Latino Latini
Encyclopedia
Latino Latini was born in Viterbo
ca. 1513 and died on 21 January 1593. He was an Italian scholar and humanist of the renaissance, a member of the commission for the revision of the Corpus Juris canonici. He is known for his lifelong research into the texts of the fathers of the church and his critical editions of their works, including those of Cyprian
. He published notes on Tertullian
and worked on the text of Quintilian.
He studied jurisprudence and belles-lettres at Siena
. In 1552 he took holy orders at Rome. A poor man, he was obliged to find a patron and entered the service of cardinal Pozzo, for whom he was Latin secretary. He then became librarian to Cardinal Rudolfo Pio. Pio died in 1564, leaving his extensive library to Latini. He then worked for cardinals Farnese and Colonna.
He superintended the production of the classic Roman edition of the Septuagint Version of the Bible, which appeared in 1587. He reformed the decretal of Gratian, at the wish of Pope Pius IV, which was published under Gregory XIII.
After his death, the chapter of the Cathedral of Viterbo acquired Latini's important library which contained many annotated copies. His letters and papers are still there today.
He published nothing under his own name in his lifetime. Two works appeared posthumously. The first was a volume of letters. The other was "Bibliotheca sacra et profana, sive observationes, correctiones, conjecturae, et variae lectiones". This book contains his collected filological and critical remarks to textual editions of various classical authors in an edition edited by Domenico Magri (1604–1672). The work contains a biography of Latini by Malgri.
He knew John Annius, the forger of classical texts and artefacts. His letters were published and include many of the humanists of his day, including Andreas Masius
. One of those to Masius, written in January 1559 deplores the potential effect of the new Roman Index of prohibited books (1559), issued by Pope Paul IV, on scholarship:
The death of Paul IV later in the same year lifted the threat, however.
Viterbo
See also Viterbo, Texas and Viterbo UniversityViterbo is an ancient city and comune in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo. It is approximately 80 driving / 80 walking kilometers north of GRA on the Via Cassia, and it is surrounded by the Monti Cimini and...
ca. 1513 and died on 21 January 1593. He was an Italian scholar and humanist of the renaissance, a member of the commission for the revision of the Corpus Juris canonici. He is known for his lifelong research into the texts of the fathers of the church and his critical editions of their works, including those of Cyprian
Cyprian
Cyprian was bishop of Carthage and an important Early Christian writer, many of whose Latin works are extant. He was born around the beginning of the 3rd century in North Africa, perhaps at Carthage, where he received a classical education...
. He published notes on Tertullian
Tertullian
Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, anglicised as Tertullian , was a prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He is the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of Latin Christian literature. He also was a notable early Christian apologist and...
and worked on the text of Quintilian.
He studied jurisprudence and belles-lettres at Siena
Siena
Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008...
. In 1552 he took holy orders at Rome. A poor man, he was obliged to find a patron and entered the service of cardinal Pozzo, for whom he was Latin secretary. He then became librarian to Cardinal Rudolfo Pio. Pio died in 1564, leaving his extensive library to Latini. He then worked for cardinals Farnese and Colonna.
He superintended the production of the classic Roman edition of the Septuagint Version of the Bible, which appeared in 1587. He reformed the decretal of Gratian, at the wish of Pope Pius IV, which was published under Gregory XIII.
After his death, the chapter of the Cathedral of Viterbo acquired Latini's important library which contained many annotated copies. His letters and papers are still there today.
He published nothing under his own name in his lifetime. Two works appeared posthumously. The first was a volume of letters. The other was "Bibliotheca sacra et profana, sive observationes, correctiones, conjecturae, et variae lectiones". This book contains his collected filological and critical remarks to textual editions of various classical authors in an edition edited by Domenico Magri (1604–1672). The work contains a biography of Latini by Malgri.
He knew John Annius, the forger of classical texts and artefacts. His letters were published and include many of the humanists of his day, including Andreas Masius
Andreas Masius
Andreas Masius was a Catholic priest, humanist and one of the first European syriacists.He was born in Lennik, Flemish Brabant....
. One of those to Masius, written in January 1559 deplores the potential effect of the new Roman Index of prohibited books (1559), issued by Pope Paul IV, on scholarship:
- "Why should you be planning for the publication of any new works at a time when nearly all the books which have thus far appeared (qui adhuc sunt editi) are being taken away from us? It seems to me that at least for some years to come, no one among us will dare to write anything but letters. There has just been published an Index of the books which, under penalty of excommunication, we are no longer permitted to possess. The number of those prohibited (particularly of works originating in Germany) is so great that there will remain but few. On this ground, I advise you to put to one side your variants of the Bible and the translation of Demosthenes. Faernus has been devoting some days to the 'purifying' of his library; I shall begin to-morrow going over my own collection so that nothing may be found in it which is not authorised. Should I describe the process as a shipwreck or a holocaust of literature? In any case this [censorship] must have the result of deterring many of your group from the production of books, and will serve as a warning to the printers to be cautious in making selections for their presses."
The death of Paul IV later in the same year lifted the threat, however.
Sources
- Joseph RobertsonJoseph Robertson (clergyman)-Life:Born at Knipe, Westmoreland, on 28 August 1726, he was the son of a maltster from a family of Rutter, Appleby. His mother was the only daughter of Edward Stevenson of Knipe, a relative of Edmund Gibson. Robertson was educated at the free school at Appleby, and on 17 March 1746 matriculated...
, The Parian Chronicle, Or The Chronicle of the Arundelian Marbles (1788), p.210-11. online here - John PlattsJohn Platts (Unitarian)John Platts was an English Unitarian minister and author, a compiler of reference works.-Life:He was born at Boston, Lincolnshire. For seven or eight years he officiated as a Calvinist minister there; but later he became a Unitarian, and acted as a Unitarian minister at Boston from 1805 to 1817...
, A Universal Biography: Containing Interesting Accounts..., vol. 5, (1826) p.559. Online here - Pierre Petitmengin, Latino Latini, une longue vie au service des Peres de l'Eglise, In: Humanisme et Église en Italie et en France méridionale : 15. siècle-milieu du 16. siècle Series: Collection de l'École française de Rome vol. 330 (2004) pages 381-407