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Realino, Bernardino

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an Italian Jesuit scholar, was born Dec. 1, 1530, at Carpi. Son of a gentleman in the service of Luigi di Gonzaga, he received an excellent education at Modena, and graduated at Bologna. He studied jurisprudence, and made himself known by a commentary upon the Nuptials of Thetis and Peleus of Catullus (Bologna, 1551, 4to), wlien one of his parents began an unjust lawsuit to take away part of his fortune. The affair lasted a long time, and was finally left to the verdict of an arbitrator, who hastened to decide against Realino without even hearing him. About the time of the encounter at Carpi, this arbitrator addressed him in very strong terms, and, in great wrath, Realino gave him a sword-cut in the face. Condemned for this bold action, the young man fled to Bologna. Made doctor of law in 1556, he obtained in the same year the office of magistrate of Felizzano, a borough of Milan; after this he became attorney of Alessandria; then the marquis of Peschiera gave him control of the vast domains which he possessed in the kingdom of Naples. At the age of thirty-four he grew weary of the world, arranged his affairs, and entered, at Naples, the Society of Jesus (1564). He there distinguished himself by a zeal, a patience, and a charity for the poor in which he was always consistent. Having received, in 1574, the order to lay the foundation of a college at Lecce, he did it just before his death. An inquiry was started to establish his rights to canonization, but the court of Rome refused the application. Realino composed quite a number of small books, mentioned by Sotwel; his notes upon ancient authors have been inserted in vol. ii of the Thesaurus Criticus of Gruter. — Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, s.v.