Dr. Dr. María Ángeles Robles

Thomas More’s Utopia: An Ingenious Architectural Design for Social Order and a Virtual Legislative Laboratory for Political Experimentation

Lipsius Dissertatiuncula Apud Principes

The text to be discussed is the oratio that Justus Lipsius delivered to the Archdukes Isabel Clara Eugenia and Alberto. My paper focuses on analysing Justus Lipsius' speech as a eulogy to the archdukes. I will also study the paratexts accompanying the present edition, which is the subject of this study. The backbone of the work is to show the literary imprint of Lipsius in this discourse. On the one hand, the analysis of Lipsius' discourse is carried out by taking into account the traces of his previous literary production in this discourse and the impact of the Dissertatiuncula apud principes in his later production will be highlighted; on the other hand I will take into account the theoretical principle of Lipsius: similitudo et imago plurima temporum nostrorum. The above-mentioned Latin expression is understood broadly, not limited to Tacitus.

The Art of Governing in Justus Lipsius Politica: Methodological Analysis and Political Leader Training

This article analyses the introductory and supplementary texts (known as paratexts) in Justus Lipsius' edition of Politica, with the aim of better understanding how he organises his work and the ideas he proposes about the education and formation of a ruler. Specific biographical details about Lipsius, which are discussed in the article, play an important role in contextualising the text within its historical and intellectual background. The article also examines how he employs a writing technique known as cento (which consists of assembling quotations from other authors) as a key element in constructing his political argument. Particular attention is paid to the frequency and manner in which Lipsius incorporates excerpts from the Roman historian Tacitus, as well as how he sets out principles of good government through these paratexts. Ultimately, the article shows how these elements come together to provide an overall picture of Lipsius' political thought.