He entered the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer in 1824 and, having become a priest, left it in 1841 for reasons of health. Returning to his diocese, he was assigned to teach at the Seminary, where for fifty years he lectured on Latin and Greek literature, as well as on dogmatic and moral theology. His talents and ecclesiastical culture in the field of classical Latinity were outstanding. He undertook the Latin translation of the *Divine Comedy*, and the few cantos of it published in *Alma Roma* can stand with honor beside the not inconsiderable versions of other humanists, for their consistently noble and worthy form and for their accurate and ingenious interpretation of the original text. Also of excellent craftsmanship are the three hymns he composed in honor of the Most Holy Virgin of Romania, venerated in his diocese, and his translation of Manzoni’s *Il cinque maggio*. His masterpiece is the *Hierosolyma liberata* rendered into Latin verse from the Italian: to this he devoted himself with love and artistic delight throughout his long life. In those polished hexameters, more than a literary translation, one finds a paraphrase, almost a new creation. For this bold freedom of his, as well as for the classical perfection of form, his version surpasses those of Piacentini, Frambaglia, and Parente.
TORALDO, GIUSEPPE
