, a nobleman of Venice, who died in the beginning of the sixteenth
, a nobleman of Venice, who died
in the beginning of the sixteenth century, was very useful
to his country; served it as a commander more than once;
and was, in 1510, the means of reconciling that republic
and pope Julius II. though he had the misfortune to he
carried off by a violent fever at Rome in 1513, before the
treaty was concluded between them. He was also a man
of learning; and published a translation of “Alexander
Aphrodiseus de Anima.
” His letters are likewise well
written; which made Erasmus say of him, that he was capable of any literary exertion, if his mind had not been
dissipated by other employments. Pierius Valerianus has
placed him in the list of unfortunate learned men, for
which he gives three reasons: first, because his domestics
obeyed him ill; secondly, because he did not live to see
the happiness, which would arise to his country from the
conclusion of his treaty; thirdly, because a great many
books, which he had written to immortalize kis name, remained unpublished. We have not much reason, hovever,
for thinking that any of these misfortunes gave him much
uneasiness. An ingenious reply is, we know not upon
what authority, attributed to him, when ambassador from
Venice to pope Julius II. who asked him for the title of the
claims of his republic to the sovereignty of the Adriatic.
“Your holiness will find the concession of the Adriatic,
”
said he to the pontiff, “at the back of the original record
of Constantine’s donation to pope Sylvester, of the city of
Rome and the other territories of the church.
” A bold
answer, when we consider how dangerous it was to dispute
the authenticity of this writ of donation, insomuch that, in
1478, several persons were condemned to the flames at
Strasburg for expressing their doubts of it.