ALBERTANO degli ALBERTANI. - Judge of Brescia, of the 13th century. From the explicit of his first treatise, dedicated to his son Vincenzo, De dilectione Dei et proximi et aliarum rerum, de formula vitae honestae, it is learned that A. wrote this work in 1238, while he was a prisoner at Cremona for having defended the territory of Gavardo, on behalf of Brescia, against Federico II.
He also wrote De arte tươngi et loguendi (1245) in 6 chapters, which Brunetto Latini included in his Trésor; the Liber consolationis et consilii (1246) in 50 chapters, dedicating it to his sons Stefano and Giovanni, and five Sermones. The first two works are a fabric of quotations from sacred and profane authors, stitched together with a few observations by the author: the exposition is therefore dry. More lively and original is his third treatise: Prudence consoles the husband Melibeo, maltreated in his own house, and urges him to forgiveness with quotations drawn from the Bible and Roman authors. This little work inspired Chaucer in a tale of the Canterbury Tales (14th century). The favour enjoyed by A.’s treatises is attested by the Tuscan vernacular translations,
famous as models of language, by Andrea di Grosseto (1268; ed. Selmi, Bologna 1873) and by the Pistoian notary Soffredi del Grazia (1275; ed. Ciampi, Firenze 1832), in addition to the anonymous version published in Firenze (1610) by Bastiano dei Rossi. The Sermones still remain unpublished.