volgarizzamenti di Livio (già attribuiti a Boccaccio): appunti sul testo e sulla tradizione

The medieval translations of Livy's work are particularly interesting because of their doubtful provenance. Even if they aren't signed, certain scholars have attributed some of these weighty translations to the pen of Giovanni Boccaccio. This paper takes into consideration certain aspects of the language and style of the volgarizzamenti of Livy's Third Decade, paying special attention to the two different translations into volgare of the first four books. On one hand, we highlight the differences in language and style, underlying the two "philosophies" behind the practice of vulgarization. On the other hand, we demonstrate that each translation shows a different knowledge of Latin. Finally, we analyze the tradition of the original Latin text. Particular attention is dedicated to the spurious fragment (the so-called «additamentum Allifanum») which is translated in both vulgarizations. This allows us not only to identify the branch of the Latin tradition on which the two volgarizzamenti are based, but also to hypothesize that the original Latin text comes from the monastery of Monte Cassino.