Albertano degli Albertani

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, we learn that the A. wrote this work in 1238, while he was a prisoner at Cremona for having defended the land of Gavardo, on behalf of Brescia, against Frederick 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 them 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 therefore turns out arid. More lively and original is his third treatise: Prudence consoles her husband Melibeus, mistreated in his own house, and exhorts him to forgiveness with quotations drawn from the Bible and from Roman authors. This little work inspired Chaucer in a tale of the Canterbury Tales (14th century). The favor that the treatises of A. enjoyed 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, Florence 1832), besides the anonymous version published in Florence (1610) by Bastiano dei Rossi. The Sermones are still unpublished.