Discourses on a Sober and Temperate Life Wherein Is Demonstrated, by His Own Example, the Method of Preserving Health to Extreme Old Age

Lewis Cornaro, a Venetian noble who fell from favor, turned his personal misfortunes into a quiet experiment in health. After years of excess and a fiery temperament left him frail, he adopted a disciplined diet and strict sobriety, reclaiming his vigor in middle age. The discourses he later penned recount this transformation, offering the practical steps he used to tame appetite, control anger, and sustain energy well into his later years.

Written between his eighty‑third and ninety‑fifth birthdays, the treatises blend honest self‑assessment with clear guidance on temperance, sleep, and modest living. Cornaro’s own longevity—living past a hundred without apparent suffering—serves as a living proof of his recommendations. Listeners will find a thoughtful, historically grounded meditation on how measured habits can shape a healthier, longer life, presented through the voice of a man who truly walked his own advice.