The book contains few biographical details. 此书包含的生平细节很少。
This scarcity of biographical information is due primarily to his social position; he was not a noble, but the son of a leather trader. 传记信息不足主要是由他的社会地位造成的:他不是贵族,而是一个皮革商人的儿子。
Petrarch celebrated their greatness in conquering fortune and rising to the top. This was the biographical tradition which Niccolò Machiavelli turned on its head. 彼得拉克庆祝他们征服财富并登上顶峰的伟大成就。这就是尼科诺·马基雅维利所颠覆的传记传统。