life of john picus earl of mirandola - The Center for Thomas More ...

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Life of John Picus
and many other credible persons¦ that the Queen of heaven came
to him that night with a marvelous fragrant odour, refreshing all his
members that were bruised and frushed° with that fever, and promised
him that he should not utterly die. He lay always with a pleasant and
a merry countenance, and in the very twitches and pangs of death he
spake as though he beheld the heavens open. 2 And all that came to
him and saluted him, offering their service, with very loving words he
received, thanked, and kissed¦. The executor of his moveable goods
he made one Antony, his brother. The heir of his lands he made the
poor people of the hospital of Florence. 3 ⌐ And in this wise into the
hands of our Saviour he gave up his spirit. ¬4
⌐ How his Death was taken. ¬ What sorrow and heaviness his departing
out of this world was, both to rich and poor, high and low, well
testifieth the princes of Italy, well witnesseth the cities and people¦, well
recordeth the great benignity and singular courtesy of Charles, King
of France, 5 which as he came to Florence, intending from thence to
Rome and so forth in his voyage against the realm of Naples, 6 hearing
of the sickness of Picus, in all convenient haste he sent him two of
his own physicians, as ambassadors both to visit him and to do him all
the help they might. And over that sent unto him letters subscribed
with his own hand,¦ full of such humanity and courteous offers, as
the benevolent mind of such a noble prince and the worthy virtues
of Picus required.¦
¦ 1 More omits ex Praedicatorum collegio, “from the Dominican convent” (CW 1:332, 333). /
8 More omits ut moris est, “as is the custom” (CW 1:332, 333). / 14 More omits testes hi reges quos
supra citavimus, “and by those kings whom we mentioned above” (CW 1:332, 333). / 21 More
omits quas & vidimus & legimus, “we have seen it and read it” (CW 1:332, 333). / 23 Here More
omits six lines of the original Latin in which he speaks at some length on Picus’ relationship
with King Charles : “Indeed, Picus was very well known to him by reputation and also bound to
him by a kind of familiarity. For when he was in France, visiting Paris, he had been honorably
received by him. Certainly, just as the king, while Picus was alive, had warranted that he has a
man to be admired by the whole world and for ages to come, so too he determined to solemnize
his decease as no less famous and astounding” (CW 335). He also omits Gianfrancesco’s brief
introduction to Savonarola’s sermon, a sermon he “heard with [his] own ears” in the city of
Florence (CW 1:335).
2. Cf. Acts 7:56.
3. The executor…Florence: In his translation of the Latin original, More reverses the order of these
two statements. The hospital of Florence was San Marco.
4. he gave up his spirit: Cf. Matthew 27:50. Picus died 17 November 1494.
5. Charles, King of France: That is, Charles VIII (1470–1498).
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A vision
Charles the French
King
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