Tommaso Inghirami, having performed with great applause the part of Phaedra in Seneca’s Hippolitus, was surnamed Fedro. He was a good Latin poet, and librarian to the Vatican. Erasmus says he was called the Cicero of his age.
Bernardino Cappella, praised as a good Latin poet by Giraldi.
Evangelista Fausto Maddaleni is mentioned as an elegant Latin poet by Giraldi, who says that he would have done more had not his wife left him little leisure for the muses.
Cammillo Porzio, or de’ Porcari (not the historian), professor of literature, and a distinguished courtier of Leo X, who made him a bishop.
Filippo Beroaldo da Bologna the youngest, a Latin poet, and librarian to the Vatican, was surnamed the Bolognese. He died in 1518.
There were two Maffei from Voltera, called each of them Volterrano—Mario and Raffaelle. I think Ariosto speaks of the former, as he, as well as most of those mentioned in this stanza, were members of the Roman Academy, and are praised by Sadoleto in one of his letters almost in the same order as they are mentioned by Ariosto. ↩
Biagio Pallai, who, according to the fashion of the day, on entering the Roman Academy, had his vulgar name changed into the more classically sounding name of Blosio Palladio, was an elegant Latin poet, and one of the heads of the university of Rome, the Sapienza. He was secretary to Popes Clement VII and Paul III, and in the name of the former he wrote the privilege for the corrected edition of Ariosto’s poem of 1532, dated on the 31st of January of that year. He was elected bishop of Foligno by the latter of these popes.
Giampietro or (as he was called afterwards) Pierio Valeriani was an adherent of the Medici. He enjoyed the favour of Leo X, was elected professor of literature by Clement VII, and then trusted with the education of Ippolito and Alexander de’ Medici, two pupils who did not great credit to their masters. Pierio was a good historian, an elegant Latin poet, and a very learned man.
Marco Girolamo Vida, bishop of Alba, whose poems “Christiados,” “Scacchia Ludus,” “Ars Poetica,” “Bombices,” are too well known to require any praise. He was called Virgilius redivivus; and, if anything, he may be said to have been excessively Virgilian. His generous disposition rendered him very popular among the poor of his diocese.
Marco Mussùro, a pupil of John Làscari; a man of extensive learning, rofessor at the university of Padua, and archbishop of Malvasia. A few Latin epigrams only have survived him. Erasmus says that he was “Latinae linguae usque admiraculum doctus: quod vix ulli Graeco contigit.”
Giovanni Làscari of Constantinople fled to Italy on the conquest of that city by the Turks, and was educated at Padua. His extensive learning and amiable character rendered him a favourite of Lorenzo il Magnifico, Leo X, and Charles VIII, as well as Francis I of France.
Andrea Navagèro, a learned man, second to none in taste and elegance in his Latin verses, and who died at Blois in France on the 8th of May, 1529. He so much detested Martial’s poetry, on account of its obscenity, that he every year sacrificed to Vulcan a copy (some say more) of his epigrams.
Andrea Marone, a man who was never equalled for his facility of making good Latin verses impromptu, and whose genius is described by Giovio as incredibile, portentosum. He is mentioned by our poet, above, c. III st. 56, as equal to his namesake Virgil.
The Monk Sevèro. Perhaps Severo Varino, called also Severo da Piacenza, or da Firenzuola, a learned Benedictine; or Severo da Volterra, a Benedictine also, and a poet, among whose MSS. there were sonnets addressed to Ariosto, as Porcacchi informs us. ↩
Alessandro Orològi, a gentleman from Padua: (Fornari). I know nothing more of him.
Alessandro Guarini, secretary to the Duke of Ferrara. He published an edition of Catullus corrected by his father, with notes of his own.
Màrio Equicola d’Alvito (and not Olvìto, as all the editions of Ariosto say) took his name from the place of his birth. He wrote a history of Mantua, a treatise on poetry, and another on the nature of love. He was secretary to Isabella d’Este, Marchioness Gonzaga of Mantua, of whom Ariosto makes a splendid panegyric, canto XIII st. 59, et seq., to her husband Francis, and to her son Frederick, with whom Mario was besieged in Pavis.
Piètro Aretìno. The basest and most impudent wretch that ever lived, author of the Ragionamenti Puliana Errante, etc. He called himself “divino” and “flagello de’ principi,” but none ever flattered them more barefacedly. He attacked in the most scurrilous manner all those from whom he had nothing to fear. He took his name from Arezzo, his native place, being a bastard. His father was, it is said, Luigi Bacci.
Girolamo Verità is said to have been an elegant poet, and a man fond of scientific pursuits.
Girolamo Cittadìno was a friend of Bembo, who, in a letter, praises two sonnets of his. He lived at Ferrara, as I learn from Bandello, in the service of Ippolita Sforza, mentioned above, st. 4. Giovio praises him as a good Latin poet.
Niccolò Leonicèno, a distinguished physician, of great learning, an elegant writer of Latin verses, when young, and of a most pure life. He was one of the first who dared to question the authority of Pliny, and died, 96 years old, at Ferrara, in 1524.
Giovanni Manardi, a physician of note. He travelled much, and was one of the first who boldly appealed to reason and observation instead of authority, as may be seen from the first of his
