 Barlaam was a master in Greek and was the initial teacher to Petrarch and Giovanni Boccaccio of the language.Leonzio Pilato made an almost word for word translation of Homer's works into Latin for Giovanni Boccaccio.In the early 16th century, Baldassare Castiglione with "The Book of the Courtier" laid out his vision of the ideal gentleman and lady, while Niccolò Machiavelli in "The Prince", laid down the foundation of modern philosophy, especially modern political philosophy, in which the effective truth is taken to be more important than any abstract ideal.