ABSTRACT
In many ways Angelo Poliziano was the chief glory of the Medici circle — as a wit, as a poet of great fluency and skill in the native Italian tongue, and as the leading scholar of his day. By the time of the Pazzi conspiracy Poliziano was one of Lorenzo’s closest confidants, but the sad events that followed it led to a reversal in his career from which he never fully recovered. Poliziano was justified in regretting the interruption of the boys’ classical studies, as is shown in two touching letters from Piero to his father about the present of a pony. Poliziano soon realised that, although he might retain Lorenzo’s affection, though somewhat tempered by the trouble with Clarice, he had lost much of his own influence. Poliziano at once addressed a stream of letters to Florence. Lorenzo wanted to consolidate and advance the arrangements for the pursuit of learning and, for this purpose, Poliziano was his man.
