Laurentius Abstemius
Encyclopedia
Laurentius Abstemius was an Italian
writer
, professor of Belles Lettres at Urbino
, and librarian to Duke Guido Ubaldo under Pope Alexander VI
. Born at Macerata
in Ancona
, he distinguished himself, at the time of the revival of letters, as a writer of considerable talents. As librarian at Urbino, he dedicated to Duke Ubaldo a critique upon some difficult passages in ancient authors, under the title of Annotationes Variae.
His principal work is titled Hecatomythium (1495), a collection of a hundred fables written in Latin, several of which are translated from the Greek. Some contemporaries condemned them as ludicrous and took exception to their criticism of the clergy. Other fables relate to Aesop's
in various ways, either as variations on his, as in the case of De culice cibum et hospitium ab appetente (94), which is told of a gnat and a bee but relates to The Ant and the Grasshopper
; or in the case of De leone et mure (52) it provides a sequel to The Lion and the Mouse
, in which the mouse asks for the lion's daughter as a reward for freeing him from the net and is stepped on accidentally by the bride. Still others provide a frame for proverbs: for example 'Still waters run deep' (De rustico amnem transituro, 5) and 'The worse the wheel, the more it creaks' (De auriga et rota currus stridente, 84). These fables can be found annexed to an edition of Aesop's Fables, published in eight volumes at Frankfurt
in 1580 and were later translated very idiomatically by Roger L'Estrange
in his Fables of Aesop and Other Eminent Mythologists (1692). Abstemius also wrote a further 97 fables in much the same vein, Hecatomythium Secundum, published in Venice in 1499.
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, professor of Belles Lettres at Urbino
Urbino
Urbino is a walled city in the Marche region of Italy, south-west of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially under the patronage of Federico da Montefeltro, duke of Urbino from 1444 to 1482...
, and librarian to Duke Guido Ubaldo under Pope Alexander VI
Pope Alexander VI
Pope Alexander VI , born Roderic Llançol i Borja was Pope from 1492 until his death on 18 August 1503. He is one of the most controversial of the Renaissance popes, and his Italianized surname—Borgia—became a byword for the debased standards of the Papacy of that era, most notoriously the Banquet...
. Born at Macerata
Macerata
Macerata is a city and comune in central Italy, the capital of the province of Macerata in the Marche region.The historical city center is located on a hill between the Chienti and Potenza rivers. It consisted of the Picenes city named Ricina, then, after the romanization, Recina and Helvia Recina...
in Ancona
Ancona
Ancona is a city and a seaport in the Marche region, in central Italy, with a population of 101,909 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region....
, he distinguished himself, at the time of the revival of letters, as a writer of considerable talents. As librarian at Urbino, he dedicated to Duke Ubaldo a critique upon some difficult passages in ancient authors, under the title of Annotationes Variae.
His principal work is titled Hecatomythium (1495), a collection of a hundred fables written in Latin, several of which are translated from the Greek. Some contemporaries condemned them as ludicrous and took exception to their criticism of the clergy. Other fables relate to Aesop's
Aesop's Fables
Aesop's Fables or the Aesopica are a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a slave and story-teller believed to have lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 560 BCE. The fables remain a popular choice for moral education of children today...
in various ways, either as variations on his, as in the case of De culice cibum et hospitium ab appetente (94), which is told of a gnat and a bee but relates to The Ant and the Grasshopper
The Ant and the Grasshopper
The Ant and the Grasshopper, also known as The Grasshopper and the Ant , is one of Aesop's Fables, providing an ambivalent moral lesson about hard work and foresight. In the Perry Index it is number 373...
; or in the case of De leone et mure (52) it provides a sequel to The Lion and the Mouse
The Lion and the Mouse
The lion and the mouse is one of Aesop's Fables, numbered 146 in the Perry Index. In the Renaissance the fable was provided with a sequel condemning social ambition.-The fable in literature:...
, in which the mouse asks for the lion's daughter as a reward for freeing him from the net and is stepped on accidentally by the bride. Still others provide a frame for proverbs: for example 'Still waters run deep' (De rustico amnem transituro, 5) and 'The worse the wheel, the more it creaks' (De auriga et rota currus stridente, 84). These fables can be found annexed to an edition of Aesop's Fables, published in eight volumes at Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
in 1580 and were later translated very idiomatically by Roger L'Estrange
Roger L'Estrange
Sir Roger L'Estrange was an English pamphleteer and author, and staunch defender of royalist claims. L'Estrange was involved in political controversy throughout his life...
in his Fables of Aesop and Other Eminent Mythologists (1692). Abstemius also wrote a further 97 fables in much the same vein, Hecatomythium Secundum, published in Venice in 1499.
External links
- The Latin text of the Hecatomythium with a literal translation and an idiomatic one by Roger L'EstrangeRoger L'EstrangeSir Roger L'Estrange was an English pamphleteer and author, and staunch defender of royalist claims. L'Estrange was involved in political controversy throughout his life...