|
Calixtus III died on August 6, 1458. On august 10 the cardinals entered into conclave. The wealthy cardinal of Rouen, though a Frenchman and of exceptionable character, seemed certain to be elected. Aeneas has told us in a passage of his own history of his times, long retrenched from that work but printed clandestinely in theConclavi de' Pontifici Romani, by what art, energy and eloquence he frustrated this false step. It seemed but meet that the election should fall upon himself: no other candidate appears to have been seriously thought of; nor, although the sacred college probably included a few men of higher moral standard, had it any on the whole so worthy of the tiara. It was the peculiar faculty of Aeneas to accomodate himself perfectly to whatever position he might be called upon to occupy; it was his peculiar good fortune that every step in life had placed him in circumstances appealing more and more to the better part of his nature, an appeal to which he haad never failed to respond. The party pamphleteer had been more respectable than the private secretary, the diplomatist than the pamphleteer, the cardinal than the diplomatist; now the unscrupulous adventurer an licentious novelist of a few short years ago seated himself quite naturally in the chair of St. Peter, and from the resouces of his versatile |
|
Calixtus III died on August 6, 1458. On august 10 the cardinals entered into conclave. The wealthy cardinal of Rouen, though a Frenchman and of exceptionable character, seemed certain to be elected. Aeneas has told us in a passage of his own history of his times, long retrenched from that work but printed clandestinely in theConclavi de' Pontifici Romani, by what art, energy and eloquence he frustrated this false step. It seemed but meet that the election should fall upon himself: no other candidate appears to have been seriously thought of; nor, although the sacred college probably included a few men of higher moral standard, had it any on the whole so worthy of the tiara. It was the peculiar faculty of Aeneas to accommodate himself perfectly to whatever position he might be called upon to occupy; it was his peculiar good fortune that every step in life had placed him in circumstances appealing more and more to the better part of his nature, an appeal to which he haad never failed to respond. The party pamphleteer had been more respectable than the private secretary, the diplomatist than the pamphleteer, the cardinal than the diplomatist; now the unscrupulous adventurer an licentious novelist of a few short years ago seated himself quite naturally in the chair of St. Peter, and from the resouces of his versatile |
|
:see also Pope Pius III, nephew of Pius II |
![[Home]](wikipedia.png)