confided to Cardinal de Luca, Cardinal Simeoni, and Cardinal Zigliara. With the works of St. Thomas they were directed to edit Cajetan on the 'Summa Theologica,' and Ferrariensis on the 'Contra Gentiles.'
Cardinal Zigliara, in the Preface to the first Volume, says that, in obedience to the command of His Holiness, 'Magister Generalis Ordinis Prædicatorum cui demandata est a Leone XIII., cura hujus editionis operum Sti. Thomæ, quosdam religiosos in scientiis simul et arte paleographica eruditos designavit, qui bibliothecas perlustrant, codices optimæ notæ inquirunt, scripta S. Thomæ inedita diligenter investigant, atque omnia scripta notata aliis religiosis Romæ degentibus et novam hanc editionem curantibus transmittant.'
The groundwork of the new edition is that of St. Pius V. (1570). Little is known of the history of this edition. Several learned Dominicans were employed in it, and among them Remigius Nanni, Cardinal Justiniani, and Thomas Marriques, S.P.A. Magister. It is the best of all the editions of the 'Opera Omnia' published up to the time of Leo XIII. As the Pope says in his letter to Cardinal de Luca: 'Cœtera enim, cum veteres tum recentiores, partim quod non omnia S. Thomæ scripta exhibent, partim quod optimorum, ejus interpretum atque explanatorum careant commentariis, partim quod minus diligenter adrnatæ sint, non omnia tulisse punctum videntur.'
This Piana, or Roman, Edition, however, seems to have been made with the help of earlier editions rather than of the manuscripts.
The first Volume of the Leonine Edition comprises the 'Dissertation of De Rubeis on the Life and Writings of St. Thomas,' also the 'Commentaries of the Saint on Aristotle's Works,' 'Peri Hermenias,' and 'Posteriora Analytica.' As St. Thomas's Commentaries on the former terminate at the end of the Second Book, Cajetan's Commentary on the remainder has been given.
The Greek text of Aristotle (Didot's edition) has been inserted in place of the second Latin version given by the Piana, synopses of each lesson and copious notes being added.
