Gentili in England
While in London and Oxford this month, I hoped to visit some of the places connected to Alberico Gentili. My host at Oxford, Wolfgang Ernst, kindly showed me this bust of his 'regius' predecessor in the All Souls Codrington Library: I learned from Wolfgang that Gentili would not have been in All Souls College, but rather, in Christ Church, which was the principal royalist college - appropriate for a 'regius' or 'royal' professor in Roman law. I had hoped to pay homage to Gentili at his final resting place in London, at St. Helen's, Bishopsgate. Unfortunately, the church was closed for a rehearsal, so this was the closest I could get: An interesting and dramatic juxtaposition - a medieval parish church surrounded by City of London skyscrapers. Perhaps next time I'll be able to take a peak inside.
