ABSTRACT
No t long ago, we woul d have considered Ficino's letter first-han d evidence for describing the Renaissance as a dynami c period of reviva l - a period when 'lif e reeked wit h joy', as one student has described it . But few historian s woul d now interpre t it uncriticall y as evidence of an optimisti c new birth . Instead, they woul d call i t a piece of publicity , or propaganda, writte n to praise not only Florence (Ficino was writ in g to a German, albeit a famous astronomer and intellectual ) but also the Medic i family , wh o were his ow n patrons and helped to promot e thi s cultura l revival .
