Page:A new and general biographical dictionary; containing an historical and critical account of the lives and writings of the most eminent persons in every nation v1.djvu/100

 64 A D R I A N. buried in St. Peter's church, near the tomb of his predeceflbr Eugenius [i j. There are extant feveral letters, and fome ho milies written by pope Adrian. [i] Matthew Paris tells us (Vit. Ab- " t:ry of St. Peter, had noplace but bat. X Alban. p. 74.) he was poifoned " his throat to get into ; bm fine? a Hy by the R.innans, becaule he refuied to " ftoppeH his breath, fear fh>ll flop my conlVcratc a citizen's fun a bi/hop, vlio " n otr h, n.-t to n>.'ke uncharitable con- was unworthy of ihat digni.y. Joannes tc clofi'ins from fu< h cafualties." Wor Funcius fays, Balms de Scrips Biit. thus of England, Hertford/hire, p. 20. Centur. ^. n. 64. in Appendice, that Jt is remarkable, howevtr, th^t Platina as Adiian was one diy walking with his and Leland are filent as to the manner attendant?, a fly got into his throat, and ofhisdeah, which, in all pro^abil ty, the furg- t;ns not bing able to extradl it, they would not have been, had it b-en he was lijffocatfd, " As he was drink- attended with fuch extraordinary circum- " ing," lays Fuller, " he was chocked fiances. " with a fly, which, in the large terri- ADRIAN (DE CASTELLO), bifhop of Bath and Wells in the reigns of Henry VII. and VIII. was defcended of an ob- ^ cure ^mily at Cornctto, afmali town in Tufcany ; but foon Paris 1645. diftinguifhcd himfeU by his learning and abilities, and pro- 4 to. tom. iii. cured feveral employments at the court of Rome. In 144.8, he was appointed nuncio extraordinary to Scotland, by pope In- nocent VIII. to quiet the troubles in that kingdom ; but, upon his arrival in England, being informed that his prefence was not neceflary in Scotland, the contefts there having been ended by a battle, he applied himfelf to execute fome other commiilions with which he was charged, particularly to col- ]el the pope's tribute, or Peter-pence, his holinefs having appointed him his treafurer for that purpofe. He continued fome months in England, during which time he got fo far into the good graces of Morton archbifhop of Canterbury, that he recommended him to the king ; who appointed him his agent for Englifli affairs at Rome, and, as a recompence for his faithful fervices, promoted him firfl to the bifhopric of Polyd.Vcrg. Hereford, and afterwards to that of Bath and Wells. He was Hift. Angi. en t nr ored at Wells by his proxy PoSydore Vergil, at that jft^'J^'t.inse the pope's fubcollelor in England, and afterwards ap- 736,737. pointed by Adrian archdeacon of Wells. Adrian let out his bifiiopric to farmers, and afterwards to cardinal Volfey, him- felf refiding at Rome, where he built a magnificent palace, on the front of which he had the name of his benefactor Kenry VII. infcribed : he left it after his deceafe to that prince and his fucceflbrs. Alexander VI, who fucceeded In- nocent VIII, appointed Adrian his principal fecretary, and Aubery, ib. v ' car -g enera ^ m Spirituals and temporals; and the fame pope P. 77. created him a cardinal-prielr, with the title of St. Chryfogo- nus, the 31 ft of May, 1503. Soon after his creation, he nar- rowly