Renaissance Humanism and the Papal Curia: Lapo da Castiglionchio the Younger's De curiae commodis (review)

Renaissance Humanism and the Papal Curia: Lapo da Castiglionchio the Younger's De curiae commodis. By Christopher S. Celenza. [Papers and Monographs of the American Academy in Rome, Volume XXXI.] (Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press. 1999. Pp. xiv, 244. $47.50.]

Lapo da Castiglionchio was a humanist whose career was cut short by his death in 1438 at the age of thirty-three. A student of Filelfo's, he knew Bruni, Alberti, and other humanists active in the spring of the humanist movement and had patrons in high ecclesiastical circles without ever being able to secure for himself a post he thought commensurate with his talent and training. Not on particularly friendly terms with Cosimo de' Medici, he was especially eager to acquire an office in the papal curia, which traditionally received expatriates like himself. Except for the De curiae commodis, his literary output was modest, consisting principally of translations of Greek works into Latin. Nonetheless, had he lived longer, as Celenza argues, there's reason to think this "minor humanist" may have attained a certain renown. Lapo has been studied by Richard Scholz and more recently by Riccardo Fubini. Celenza builds on the work of these scholars with this critical Latin edition and English translation of the De commodis, along with an introduction of some hundred pages.

The document merits attention. It is, ostensibly, a defense of the papal curia against its detractors and especially against criticism of its wealth. Lapo admits the curia contains some unworthy men but insists the good outnumber them. It is a place where he would be delighted to live and work and where he knows he would find the atmosphere conducive to an upright life. He justifies the wealth of the curia with the argument that times have changed since the days of Christ and the apostles.

Celenza interprets the De commodis as a plea for an appointment to the curia that at the same time exposes the ethical inadequacy of many of its members. He points out this would seem to undercut Lapo's hopes for an appointment were it not combined with praise for the curia's potential for good. He sets it into the context of the early humanist movement with admirable erudition. He also tries to unravel some of the interpretative puzzles that arise with this fascinating text that provides a window into a culture far removed from our own. It was far removed from many people even in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It would have provoked ridicule had it fallen into the hands of the Franciscans and other critics of the curia. If Luther later had known of it, he would have laughed it to scorn, easily turning Lapo's justifications into indictments.

In 1914 Scholz published a basically reliable edition of the De commodis but from only one manuscript and in a journal not widely accessible. Celenza's edition corrects Scholz in many instances and demonstrates a command of the readings of the various manuscripts. Though I noted a few faulty editorial decisions, the Latin text stands up well. While the translation needs polishing and is occasionally inaccurate, it conveys the sense of the Latin and will be of great help to anyone interested in an "insider's view" of the curia just a century before the Reformation. In both the introduction and the translation I found Celenza's syntax and usages distracting and noted a few minor inconsistencies in presentation. In a book like this that requires so many skills, few authors can get superlative grades in all of them, and they should be able to rely on the copy-editors and readers for their press to save them from certain blemishes. In that regard I'm not sure Celenza was well served by the University of Michigan Press.

John W. O'Malley...