Islam, Judaism, and Latin Christendom.
The present work aims to give a rounded picture of all phases of
human life in the Italy of the Renaissance- from the birth of Petrarch
in 1304 to the death of Titian in 1576. The term "Renaissance" will in
this book refer only to Italy. The word does not properly apply to
such native maturations, rather than exotic rebirths, as took place in
France, Spain, England, and the Lowlands in the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries; and even in Italy the designation lays undue
stress on that revival of classic letters which was of less importance
to Italy than the ripening of its economy and culture into their own
characteristic forms.
In order to avoid a superficial repetition of the excellent books
already in print on this subject, the scale of treatment has been
enlarged as compared with the previous volumes in the series.
Moreover, as we approach our own epoch our interests are more widely
engaged; we still feel in our blood the sap of those effervescent
centuries in which modern Europe began; and their ideas, events, and
personalities are especially vital to an understanding of our own
minds and times.
I have studied at first hand nearly all the works of art mentioned
in this book, but I lack the technical training that would give me the
right to express any critical judgments. I have ventured, however,
to voice my impressions and preferences. Modern art is absorbed in a
forgivable reaction against the Renaissance, and is zealously
experimenting to find new forms of beauty or significance. Our
appreciation of the Renaissance should not deter us from welcoming
every sincere and disciplined attempt to imitate not its products
but its originality.
If circumstances permit, a sixth volume, probably under the title of
The Age of the Reformation, will appear three or four years hence,
covering the history of Christian, Islamic, and Judaic civilization
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