Lodovico Scapinelli
Lodovico Scapinelli was an Italian philologist and poet.
Biography
Scapinelli was born in Modena, in 1585. He was blind from his birth. He obtained his doctorate in philosophy from the University of Bologna on 15 October 1609. He tutored the son of the Duke of Modena to such good effect that his patron sent him to the University of Bologna, where he became professor of rhetoric. He later filled the chair of literature both at Modena and Pisa, until ill-health forced him to retire in 1621. But in the next seven years knowledge of his literary labors spread throughout Italy.In 1628, Scapinelli was recalled to Bologna to fill the chair of rhetoric again. He was known for his scholarship and his lessons attracted numerous students. He lectured on Virgil, Horace, Tacitus and Livy. His academic prolusions on Livy's Ab urbe condita occupy an entire volume of a modern edition, and gained him an international reputation. Scapinelli died in Modena, on 3 January 1634, aged 48. By this time, his work was known, not only in Italy, but all over Europe. Scapinelli was a close friend of the poet Cesare Rinaldi and a member of the Accademia degli Intrepidi of Ferrara.