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/295

 A N T O N I A N O. 259 ANTONIANO (Si t.vio), a man of great learning, who railed himlelf from a low condition by his merit ; Ins urcnts bring fo far from able to fupport hiai in his ftudie*, th it they themfeKes flood in need of charity. It h: !crn laid that he wns not horn in wedlock, but Jofeph C, who wrote his^;. life, has proved the contrary. He was horn at Rome in i 5^0. |1 He made a quick and moft fu>pizing prngrds in his ftudiei, cap ' lor when he wns but ten years old, he could make verfea upon any fubjec"t propoled to him ; and thefc fo excellent, though pronounced extempore, that even a man of genius could not compofe the like without a good deal of time and paitu. There was a proof given thereof at the table of the cardinal of Pifa, when he gave an entertainment one day to feveral other cardinals. Alexander Farnefe taking a nofcgay, gave it to this youth, defiring him to prcfent it to him of the com- pany whom he thought molt likely to be pope : he prefented it to the cardinal of Medicis, and made an eulogium upon him in verfe. This cardinal, who was pope fome years afterwards, under the name of Pius IV. imagined this was all a contrivance, and that the poem had been prepared before- hand with a great deal of art, by way of ridicule upon him ; he feemed extremely nettled at it, but the company protefted, that it was an extempore performance, and requefted him to make a trial of the boy; he did fo, and was convinced of the extraordinary talents of the youth, who compofed ele- gant verfes upon any fubjet propofed to him [A]. The duke c'e Ferrara coming to Rome, to congratulate Marcel- lus II. upon his being raifed to the pontificate, was fo charmed with the genius of Antoniano, that he carried him to Ferrara, where he provided able mailers to inftruiSr, him in all the fciences. From thence he was fent for by Pius IV. who recollecting the adventure of the no;egay, when he was raifed to St. Petet's chair, made enquiry for the young poet; and having found him out, brought him to Rome, and gave him an honourable poft in his palace. Some time after, he made him profefibr of the belles lettres in the college at Rome. Antoniano filled this place with fo much reputation, that on the day when he began to explain the oration pro Marco Marcello, he had a vaft crowd of auditors, and among thefe no lefs than five-and-twcnty cardinals. H<.- was after- wards chofen re&or of the college ; and after the death of Pius IV. being feized with a fpirit of devotion, he joined [A] Father Strada tells us, that as the occa(i"n of his propofipg a clock the cardinal of Medicis was thinking for the fohjtft of his vcrfes. Proluf, upon a fubjfG to propofe to him, the AcaJ. i,i, i.'>. i. clock in the hall iVuck; which was S 2 h' 1 -