The Emperor thanked him for having come to him in such dreadful weather, the like of which he had scarcely ever felt, even in Germany.  “The Emperor,” says Petrarch, “received me in a manner that partook neither of imperial haughtiness nor of German etiquette.  We passed sometimes whole days together, from morning to night, in conversation, as if his Majesty had had nothing else to do.  He spoke to me about my works, and expressed a great desire to see them, particularly my ’Treatise on Illustrious Men.’  I told him that I had not yet put my last hand to it, and that, before I could do so, I required to have leisure and repose.  He gave me to understand that he should be very glad to see it appear under his own patronage, that is to say, dedicated to himself.  I said to him, with that freedom of speech which Nature has given me, and which years have fortified, ’Great prince, for this purpose, nothing more is necessary than, virtue on your part, and leisure on mine.’  He asked me to explain myself.  I said, ’I must have time for a work of this nature, in which I propose to include great things in a small space.  On your part, labour to deserve that your name should appear at the head of my book.  For this end, it is not enough that you wear a crown; your virtues and great actions must place you among the great men whose portraits I have delineated.  Live in such a manner, that, after reading the lives of your illustrious predecessors, you may feel assured that your own life shall deserve to be read by posterity.’

“The Emperor showed by a smile that my liberty had not displeased him, I seized this opportunity of presenting him with some imperial medals, in gold and in silver, and gave him a short sketch of the lives of those worthies whose images they bore.  He seemed to listen to me with pleasure, and, graciously accepting the medals, declared that he never had received a more agreeable present.

“I should never end if I were to relate to you all the conversations which I held with this prince.  He desired me one day to relate the history of my life to him.  I declined to do so at first; but he would take no refusal, and I obeyed him.  He heard me with attention, and, if I omitted any circumstances from forgetfulness or the fear of being wearisome, he brought them back to my memory.  He then asked me what were my projects for the future, and my plans for the rest of my life.  ’My intentions are good,’ I replied to him, ’but a bad habit, which I cannot conquer, masters my better will, and I resemble a sea beaten by two opposite winds,’ ‘I can understand that,’ he said; ’but I wish to know what is the kind of life that would most decidedly please you?’ ’A secluded life,’ I replied to him, without hesitation.  ’If I could, I should go and seek for such a life at its fountain-head; that is, among the woods and mountains, as I have already done.  If I could not go so far to find it, I should seek to enjoy it in the midst of cities.’