a, 
1808.] = Memoirs of John Pica, Prince of Mirandola. 
putes of their respective followers origi- 
nated in a misconception of the opinions 
of these philosophers relative to the Ens 
and Unum, at that time a subject of 
mighty strife among the learned. This 
treatise was held in high esteem by Loth 
sides. It was the last work of conse- 
quence that the author lived to complete ; 
but he had !aid the plan ofa vastand com- 
prehensive work, which his early death 
prevented ihe execution of. ‘Ths was 
no Jess thanto confound the seven ene- 
mies of the Christian church, by examin- 
ing and refuting all their errors. In the 
prosecution of this design, he had com- 
posed and perfected betore his death 
twelve books against astrology, the most 
popular and the most pernicious super- 
stition which then infested the world. 
Paulus Jovius, bishop of Nocera, has left 
a testimony to the merits of this work 
which is above all other encomiums :— 
“In this excellent though unfinished 
work, Mirandola attacked the astrolo- 
gers with such erudition and keenness, 
- and so ably exposed the absurdity and 
vanity of the whole art of divination, that 
he seems to have deterred the professors 
of the occult sciences from writing.*” 
This great design, as well as many 
others which Mirandola had formed, par- 
ticularly that of a more complete essay to- 
wards reconciling the opinions of Plato 
and Aristotle, was frustrated by his death. 
From the time that he left Rome, which 
was soon after the publication of the 
‘Apologia, Mirandola generally resided 
either at Ferrara or at Florence. The 
friendship of the Prince of Ferrara and 
its vicinity to his paternal seat attracted 
him to the former place; but Florence 
was the most agreeable to him on ac- 
‘count of the society of literary men which 
it afforded, and particularly of Politian 
and Lorenzo de’ Medici, with whom he en- 
tertained a close friendship. Besides 
“these two illustrious men, his society ‘was 
“cultivated by other eminent scholars, 
‘among whom was the learned and unfor- 
tunate Hieronymus Savanarola, and Her- 
molaus Barbarus: Petrus Crinitus,the pu- 
pil of Politian,+ mentions him as excelling 
all his icompanions in the erudition and 
eloquence of his conversation. The 
“same author has left us an account of 
Pica’s laborious studies; for when Po- 
* Paulus Jovius, Elogia doctorum Virorum, 
p- 92, Bassilie, 1571. \ 
| Petrus Crinitus, De bonesta Disciplina, 
Mib. iii, c. 2 Jib. v. c. 1. and lib ii, ¢, 2. priag- 
ed at the Asconsian press, 1508, © 9° 
eu 1 ' 
: 
oor 
litian had expressed in his presence 
high admiration of his great genius and 
learning, Mirandola with singular modesty 
answered, that he deserved no praise bu 
forhis assiduous application —* Gratulan- 
dum. potius, intelligite, assiduis vigiliis 
atque lucubrationibus, quam nostro in- 
genio plaudendum,”* 
His library likewise is celebrated by 
the same writer, and is said by Francisco 
de Mirandola to have cost seven thousand 
pieces of gold. His accomplishments 
were not confined to subjects of abstruse 
literature; in his youth he was much at- 
tached to music, in which he acquired 
such skill, that some of his melodies were 
publicly received, and held in great es- 
teem. It might also be concluded, from 
an anecdote related by Petrus Crinitus, 
that he was not unacquainted with phys 
sic ; for according to that author, when 
Hermolaus Barbarus was seized at Rome 
with a dangerous fever, Mirandola ‘Sent 
him from Florence a medicine prepared 
by himself. No man ever testified a 
more sincere devotion for learning and 
philosophy, to the contempt of all other 
qualifications, than the Prince of Mi- 
randola. He possessed a very large 
estate, which he bestowed almost entire- 
‘ly upon works of charity, except what 
was spent in collecting books, and enters 
taining and providing for literary men. 
At length, however, about three years 
before his death, he made over to his 
nephew Francisco his principality and 
possessions in Mirandola, and obtained 
aconfirmation of the grant from Maxis 
milian, the Roman emperor, to whom 
that principality was subject. He re- 
served to himself only enough to purchase 
a small estate near Ferrara, where he 
spent the remainder of his life, except 
when he resided at Florence,in elegant 
and learned retirement. His mother, 
under whose care he received his educa- 
tion, had destined him for the church ; 
and he was often urged by his friends to 
embrace the sacred profession, with the 
certainty of the highest honours and 
emoluments: but nothing could induce 
him to quit the life that he had chosen, 
He died of a fever at Florence, in the 
year 1494, in the S1st year of his age, on 
the same day that Charles the [Xth. of 
France entered that city on his famous 
expedition into Italy. ‘That monarch, 
_ hearing of Mirandola’s illness, as he ap- 
proached the city, sent two of his own 
physicians to his assistance; but in spite 
* Ib, lib li. ce 2 
of 
