708 



LEO. 



Lena, 



tl 



I.coX. 

 Pope. 



East Long. 25* \G', North Lat. 39* 54'. SeeSonnini'a 

 Travels in Greece and Turkey, p. 504. 

 LENA. See RUSSIA. 

 LENS. See OPTICS. 



LEO X. POPE, the second son of Lorenzo di Medici, 

 was born at Florence in the month of December, 1475, 

 and was baptized by the name of John. Having been 

 destined by his father for the church, he received the 

 tonsure at the age of seven years ; and being then de- 

 clared capable of ecclesiastical preferment, he obtained, 

 at a very early period, through the interest of his fami- 

 ly, no less than twenty-nine benefices. In 14JS8, du- 

 ring the pontificate of Innocent VIII. he was elevated 

 to the rank of cardinal, when only thirteen years of age. 

 His early education was entrusted to that eminent scho- 

 lar, Angelo Poliziano, assisted by other learned men, 

 who frequented the Medici palace ; and the success of 

 their instructions was greatly promoted by the uncom- 

 mon gravity and solidity of his disposition. In 1492, 

 he was formally invested with the purple, and imme- 

 diately went to reside at Rome, as a member of the sa- 

 cred college. In consequence of his opposition to the 

 election of Pope Alexander VI. he found it prudent to 

 withdraw to Florence, in. which place he acquired much 

 personal respect ; but on the invasion of Italy by Charles 

 VIII. of France, he wag involved in the expulsion of 

 his family, and obliged to take refuge at Bologna. 



In 1499, the cardinal, accompanied by his cousin 

 Giulio di Medici, and a small party of friends, made 

 a tour through the states of Venice, Germany, and 

 France ; and returning by Genoa, he soon after- 

 wards went to Rome, where he fixed his residence, and 

 in consequence of his prudent behaviour, was enabled to 

 Jive safe and respected during the remainder of Alex- 

 ander's pontificate. During the earlier part of that of his 

 successor, Julius II. he continued to reside at Rome, cul- 

 tivating polite literature, enjoying the pleasures of po- 

 lite society, and indulging his taste for the fine arts. To 

 the exercise of the chase he was passionately addicted. 

 In 1505, when he had attained his thirtieth year, he 

 began to take an active part in public affairs; Julius, 

 on his seizure of Perugia, having appointed him to its 

 government. Adhering with firmness to the interest 

 of the Pope, he acquired the confidence of his holiness 

 to such a degree, as to be entrusted with the supreme 

 direction of the papal army in the holy league against 

 the French, in 1511, with the title of legate of Bologna. 

 At the bloody battle of Ravenna, in 1512, he was taken 

 prisoner, and conveyed to Milan, where the dignity of 

 his sacred office procured for him a respectable treat- 

 ment. He contrived, however, to effect his escape, 

 and returning to Bologna, he assumed the government 

 of the district, in the capacity of the Pope's legate. 



On the death of Julius II. the Cardinal di Medici was 

 elected to the pontificate in the month of March, 1513, 

 being then in the thirty-eighth year of his age. He as- 

 sumed the name of Leo X. and ascended the papal throne 

 with greater demonstrations of good will, both from 

 Italians and foreigners, than the greater number of his 

 predecessors. His love of literature was displayed, by 

 the appointment of two of the most elegant scholars of 

 the age, Benibo and Sadoleti, to the oflice of papal se- 

 cretaries. 



The first object to which the efforts of the new Pope 

 were directed, was the liberation of Italy from the do- 

 minion of foreign powers. With this view, he took 

 into pay a large body of Swiss troops, by whose valour 

 and discipline the bloody victory of Novara was gained 

 over the French, who were in consequence forced to 

 abandon Italy. The king of France, Louis XII. who 



had incurred ecclesiastical censure, made a formal sub- 

 mission, and received absolution. Having thus, in the 

 first year of his pontificate, secifred internal tranquillity, 

 the attention of Leo was next turned to the encourage- 

 ment of literature, and the patronage of men of genius. 

 His first care was to restore to its former splendour the 

 Roman gymnasium, or university, by means of new 

 grants of its revenues and privileges, and by filling the 

 professorships with distinguished characte'rs from all 

 quarters. Under the direction of Janus Lascaris, a col- 

 lege of noble Grecian youths was founded at Rome, 

 for the purpose of editing Greek authors ; and a Greek 

 press, under the superintendence of Lascaris, was esta- 

 blished in that city. Public notice was given through- 

 out Europe, that all persons who should bring ancient 

 manuscripts to the Pope would be liberally rewarded, 

 besides having them printed at the expence of the holy 

 see. Leo also endeavoured to promote the study of ori- 

 ental literature, by founding the first professorship in 

 Italy of the Syriac and Chaldaic languages, in the uni- 

 versity of Bologna. 



On the death of Louis XII. and the accession of 

 Francis I. to the throne of France, it soon became ap- 

 parent that the flame of war would be rekindled in the 

 north of Italy. After some ineffectual attempts to pre-- 

 serve a neutrality, Leo at length found himself under 

 the necessity of joining in a league with the emperor, 

 the king of Arragon, the states of Florence and Milan, 

 and the Swiss cantons, against the French king and the 

 state of Venice. This league, however, was soon bro- 

 ken by the rapid success of the French arms, and the 

 defeat of the Swiss in the battle of Marignano ; after 

 which the Pope founrl it expedient to detach his cause 

 from that of his allies, and to form an union with 

 Francis, the terms of which were arranged at an inter- 

 view between the two sovereigns, which took place at 

 Bologna towards the close of the year 1515. 



In the year 1516, Leo found a pretext to gratify his 

 passion for aggrandizing his family, by excommunica- 

 ting the Duke of Urbino, and seizing his whole terri- 

 tory, which, together with the ducal title, he conferred 

 upon his own nephew Lorenzo. In 1517, the expelled 

 duke collected an army, and by rapid movements com- 

 pletely recovered his capital and dominions. Chagrined 

 at this event, the Pope endeavoured to engage all the 

 Christian princes in a crusade against him ; and having 

 raised an army under the command of his nephew, by 

 a profuse application of the treasures of the church, the 

 duke was at length compelled to resign his dominions 

 upon honourable terms. In the same year, the life of 

 the pontiff was endangered, and his moments embitter- 

 ed, by a conspiracy which was formed against him in 

 his own court. Cardinal Petrucci, the principal author 

 of this conspiracy, had formed a plan of destroying Lea 

 by poison ; but having failed in this attempt, he with- 

 drew from Rome, still however maintaining a corre* 

 spondence with his secretary. Some of his letters hav- 

 ing been intercepted, he was decoyed to Rome by a 

 safe conduct from the Pope ; but on his arrival he was 

 arrested, committed to prison, and finally strangled. 

 His agents and accomplices in the plot were put to 

 death with horrid tortures ; and some of the other car- 

 dinals were degraded, and subjected to heavy fines. In 

 order to secure htmself against any future disaffection, 

 Leo created thirty-one new cardinals in one day, many 

 of them consisting of his own relations and friends, and 

 some whose talents and virtues rendered them worthy 

 of such dignity. 



Under the pontificate of Leo, the severest wound was 

 inflicted upon the church of Rome, by the rise of the 



