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Lancellot(T)i

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Lancellotti

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Lancellot(t)i

(LANCELOTUS), Giovanni Paoli (1), a noted Italian writer on canon law, was born in Perugia in 1511, was professor of canon law in the university of his native place, and died there in 1591. He is particularly known as the author of Institutiones juris canonici, which are generally published with the Corpus juris canonici; yet it was not adopted in the "editio Romana," and therefore Richter omitted it in his edition. Lancellotti appears to have for a long time contemplated writing an elementary text-book for the study of canon law, after the model of Justinian's Institutes, (See CORPIS JURIS CIVILIS), for we find already in 1555 pope Paul IV encouraging him in his plans. Two years after Lancellotti presented his work to the papal censure, and it was examined by a committee composed of Fabianus Atorombonus, Julius Oradinus, and Antonius Massa, all officers of the court Della Rota. They approved strongly of it, and their recommendation was printed in several editions of the Commentarii Institutionum subsequently added by Lancellotti himself to his liber 1. The book was afterwards published, and immediately adopted as a text-book in the University of Cologne. On the other hand, the pope steadily refused his approval, and some other censors raised objections against it on the ground that it contained principles opposed to the then recent decisions of the Council of Trent. The author, however, was disinclined to alter the obnoxious passages, and resolved to continue to publish the work as a private enterprise, which he did towards the close of the Council of Trent, in August, 1563, at Perugia, dedicating it to Pius IV. In the following years it was repeatedly reprinted and commended, Petrus Matthiius even appended it to his edition of the Corpus juris cunonici (Frankf. ad M. 1591). Soon after it was included in the edition of the Corpus juris canon. published at Lyons, and continued to be printed in that manner, it having finally obtained the approval of pope Paul V (1605-21) by the intercession of cardinal Scipio Cobellutius and others. Still the Institutiones were never considered as an official work. Their value consists chiefly in the insight it affords into what was considered as law before the Council of Trent, and the common practice of that time. Subsequent editions carefully indicate the differences between it and the new laws. (See Caspar Ziegler, Notae ex ipsis antiquitatum ecclesiasticarum fontibus deductae, Wittemb. 1699, 4to; reproduced in Thomasius's edition, Halae, 1716,1717, 4to; also that of Doujat,Venetiis, 1750, 2 volumes, 8vo). A French translation, with a comparison of the Romish and Gallican practice, was published by Durand de Maillane (Lyons, 1710,10 volumes, 12mo). — Herzog, Real-Encyklop. 8:187.