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/146

 no A G R I P P A; he prote&ed a countrywoman who was accufed of witch- craft [B], obliged him to leave the city of Metz. The abufe which his friend Jjmes Fabcr Satuleniis had received from Ep. sxv. the clergy of JVletz, for affirming that Sc. Anne had but one 1 ' "' hufband, had raifed his indignalion, and incited him to main- tain the fame opinion. Agrippa retired to Cologn in the year 1520, leaving without regret a city, which thofe tuibu- Jent inquifitors had rendered averfe to all polite literature and real merit. He left his own country in 1521, and went to Geneva : here his income muft have been inconfiderabie, for he complains of not having enough to defray his expences to Chamberi, in order to folicit a penfion from the duke of Savoy. In this however his hopes were difappointed ; and in 1523, he removed to Fribourg, in Switzerland. The year following he went to Lyons, and obtained a penfion from Francis I. He was appointed phyfician to the king's mother ; but this did net turn out fo much to his advantage as might be expected, nor did he attend her at her departure from Lyons, in Auguft 1525, when fhe went to conduct her daughter to the borders of Spain. He was left behind at Lyons, and was obliged to implore the affiftance of his friends in order to obtain his falary ; and before he received it, had the mortification of being informed that he was ftruck off the Zp.iii.lib.iv.];^ The caufe of his dilgrace was, that, having received or- ders from his miftrefs. to examine by the rules of aftrology, whatfuccefs would attend the affairs of France, he too freely exprefkd his diflike that flie fhould employ him in fuch idle curiofities, inftead of things of ccnfeo^ence : at which the lady was highly offended ; and became yet more irritated againft him, when (he underfiood that his aftrological calcu- lations promifed new fuccefies to the conilable of Bourbon. Agrippa rinding himfelf thus abandoned, gave way to the ut- moil rage and impetuofity of temper: he wrote feveral me- nacing letters, and threatened to publifn fome books, wherein he would expofe the fecret hiftory of thole courtiers who had worked his ruin : nay, he proceeded fo f-ir as to fay, that he would for the future account that princefs, to whom he had [B] This countrywoman was of Va- phi'rfcphy, that Agrippa give: the city pey, a village fituated near ths gates of of Melz the chsrafter of being " cm- Metz, and bslonging to the chapter of " nium bonarum literarum virtutumquc the cathedral. There appeared in the " novt.rca," the ftepmother of all trus clergy of Metz, who were the accufers leirr.ir.g and virtue, A^rippi's Let tif that woman, fo much prejudice, and ter, June 2j fcch igr.srjcce of alt poln: teaming and