I can't remember where I read about this -- might have been in an intro to Montaigne -- but there used to be this medieval practice where someone would study up on a very worthy figure from the past (their life, their works and sayings etc.) and kind of make them into an imaginary friend. Then that famous person would be someone you could (in your imagination) turn to for advice, use as a model for right conduct etc. My question: was there a name for this practice, and are there any examples you could cite? The obvious one seems to be Dante with Virgil (expressed, of course, metaphorically in the Divine Comedy). Thanks.
As far as I am aware there isn't a name for such a practice; but I can think of an example of that.
During his exile Macchiavelli wrote many letters; one of the most famous is the so called "Lettera dall'Albergaccio" or "Lettera a Francesco Vittori". In this letter describes his life during exile, tells when he eats, who he sees and announces that he is writing the principe.
When he talks about his favourite daily activity (reading history) he describes it in this terms:
[...] rivestito condecentemente, entro nelle antique corti delli antiqui huomini, dove, da loro ricevuto amorevolmente, mi pasco di quel cibo che solum è mio e ch’io nacqui per lui; dove io non mi vergogno parlare con loro e domandarli della ragione delle loro azioni; e quelli per loro humanità mi rispondono; e non sento per quattro hore di tempo alcuna noia, sdimentico ogni affanno, non temo la povertà, non mi sbigottisce la morte: tutto mi transferisco in loro.
Which (translated roughly by me) means
Dressed properly, I enter in the old courts of old men, where, given friendly by them, i eat that food that is only mine and for which I was born for; where I have no shame talking to them and asking them the reason of their actions; and those out of love answer me; and for four hours I feel no boredom, no problem, I don't fear poverty nor death; I'm with them.
This is I think rather similar to what you describe: he is essentialy saying that his best friends in exile are the great men of the past, and he says he spends hours speaking with them (reading their books) and asking them questions about life and politics.