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/182

 14$ ALEANDER. the invitation of Lewis XII. he went to France, where hS taught the belles lettres in the univerfity of Paris. He entered afterwards into the fervice of Everard de la Mark bifhop of Liege, who fent him to Rome, to facilitate his promotion to a cardinal's hat. Leo X. found him a man of fuch capacity, that he was defirous to retain him in his fervice ; to which the bifhop of Liege confented. His holinefs fent him nuncio to Germany, in 1519; and in 1520, though abfent, he was appointed librarian of the Vatican, upon the death of Pallavicini Acciaoli. He gained a confiderable character as nuncio, and Hift. Cone. made a great figure for his eloquence in the diet of Worm?, Tndent, w here he harangued three hours againft the doctrine of Lu- ther : he could net, however, prevent Luther from being heard in that diet; and though he refufed to difpute with Ibid. lib. 5. him, he obtained an order that his books ftiould be burnt, and ap. 18. |^ s p er f on profcribsd : and he himfelf drew up the edii againft him. Upon his return to Rome, Clement VIII. made him arch-' bifhop of Brinclifi, and appointed him r.uncio to France; and he was in this capacity with Francis I. when he befieged Pavia, where he fell into the hands cf fome foldiers, who ufed him pretty roughly. He was fent nuncio a feccnd time into Germany, in 1531, where he found a great change in affairs : the people in the proteftant cities, as he fays, were no longer animated againft the holy fee as formerly ; the reafon of which was, that having hoped for greater liberty by fliaking off the papal yoke, they now found by experience that that of the fecular power, under which they were obliged to live, proved no lefs heavy. Aleander exerted his utmoft endea- vours, but without fuccefs, to hinder Charles V. from mak- ing a truce with the proteftants in Germany. In 1536, he went to Rome, where he was created a cardinal by Paul III. and was intended to be prefident at the council of Trent ; but his death, which happened the ift of February, 1542, prevented this : fome lay that he died by a miftake of his phyfician. Luther and his followers have thrown great reproaches againft Aleander : they have alfo affected that lie was a Jewj but this we believe to be a miftake, efpecially astllric Hutten, who publiflied an inveclive againft him, fpeaksas if there was no truth in this matter. Eralmus has frequently made men- tion of him, and in feveral places to his difadvantage: in one he fays, that he was not only of a warm and fimple, but alfo of a credulous difpofition j in another he gives him the
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