The fifteenth century is, above all, that of the many-sided men.There is no biography which does not, besides the chief work of its hero, speak of other pursuits all passing beyond the limits of dilettantism.
The Florentine merchant and statesman was often learned in both the classical languages; the most famous humanists read the Ethics and Politics of Aristotle to him and his sons; even the daughters of the house were highly educated.It is in these circles that private education was first treated seriously.The humanist, on his side, was compelled to the most varied attainments, since his philological learning was not limited, as it is now, to the theoretical knowledge of classical antiquity, but had to serve the practical needs of daily life.While studying Pliny, he made collections of natural history; the geography of the ancients was his guide in treating of modern geography, their history was his pattern in writing contemporary chronicles, even when composed in Italian; he Dot only translated the comedies of Plautus, but acted as manager when they were put on the stage; every effective form of ancient literature down to the dialogues of Lucian he did his best to imitate; and besides all this, he acted as magistrate, secretary and diplomatist--not always to his own advantage.
But among these many-sided men, some, who may truly be called all-sided, tower above the rest.Before analyzing the general phases of life and culture of this period, we may here, on the threshold of the fifteenth century, consider for a moment the figure of one of these giants -- Leon Battista Alberti (b.1404, d.1472).His biography, which is only a fragment, speaks of him but little as an artist , and makes no mention at all of his great significance in the history of architecture.We shall now see what he was, apart from these special claims to distinction.