XO08 In politica, hoc est, In ciuiles libros Aristotelis … progymnasmata: cum indice locupletissimo

Antonio Montecatini, In politica, hoc est, in ciuiles libros Aristotelis … progymnasmata (Ferrara: Excudebat Victorius Baldinus, typographus Ducalis, 1587)

Penn Libraries, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Folio GrC Ar466.221 1587 v.1

Politics was not one of the main subjects within university halls, but it usually occupied a secondary place, along with ethics. Still, Aristotelian ethics and politics were celebrated for their formative value, and their teaching was progressively systematized and modeled on that of other philosophical branches. These imposing volumes by Ferrarese professor Antonio Montecatini (1537-1599) – meant as an introduction to Aristotle’s books on Politics – are enriched with schemes that helped students navigate the text’s argumentative structure, highlighting distinctions and definitions.