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/202

 i66 A L L A T I U S. ALLATIUS (LEo), keeper of the Vatican library, and a celebrated writer of the Seventeenth century, was born in the Ifle of Scio, 1537. At nine years of age he was removed from his native country to Calabria; foine time after fent to Rome, and admitted into the Greek college, where he applied himlclf to the ftudy of polite learning, philofophy, and divi- nity. From thence he went to Naples, and was chofen great vicar to Bernard Juftiniani bifhop of Anglona. Frcm Naples ria'dePoeti ne returne( ^ to h' s own country, but went foon from thence C?ra-ci, to Rome, where he ftudied phyfic under Julius Casfar Lagalla, p. 406. an d took a degree in that profcflion. He afterwards made the belles lettres his object, and taught in the Greek college at Rome. Pope Gregory XV. fent him to Germany in 1622, in order to get the eledtor Palatine's library removed to Rome; but by the death of Gregory, he loft the reward he might have expected for his tnuble in thdt affair. He lived fo:ne time after with cardinal Bichj, and then with cardinal Francis Barberini ; and was at laft, by pope Alexander VII. appointed keeper of the Vatican library. Allatius was of great fervice to the gentlemen of Port Royal in the controverfy they had with Mr. Claude, touching the belief of the Greeks in regard to the Eucharift: Mr. Claude often calls him Mr. Arnaud's great author, and has given him but an indifferent charac- ter [A]. No Latin ever (hewed himftlf more incenfed againft the Greek fchifmatics than Allatius, or more devoted to the fee of Rome. He never engaged in matrimony, nor was Mabillon he ever in orders; and pope Alexander having afked him Ital torfi 1 i one ^ 2 )'' wn }' ^ e ^ not cnter i nto orders? " Becaufe," p. 61. anfwered he, " I would be free to marry." "But if fo," jeplied the pope, "why don't you marry?" " Becaufe " i would be at liberty," anfwered Allatius, " to take [A] " Alhtius," fays he, "was a " bound to obey his command?, even ' rel'g'.on to embrace that of Rome j " laws without receiving any ; he " a Greek whom the piipe had ct.tifni " changes them as he thinkb fitj ap. " his librarian; a man the moft tie- " f oin'.s ma^iftratcs j decides all que- ilions as to matters of faith, and or- ' tiers all sffairs of impoitance in the ' church as feerrs to him good. He " voted :o the interefts of the court of " in his cilpofuion. He fbev.'s his at- " tachment to the court of Uorre in the '' very beginning of his book ' Ds per- cannct err, beipg out of the power of ' all herffy and iilufion ; and as he petua copfcnfione,' where he writes " is armed wiib the autbou'y of Chriff, "" m favour of the pope tlous : " The " not even an ar.gel from heaven could " Roman pontiff," fays he, " is qsite " make him alter his opinion." M, ' independent, judges the worlri with- C'laude's Anfvver to M. Arnaud's bock, '* oct being liable to be judged j we are Jib, iii. cap. jz. t{ orders.'*
 * ' Greek, who had renounced his own <: when he governs unjuftly; he gives
 * ' Rome; a rr/an extremely outrageous