Words and Deeds in Renaissance Rome.(Book Review)(Brief Article)

Words and Deeds in Renaissance Rome: Trials Before the Papal Magistrates. By Thomas V. Cohen and Elizabeth S, Cohen (Toronto, University of Toronto Press, 1993) 308 pp. $50.00 cloth $19.95 paper

This volume both epitomizes and contributes to current discussions about cultural readings of legal records. Translations of nine trial records (mostly from 1558-1560) are accompanied by explanatory notes, brief individual commentaries, and an excellent critical/methodological introduction. Drawing upon sociology, anthropology, political science, and literary studies, the authors elucidate the complexity and richness of their sources and, in turn, of the culture that witnesses …