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240 
some of its upholders, among whom our 
countryman Roger Bacon was the most 
esteemed; the almost universal belief 
entertained of it, and the few lights which 
mankind then possessed, as to the real 
and constant laws obeyed by the celes- 
tial bodies ; it cannot be denied that the 
twelve books written by Mirandola - 
against astrology, the effect of which, in 
opening men’s eyes upon that subject is 
testified by a respectable co-temporary 
author, were the work of a very superi- 
or and énlightened mind. ‘When we 
congratulate ourselves upon our freedom 
from these superstitions, we ought not to 
forget, that we owe something to those 
who gave the first blow.to them. Proud 
of the lights of the age we live in, when 
astrology and such like cheats are no 
donger in vogue, we are too apt to over- 
the merit of those exertions which 
first exposed and refuted them; and to 
persuade ourselves, that in these days of 
genius and philosophy, such exertions 
would have been unnecessary; not re- 
collecting that if we enjoy many supe- 
riorities of this kind, we are less indebt- 
.ed for them to our own genius:than to 
the labors of those who first paved the 
way for the detection of superstitious er- 
rors; our merit is, that we do not shut 
our eyes to the light of science; but 
while we enjoy its blaze, we ought to 
be grateful to those who struck the first 
sparks, 
John Pica of Mirandola has been re- 
presented by writers, whose ideas are 
taken from the encomiums ef his cotem- 
poraries, as a mighty prodigy of learning 
and genius. 
sent times entertain towards those sub- 
jects upon which he wrote, renders it 
very difficult, upon a review of his works, 
to think those encomiums justified. But 
making allowance for this change of 
opinion, and weighing the impartial tes- 
timony of his equals, and the early age 
vat which he obtained their admiration, 
it may be fairly concluded, he was in 
reality, a man of very extraordinary 
powers. These memoirs are principally 
collected from his letters, and the 
account given of him by his nephew 
Francisco, himself an eminent scholar. 
Memoirs of John Pica, Prince of Mirandola. [Oct.1, 
The distaste which the pre- ’ 
ab 
Such a biographer might naturally be 
suspected of partiality, but the evidence 
of other ‘writers, fully confirms his ac+ 
count. Paulus Jovius, in his Elogia 
Doctorum Virorum, gives the following 
character of him.* “ John Pica of Mis 
rdndola, has been justly styled the phoe- 
nix; for in him, the mmortal gods, be- 
sides the splendor of his family, assem+ 
bled all the rarest gifts of body and 
mind.” : 
Petrus Riccius, commonly called Pes 
trus Crinitus, who was the pupil of Po: 
litian and the companion of Mirandola, 
laments the death of him and Politian, 
which happened in the same year, as 
public misfortuné, more severely felt 
at that particular time, when learning, 
obstructed by the incursion of the French 
into Italy, wanted the support and as= 
sistance of such men.t To these may 
be added the testimony of Hieronymus 
Savanarola, who, though afterwards put 
to death by Pope Alexander for a here- 
tic, was a man of great consideration on 
account of his learning and talents. — In 
a dispute which took place between him 
and Mirandola, concerning the philoso 
phy of the ancients ; the former, yielding 
to the superiority of his opponent, rose 
up and embracing him said, “ Unus tu 
es, Pice, xtate nostra qui omnim ve- 
terum philosophiam ac religionis Chris- 
tiane precepta et leges percalleas.”t 
The following epitaph, written by Her- 
cules Strozza, is preserved by Paulus 
Jovius: 
Joannes jacet hic Mirandula; czetera norunt 
Et Tagus et Ganges, forsan et Antipodes. 
Dr. Johnson, in his Essay on Epitaphs, 
has taken notice. of this pompous distich, 
as a warning to epitaph-writers, “Thus, 
says he, have their expectations been 
disappointed, who honored Picus of 
Mirandola with this pompous epitaph. 
His name, then celebrated in the remo- 
test corners of the earth, is now almost 
forgotten, and his works, then studied, 
admired, and applauded, are now moul- 
dering in obscurity.” j 
* Page 92. 
+ Pet. Crin. de honesta Disciplina. 
F db. lib, di1.¢, 2 
