Il vocabolario delle virtù nell’Egidio volgare: Umiltà, virtù honoris amativa, magnanimità

The object of this article is the analysis of the lexicon of virtues in the "Livro del governamento dei re e dei principi" (1288), which is the oldest Italian translation of Giles of Rome’s "De regimine principum" (1277-82) and is based on Henri de Gauchy’s French version of Giles’ work, "Li livres dou gouvernement des rois et des princes". The essay is focused on the discussion of the Ethical virtues in Book I.2, in particular on the virtues of magnanimity (magnanimitas-magnanimità), of ‘love of honor’ (honoris amativa-virtù d’amare onore) and of humility (humilitas-umiltà). The purpose of the article is to reflect on the reception of Aristotle’s moral philosophy in Giles’ original treatise and in its vernacular translations: these latter show a high degree of independence from the Latin De regimine, especially when dealing with the implications of the complex relationship between the two opposite virtues of magnanimity and humility.