ABSTRACT
C. Suetonius Tranquillus clearly appealed to Francesco Petrarch for several reasons, especially for his veracity as a historian. In Book 24 of his Familiar Letters, Petrarch writes to the philosopher Seneca and reproaches him for tolerating the friendship of the emperor Nero. Suetonius shaped Petrarch's studies both as historian and as moralist. In his discussion of Suetonius and the "imperial ideal," Keith R. Bradley notes that "the only person to whom imperial biography could have instructive value was the emperor." So, given Petrarch's friendship with powerful men, the example of the twelve emperors naturally suggested lessons that applied most properly to contemporary rulers. The Suetonian ideal thus offers Petrarch an alternative to the Scipionic model of military prowess and personal integrity that Livy's republican history provides. Instead, it offers exemplary material for the humanist historian who seeks to praise the virtuous ruler as a peacetime patron of culture.
