Consider,

Giambattista Vico, author of Scienza Nuova, who “Abandoned law in his youth to write poetry – and emerged a better historian for it.

‘For at this age,” he wrote, ‘the mind should be given free rein to keep the fiery spirit of youth from being numbed and dried up, less from too great severity of judgment, property to maturity but too early acquired, they should later scarcely dare to attempt anything.'”

Citing Gambattista Vico, a fifth century historian, is Brown, Peter, SOCIETY AND THE HOLY IN LATE ANTIGUITY, p.4.