27/10/2026
📖 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧, 𝐂𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐨 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞…
Petrarch recounted a rather unusual incident involving a large volume of Cicero’s works, which he had copied himself and kept on a ledge beside his library door.
One day, the heavy book fell and struck the back of his foot.
The following day, it happened again.
And then a third time. And a fourth! 😮
Petrarch began to suspect that Cicero was rather angry with him for his criticism. He eventually moved the volume to a higher shelf, but by then the damage had been done.
The wounds on his left ankle became infected, and the situation became so serious that he nearly lost his foot to amputation!
Fortunately, Petrarch recovered and managed to keep his foot.
📚 𝐀 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐰𝐬 — 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧!
🏛️ Curious to discover more about Petrarch, Cicero and the fascinating relationship between Renaissance writers and the Classical world?
Join us at the National Library of Malta for the first lecture in our Public Lecture Series, Secular Threads, and explore how the legacy of Ancient Rome continued to inspire Renaissance thinkers and writers.
🎓 Secular Threads: There was Once a Dream that was Rome
🎤 Speaker: Samuel Azzopardi
📅 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝟐𝟖 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔
🕡 𝟔:𝟑𝟎𝐩𝐦
📍 National Library of Malta, Valletta
🎟️ Free entrance
