Pier Angelo Manzolli was a name used for the author of the book ''Zodiacus vitae'', who is believed to be the Neapolitan poet Marcello Stellato, in Latin Marcellus Palingenius Stellatus (born ca. 1500 - died in

Cesena Cesena (; rgn, Cisêna) is a city and ''comune'' in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, served by Autostrada A14, and located near the Apennine Mountains, about from the Adriatic Sea. The total population is 97,137. History Cesena was o ...

before 1551). The persona of Pier Angelo Manzolli was created by

Jacopo Facciolati Jacopo Facciolati (1682–1769) was an Italian lexicographer and philologist. Biography He was born at Torreglia, in what is now the province of Padua (then in the Republic of Venice), in 1682. He was admitted to the seminary of Padua thanks to ...

in the eighteenth-century.Jacobi Facciolati in Patavina Academia professoris, ''Epistolae latinae'', Patavii: Ex Typographia Seminarii, 1765, pp. 155, 163, 173, 177 e segg.

Writing

''Zodiacus vitae'' is a Latin poem divided into 12 books, one for each sign of the zodiac, published at

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

in 1537 and 1543 (3rd edition), but first published in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

in 1536, and dedicated to

Ercole II d'Este Ercole II d'Este (5 April 1508 – 3 October 1559) was Duke of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio from 1534 to 1559. He was the eldest son of Alfonso I d'Este and Lucrezia Borgia. Biography Through his mother, Ercole was a grandson of Pope Alexander ...

duke of Ferrara Emperor Frederick III conferred Borso d'Este, Lord of Ferrara, with the Duchy of Modena and Reggio in 1452, while Pope Paul II formally elevated him in 1471 as Duke of Ferrara, over which the family had in fact long presided. This latter territ ...

. The didactic poem addresses the subject of human happiness in connection with scientific knowledge, and combines metaphysical speculation with satirical attacks on ecclesiastical hypocrisy, and especially on the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

s and

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Reformation, Protestant Refo ...

. It was translated into several languages, but fell under the ban of the

Inquisition The Inquisition was a group of institutions within the Catholic Church whose aim was to combat heresy, conducting trials of suspected heretics. Studies of the records have found that the overwhelming majority of sentences consisted of penances, ...

on the ground of its rationalizing tendencies. In 1551. After Stellato's death, the Catholic Church burned his heretical bones and

Pope Paul IV Pope Paul IV, born Gian Pietro Carafa, C.R. ( la, Paulus IV; it, Paolo IV; 28 June 1476 – 18 August 1559) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 May 1555 to his death in August 1559. While serving as pap ...

placed his book in the first

Index Librorum Prohibitorum The ''Index Librorum Prohibitorum'' ("List of Prohibited Books") was a list of publications deemed heretical or contrary to morality by the Sacred Congregation of the Index (a former Dicastery of the Roman Curia), and Catholics were forbidden ...

, ("Index of Prohibited Books"), in 1559.

Influence in England

As a Christian humanist poet, he features strongly in the grammar-school education of 16th century England, translations including that of 1565 by

Barnabe Googe Barnabe Googe (11 June 15407 February 1594), also spelt Barnabe Goche and Barnaby Goodge, was a poet and translator, one of the earliest English pastoral poets. Early life Barnabe Googe, born 11 June 1540 (St Barnabas Day), in Alvingham, Linc ...

. His specific influence on

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

has been noted especially in the

Seven ages of man "All the world's a stage" is the phrase that begins a monologue from William Shakespeare's pastoral comedy ''As You Like It'', spoken by the melancholy Jaques in Act II Scene VII Line 139. The speech compares the world to a stage and life to a ...

speech from ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has b ...

''.R. Soellner, ''Shakespeare's Patterns of Self-knowledge'' (1972) p. 8-9

References

External links

Marcellus Palingenius Stellatus, ''Zodiacus Vitae''

* [https://www.academia.edu/39401512/Peter_Nahon_De_Marcelli_Palingenii_Stellati_carmine_anno_1534_vulgato_quod_Zodiacus_vit%C3%A6_inscribitur_Melissa_Folia_perenni_Latinitati_dicata_210_2019_11-14 Essay in Latin about the ''Zodiacus Vitae''] {{DEFAULTSORT:Manzolli People from the Province of Ferrara Italian poets Italian male poets Italian medical writers 16th-century Latin-language writers New Latin-language poets 1500s births 1543 deaths

Writing

Influence in England

See also

References

Further reading

External links