It was while Accolti was chancellor that he published his first extended Latin composition, a dialogue. It takes the form of two long speeches, one by an unidentified young man who attacks the merits of modern times in contrast to antiquity, the other by Accolti, who defends the moderns against the ancients. They examine ancient and modern warfare, morals, statesmanship, cities, poetry, rhetoric, philosophy, law and religion; although the young man offers a comprehensive defence of antiquity and condemnation of modern times, all his arguments are refuted by Accolti, who in an even more vigorous defence of moderns and censure of ancients, emerges victorious in the debate.

The origins of Accolti's dialogue can be traced to his cool relations with the Medici. Accolti dedicated the work to Cosimo, who also receives there an effusive panegyric; it has been observed that Accolti's is one of the most extravagant encomia among those written during Cosimo's lifetime, and one reason for the dedication, as well as the particularly sycophantic tone of this panegyric, was Accolti's desire to achieve an intimacy with the Medici which had so far eluded him. In the preface Accolti makes no secret of his intention to win the friendship of Gosimo, to whom, he declares, he has dedicated the work, ‘not because it is worthy of you but so that my love for you should become better known’. Accolti believed flattery would gain Cosimo's favour: