ALCIATI, ANDR•W, a celebrated lawyer, was born at on the 8th May, 1492. He was the only son of Ambrogio, ambassador to the republic of Venice, and of Margaret Landriana, a lady of noble family, who is reported to have felt no pains at his birth. Ile was sent, at the age of 15, to study law at the universities of Padua and Bologna, and such progress had lie made in his studies, that, in 1513, he was able to write commen taries upon the three last books of Justinian's code. After taking the degree of doctor of laws, at the age of 22, he exercised the profession of an advocate, in his native city, for the space of three years, when he was called to the chair of law in the university of Avignon, with a salary of 500 crowns. Here be lectured to 700 auditors; and so far did he extend his reputation, that even prelates, abbots, and counts, thronged to his lec tures; and Leo X. raised him to the dignity of a count Palatine.
The entreaties of his mother, and the inability of the city of Avignon to pay his salary, induced him to return to Milan, on the 5th November, 1521; where he re sumed his profession, till he was prevailed upon, in 1527, by Francis I. to teach law in the university of Bourges. Here he was honoured with the presence of the French king, to whom he gave the highest satisfaction, by an elegant and extemporaneous oration. Francis Sforza, duke of Milan, having heard of the fame of Alciati, in duced him to leave Bourges, in 1532, by appointing him professor at Pavia, with a salary of 1500 crowns, and raising him to the dignity of a senator. From the university of Pavia, he went to that of Bologna; from to Pavia, and thence to Ferrara, where he re mained four years; but the fickleness of his humour in duced him again to return to Pavia, where he died on the 12th January, 1550, in the fifty-eighth year of his age.
Alciati seems to have been a man of an avaricious disposition. Ile emigrated from one university to ano ther, yielding to every lucrative offer, and appears never to have felt the comforts of a settled life. He had the merit of being the first, who mingled polite literature with his exposition of the law, and banished the barba rity of language, which had hitherto disfigured the lec tures and the writings of lawyers. His printed works are, 1. Commentarii in Jus Civil(' et Canonir:11P, cuibus adduntur Emblemalum Liber ; de ilIagistrat. Libor ; et ?innot. in Taciturn. 6 vols. folio, ; 1571; Basil, 1582; Argentin, 1616; Francfort, 1617. 2. Consilia, Venet. 1566. S. Re.sponsa, Lugd. 1361. 4. De Formula Roman. Imperil, Basil, 1539. 5. Epigram mata Selecta. Latine versa, Basil, 1529. 6. His/.
Mcdiolani, 1625. 7. De Pia lainOr ratione. 8. De Legum Intiiprctibug Parandis, 1566. 9. Encomium Ilistor4,1530. 10. Palma. 11. Judiciard Proressus Compendium, 1536. 12. Contra Pit. Ilionast.
1695, 13. Notec in Epist. Pam. Ciccronia, 1357. 14 Epistola., 1697.
Alciati left behind him about 21 different works, whirl have not been published. An account of them will be found in Mazzuehelli's •;crittori vol. i. p 370. (o)