CICERO, Marcus Tullius

An interesting copy of the earliest influential Italian translation of a masterpiece of Latin literature, first published by the Aldine press in 1545. The translator, Guido Logli from Reggio, was a man of letters in service of the Farnese family and acted as agent of Paolo Manuzio in contracting the publication of some works of Annibal Caro and Girolamo Ruscelli. This edition is part of the ambitious plan pursued by Paolo Manuzio to provide his readership with the complete works of Cicero not only in Latin, but also the Italian vernacular. The vast corpus of Ciceronian Epistolae and Orationes was for a long time used as foundation texts in early modern schools. Indeed, this copy bears an inscription of the otherwise unknown Pompeo de Capellan , written in a childish hand and employing Venetian dialect ( Questo libro siè de mi ). The other inscriptions, scribbles and drawings some only visible under UV lamp by Pompeo or slightly later students comprise try-outs of Latin alphabet, a passage from the prayer to Virgin Mary ( sancta Maria ora pro nobis ) and a formal address for a letter in Italian vernacular ( Al Mag.co sig.or Manoli amico et come patron mio sempre osser[vantissimo] ). A charming Italian Renaissance school-book.