, a modern Aristotelian, was born at Mantua in 1462. He delivered
, a modern Aristotelian, was
born at Mantua in 1462. He delivered lectures on the
philosophy of Aristotle and Averroes at Padua and Bologna,
where his eloquence and talents procured him many auditors. He was at Bologna when he composed his celebrated little treatise “De immortalitate Animae,
” in which
he was supposed to call in question the immortality of the
soul, at least he maintained that all natural reason was
against it, but revelation for it, and upon the latter account
ie believed it. It is probable, however, that the impression it made on the public mind was not very favourable to
the received opinions, as pope Leo X. thought it necessary
to suppress the work by a bull; and it was at his request
that Augustine Niphus wrote a treatise with the same title,
“De immortalitate Animae,
” in which he undertook to
prove that this doctrine is not contrary to the principles of
the Aristotelian philosophy. Some time after, Pomponatius’s opinions were referred to the arbitration of Bembus,
who endeavoured to justify him, and succeeded so far as to
obtain permission for him to issue a second edition of the
work, as well as to save the author from the vengeance
of the church. Brucker is of opinion that notwithstanding
Pomponatius’s pretences, he had more respect for the authority of Aristotle, than for that of Jesus Christ. He
adds, that though much addicted to superstition and fanaticism, and a zealous advocate for judicial astrology, as
appears from his book “De Incantationibus,
” “On Enchantments,
” he had an understanding capable of penetrating into the depths of the Peripatetic system, in the