SCIPIONE MAFFEI. — Scholar, polygraph, tragic poet, born in Verona on 1 June 1675, died there on 11 February 1755. In 1710–50, together with A. Zeno and A. Vallisneri, he founded the *Giornale dei letterati*, accompanied by the *Osservazioni letterarie* (1737–40). He published the collection: *Teatro italiano, ossia scelta di dodici tragedie per uso delle scene, premessa una storia del teatro e difesa di essa* (Verona 1723). His tragedy *Meroe* remained throughout the 18th century the model of Italian tragedy.
Of the many works in which he treated the most varied subjects, the principal ones are: *Istoria diplomatica* (Mantua [but, Verona] 1727), which marks a milestone in paleographic studies, since from an examination of manuscripts in the Chapter Library of Verona he was persuaded that Latin scripts do not represent individual and distinct forms, but successive transformations of a single script, the Roman, manifested in the three forms of majuscule, minuscule, and cursive; *Verona illustrata* (2 vols., Verona 1731–32), in four parts: history of Verona, literary history and notices of more than eight hundred Veronese writers from Catullus to Bianchini, the most important monuments, amphitheaters in general and that of Verona in particular. A complement to this work may be considered the *Museum Veronense* (ibid. 1749); *Istoria teologica delle dottrine e delle opinioni*... (Trent 1742) against the Jansenists; *Dell'impiego del denaro* (Verona 1744) in favor of interest-bearing loans.
With these achievements his merits multiplied: his pastoral letters and discourses had wide resonance throughout Italy; through his solid preparation of seminarians he revived the Faculty of Theology; he promoted Catholic Action in the archdiocese and in Italy, working so that the entire Catholic movement might regain its ancient unity of organization, from which arose the Giunta centrale; he restored the monumental churches of S. Paolo a Ripa d’Arno, S. Caterina, and S. Francesco; in the Cathedral he rebuilt the pulpit of Giov. Pisano; in the same Cathedral he restored the relics of Arrigo VII and in S. Caterina those of Bl. Giordano da Rivalto. A splendid model of charity in the gravest hours of the fatherland, promoter of various works for the needy, especially during and after the First World War, he rendered further precious services to the Church and the Fatherland during the years of conflict between the two powers. After the Lateran Pacts were stipulated, he was invited to bless the wedding of the heir prince Umberto of Savoy to Marie José of Belgium (8 January 1930) and on the same day was awarded the collar of the S.mo Annunziata.
Principal works, besides numerous articles in *Scuola Cattolica* and *Rivista di scienze fisiche e matematiche*: *La carta del cielo per mezzo della fotografia* (Milan 1892); *Il p. fr. Denza, tributo di riconoscenza e di amore* (ibid. 1895); *La stella dei Magi* (ibid. 1895); *Commemorazione di A. Valta* (Monza 1899); *Riflessioni sui nostri doveri davanti alla scienza moderna e alla Fede* (2nd ed., Pavia 1899); *Scritti vari* (Siena 1904); *Lettere pastorali, omelie, discorsi* (vol. I [1904–11], Turin 1911; vol. II [1912–19], ibid. 1919), which treat the most varied subjects and the most pressing questions of the time and commemorate figures of scholars and saints; *Conversazioni manzoniane con il mio clero* (2 vols., Turin 1923).