Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Tiraboschi, Girolamo

TIRABOSCHI, Girolamo (1731–1794), the first historian of Italian literature, was born at Bergamo on 18th December 1731. He studied at the Jesuit college at Monza, entered the order, and was appointed in 1755 professor of eloquence in the university of Milan. Here he produced (1766-68) Vetera Humiliatorum Monumenta (3 vols.), a his tory of the extinct order of the Umiliati, which gave him at once a distinguished place in literature. Nominated in 1770 librarian to Francis III., duke of Modena, he turned to account the copious materials there accumulated for the composition of his Storia della Letteratura Italiana. This vast work, in which the progress of Italian literature from the time of the Etruscans to the end of the 17th century is traced in detail, occupied eleven assiduous years, 177182, and the thirteen quarto volumes embodying it appeared successively at Modena during that period. A second enlarged edition (16 vols.) was issued from 1787 to 1794, and was succeeded by many others, besides abridgments in German, French, and English. Tiraboschi died at Modena on 3d June 1794, leaving a high reputation for virtue, learning, and piety.

Tiraboschi wrote besides Biblioteca Modcnese (6 vols., 1781-86); Xotizic de Pittori, Scullori, Incisori, ed Architetfi Modenesi (1786); Memorie Storiche Modenesi (5 vols., 1793-94), and many minor works. He edited the Nuovo Giomale dei Letterati d Italia (177390), and left materials for a work of great research entitled Dizionfirio Topografico-Storico degli Stati Estcnsi (2 vols. 4to, Modena, 1824-25).