VIRTUOUS LIVING - Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University

These views on moral deterioration were shared by many scholars at the time, to theextent that “the political ruin of the nation seemed inevitable; there were ... seriousthinkers who saw a connection between this ruin and the prevalent immorality”(Burckhardt 1958:427). Antiquity had impressed on the people the ideal of moralityas expressed in saints as the highest honour, an ideal to be pursued by everyindividual. However, in these latter years of the Renaissance, it was clear that holinessas a Christian ideal of life had been substituted by the historical cult of greatness. Inany case, the growing generations had character models who, in spite of their faultsand vices, were great heroes of success. This success was often measured in terms ofintellectual, economic, and sometimes political power. This was a departure from themedieval measure of success that was based on religious saintliness. Against thebackground of this moral degeneration, Burckhardt observes:…it cannot be denied that Italy at the beginning of the sixteenth centuryfound itself in the midst of grave moral crisis, out of which the best men sawhardly any escape (Burckhardt 1958:427).In many ways, the church leadership had to be blamed for moral deterioration, asMachiavelli concluded: “because the church and her representatives set us the worstexamples” (see Burckhardt 1958:427). This wisdom from Burckhardt is worth noting.The gifted men of the day thought to find it (moral force) in the sentiment ofhonour. This is that enigmatic mixture of conscience and egoism which oftensurvives in the modern man after he has lost, whether by his own fault or not,faith, love, and hope. This sense of honour is compatible with muchselfishness and great vices, and may be the victim of astonishing illusion;yet, nevertheless, all the noble elements that are left in the wreck of acharacter may gather round it, and from this fountain may draw new strength(Burckhardt 1958:428).Some of the noted moral problems included gambling, an unparalleled spirit ofretribution, and populist meting out of justice. These problems increased as onemoved further from city centres, where the plaintiff was also the judge of his ownassailant. Prostitution was common among unmarried women, while murders resultedfrom reprisals against men who were commonly unfaithful. Sexually transmitteddiseases like syphilis and gonorrhoea were common, as many pursued the spirit of53