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PIVS II - Pope 1458 - 1464

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Follibus Fanaticus:
Pius II ranks among my top 10 people in history.  He left an autobiography, published under the title:

Pius II [Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini].  Memoirs of a Renaissance Pope, The Commentaries of Pius II, An Abridgment. Trans. Florence A. Gragg.  Ed. Leona C. Gabel.  G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York, 1959, 381 pp.

Gragg and Gabel, both Smith College, used the original Vatican manuscript, partly in Pius’ own handwriting, as the source.  Pius also wrote the first ever History of Germany, which is the part of "The Commentaries" that G&G cut.  Before he was a cardinal, Aeneas held the job, Poet Laureate of the Holy Roman Empire.  He is the only pope known to have written and self-published a pornographic novel.  The Holy Roman Emperor loved the book.  It was last published in English about 1600.

Pius knew everybody that was anybody. 

Of Cosimo de’Medici, he wrote:  "He was more cultured than merchants usually are."

Of Sigismondo Malatesta, he wrote:  "Of all men…the worst scoundrel, the discrase of Italy and the infamy of our times."

Of Louis XI, King of France:  "Avarice is his law."

Of Guillaume d’Estouerville, Cardinal of Rouen, who almost beat Aeneas out in the papal election of 1458: "A slippery fellow who would sell his own soul"

Of himself, he wrote:  "After his death…true report will rise again and number Pius among the illustrious popes."

Robert Graves robbed this book big time for "I Claudius."

Cheers,

Follibus Fanaticus

curtislclay:
       Sounds like an interesting fellow!
       In what language did he write his memoirs?  In what language was the pornographic novel?
       Can you give examples of what Robert Graves plagiarized from his memoirs?

Follibus Fanaticus:
I think the autobiography is in Latin; the porno novel in Italian.

Graves steals the whole idea of the lost book, an autobiography, from the lost autobiography of Pius II.  It was discovered in the Vatican Library near the turn of the last century  -- the whole last chapter is in Pius' own handwriting.

Graves imputes much of Pius' tone into "I Claudius."

Read the autobiography.

Follibus Fanaticus

Follibus Fanaticus:
Dear Sir:

A coin of Pius II, an indeed hard to find item in the marketplace!   I traded F+ [ arms/{ Petrus & Pavus/grosso/ Ancoma  mint] for  a portrait of Sistus V, withut hesitation, even though Pius II is a hard to find item in any codition.  Pius has an interesrinng coat of arms on many minor coins, which are just as scare at items in gold and si silver. Where do such items, such as the qutrino, derive prices?
Well. My first respomce  is: "I do'n know." But I do know quite well .

Cheers,

Follibus Fanactyicus

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