Il Ragionamento sulla pestilenza dell'anno 1576 di Ludovico Agostini

This essay proposes, for the very first time, the edition of the Ragionamento sulla pestilenza dell'anno 1576 by Ludovico Agostini (Pesaro, 1536-Gradara, 1612). The work, written on the occasion of the plague that devastated Northern Italy in 1576, is structured as a letter addressed to a personified Italy. The writer does not narrate the tragedy of the plague; instead, Agostini is interested in showing how this invincible disease is the preferred means with which God acts in History. According to Agostini it was punishment for the many sins committed by Italy against God and the true faith. But it is also a way of atonement. In Ragionamento sulla pestilenza dell'anno 1576, using many examples taken from the Bible and from classical works, Agostini («driven by profound religiosity and sincere love of your country», as wrote Luigi Firpo) admonishes Italy and encourages it to purify itself and embrace faith with a sincere heart. [Publisher's text]