Pietro of Abano

( Dramatic Idyls , second series, 1880.) [ The Man. ] Dr. Furnivall, in a note to Mr. Sharpe’s excellent paper on Pietro of Abano in the Browning Society’s Reports , No. V., gives the following particulars of the character from the Nouvelle Biographie Universelle , Paris, 1855, i. 29-31. “Pietro of A’bano, Petrus de A’pano or Aponensis, or Petrus de Padua, was an Italian physician and alchemist; born at Abano, near Padua, in 1246, died about 1320. He is said to have studied Greek at Constantinople, mathematics at Padua, and to have been made Doctor of Medicine and Philosophy at Paris. He then returned to Padua, where he was Profe or of Medicine, and followed the Arabian physicians, especially Averroes. He got a great reputation, and charged enormous fees. He hated milk and cheese, and swooned at the sight of them. His enemies, jealous of his renown and wealth, denounced him to the Inquisition as a magician. They accused him of po e ing the philosopher’s stone, and of making, with the devil’s help, all money spent by him come back to his purse, etc. His trial was begun; and had he not died naturally in time, he would have been burnt. The Inquisitors ordered his corpse to be burnt; and as a friend had taken that away, they had his portrait publicly burnt by the executioner. In 1560 a Latin epitaph in his memory was put up in the church of St. Augustine. The Duke of Urbino set his statue among those of illustrious men; and the Senate of Padua put one on the gate of its palace, beside those of Livy, etc. His best-known work is his Conciliator Different i arum quæ inter Philosophos et Medicos ver santur (Mantua, 1472, and Venice, 1476, fol.); often reprinted. Other works are: 1. De Venenis, eorumque Remediis , translated into French by L. Boet (Lyons, 1593, 12mo); 2. Geomant i a (Venice, 1505, 1556, 8vo); 3. Expositio Problem a tum Aristo tel is (Mantua, 1475, 4to); 4. Hippo crates de Medicorum Astrologia Libellus , in Greek and Latin (Venice, 1485, 4to); 5. Astrolabium planum in tabulis ascendens, continens qualibet hora atque minutæ æquationes Domorum Cæli , etc. (Venice, 1502, 4to); 6. Dioscorides digest us alphabetico ordine (Lyons, 1512, 4to); 7. Hep tamer on (Paris, 1474, 4to); 8. Textus Mesues noviter emend at us , etc. (Venice, 1505, 8vo); 9. Dec is i ones physio nom iæ (1548, 8vo); 10. Quest i ones de Febribus (Padua, 1482); 11. Galeni tract at us varii a Petro Paduano, latin it ate donati , MS. in St. Mark’s Library, Venice; 12. Les Eléments pour opérer dans les Sciences magiques , MS. in the Arsenal Library, Paris.” Murray’s Guide to Northern Italy says that “Abano may be visited either from Padua or from Monselice. Its baths have retained their celebrity from the time of the Romans. The place is also remarkable as being the birthplace of Livy, and also of the physician and reputed necromancer, Pietro d’Abano, in whom the Paduans take almost equal pride. This village is about three miles from the Euganean hills.” The medicinal springs procured this place its ancient name of Aponon , derived from α , privative, and πονος , pain. At Padua is the Palazzo dell a Ragione , built by Pietro Cozzo between 1172 and 1219, a vast building standing entirely upon open arches, surrounded by a loggia. Murray says: “The history of this hall is as remarkable as its aspect. It was built in 1306 by an Austin friar, Frate Giovanni , a great traveller; and he asked no other pay for his work than the wood and tiles of the old roof which he was to take down. The interior of the hall is covered by strange, mystical paintings designed by Giotto according to the instructions of Pietro d’Abano .” Pietro d’Abano was the first reviver of the art of medicine in Europe; and he travelled to Greece for the purpose of learning the language of Hippo crates and Galen, and of profiting by the stores which the Byzantine libraries yet contained. He practised with the greatest succe ; and his medical works were considered as amongst the most valuable volumes of the therapeutic library of the middle ages. His bust is over one of the doors of the hall; the inscription placed beneath it indignantly repudiates the magic and sorcery ascribed to him; but the votaries of the occult sciences smiled inwardly at this disclaimer. His treatises upon necromancy, geomancy, amulets and conjuration, were circulated from hand to hand. When at Padua, some years since, the Rev. John Sharpe found a stone set in the wall of the vestibule of the Sacristy of the Church of the Eremitani, to Pietro of Abano. It bore the following inscription:— Petri Apon. Cineres Ob. AN. 1315 Aet. 66. [ The Poem. ] Peter was a magician. He had been of all trades, architect, astronomer, astrologer, beside physician. Even worse than astrologer, for men scrupled not to accuse him of having dealings with the devil. This was the Middle Age way with men of science, and it must be confe ed that the mystical manner of their writings and the uncanny nature of some of their doings give colour to the accusation. It was convenient, also, to accuse Peter of diabolic arts. When he had built a tower or cured a prince, it was an economical way of discharging the debt to accuse the old man of wizardry. So they cursed him roundly and then rid themselves of their liability. But Peter grinned and bore it all. He seems to have invented a steamboat which would have whirled through the water had not the priests broken up his evil-looking machine, and bastinadoed him beside. One night, as he reached his lodgings, some one plucked his sleeve and asked an interview with him. It was a young Greek, who profe ed great admiration for the mage. He tells him that he has heard that the price he pays for his potent arts is that he may not drink a drop of milk; but he has discovered this is not to be taken literally,—it is to be considered figuratively, as he will explain. He asks the master leave to become the friend of mankind, and that by being himself their model. He begs, therefore, to be taught the true magic, to learn the art of making fools subserve the man of mind. A prince is inspired with the idea of building a palace by an architect. The architect uses the prince as the means of furthering his own interests—his ambition to be honoured as a great architect. The workmen who build the mansion are animated by their desire for wages, and so the architect uses both prince and artisan as his tools. The young Greek wants to use men of high and low degree for similar ends. The magician says if he were to comply with his desire he would only make one ingrate more; he has been so often deceived this way. The Greek replies that what he wants is the milk of human kindne . He has not been animated by love of his species in what he has done for mankind. He has wrought wonders, but not for love. This is the meaning of his enforced abstinence from milk; but let him confer upon his supplicant this favour he asks, and he will earn his love and gratitude, which will remove from him his curse. Every step he lifts him up, by so much greater will the reward of the benefactor be. The magician determines to comply: he will test this man’s heart. “Shuffle the cards once more,” he says. Suddenly the young man becomes aware that he has undergone a great change. He was talking Plato to the master but a while ago; now he is surrounded by wealth, and has many friends. A year has pa ed when one day, lounging at his ease in his villa, his servant announces an old friend who desires to speak with him. It is old Peter, who is sore beset by his enemies, who want to burn him. He has come to the young man who owes him everything, to beg a hiding-place and a crust. The ingrate will not for a moment listen to his plea; he cannot think of harbouring him, as if it were to be discovered it would compromise him. He takes the opportunity, however, to ask for a greater favour,—he wishes to learn how to rule men and subject them to his pleasure. Then, if he will wait awhile, he may be able to show his gratitude. The old man turns his back and leaves the house. He is no sooner away than the spell begins to work. Politics were the prize now. He became a statesman and a friend of the Emperor. One day, after a council, he was pacing his closet, when there was a knock at the door, and Peter entered. He reminds him that ten years have pa ed since he refused him the favour he demanded. He had given him a mansion, out of which he only begged the use of a single chamber, that will no longer suffice. He now comes to beg a stronghold where he may be safe from his enemies: grant him this, and he will trouble the young man no more. But the latter is concerned only with thoughts of more power for himself: he wants now to rule the souls of men; from the temporal power he would rise to the spiritual; he would be no le than Pope. Having then reached the highest rung of the ladder, he promises to pay the debt he owes to the full. Once more old Peter turns to go, and already the influence is felt. He is at Rome, has been elected Pope, and has reached the summit of his desires. Seated in the palace of the Later an, one day an intruder pushes aside the arras. It is old Peter again; he is ninety now, and does not care if they burn him; he has lived his day. He has, however, a favour to ask: he has written a great book, and he wants it preserved for the use of posterity. Will the Pope see to this? The Pontiff eyes the frowsy parchment with disgust, and when the old man kneels to ki his foot, he spurns him. “We’re Pope,—once Pope, you can’t unpope us!” In a moment the vision was over. The three trial scenes of the Greek’s life were played out: he was himself again. The magic was di olved; he had been tested, had been shown the corruption of his own heart in a moment, though it seemed a lifetime in the pa ing of the vision. Peter lived out his life, but he had never yet learned love. Perhaps in another life that le on was to come. As for the Greek, nothing is recorded of him. The poet says he may go his way—he is too selfish not to thrive! The moral of the story is that to win men’s love we must not merely help them, not merely fling favours at them, but must consecrate ourselves to their service. In the loving service of, and the self-sacrificing endeavour to benefit our fellow-men, lies the secret of winning happine for ourselves. It is more ble ed to give than to receive only when the giving is to man for God’s sake—for the love of God manifested by efforts on behalf of our fellow-men. Notes. —Verse 2, Petrus ipse , Peter the very same. v. 9, True moly : “A fabulous herb of secret power, having a black root and white blo oms, said by Homer to have been given by Mercury to Uly es, as a counter-charm against the spells of Circe” ( Webster’s Dict. ). v. 10, “ Mark within my eye its iris mystic-lettered ”: Letters of the alphabet have been seen marked on the human eye as figures on a dial. Mr. Browning said, “that there was an old superstition that, if you look into the iris of a man’s eye, you see the letters of his name or the word telling his fate.” (See Echo , 23rd March, 1896.) v. 14, “ Petri en pulmones ,” Behold, the lungs of Peter! v. 15, “ Ipse dixi ,” I have said. v. 16, Hans of Halberstadt : a canon of Halberstadt, in Germany, who was a magician who rode upon a devil in the shape of a black horse, and who performed the most incredible feats. (See Browning’s poem Transcendentalism .) v. 19, “ De corde nat us haud de mente ,” born of heart, not of mind. Bene : the first syllables of Benedicite; here the charm begins to work. v. 23, Plato on “the Fair and Good” : Emerson, in his e ay on Plato, says: Plato taught this as “the cause which led the Supreme Ordainer to produce and compose the universe. He was good; and he who is good has no kind of envy. Exempt from envy, He wished that all things should be as much as po ible like Himself. Whosoever, taught by wise men, shall admit this as the prime cause of the origin and foundation of the world, will be in the truth. All things are for the sake of the good, and it is the cause of everything beautiful.” v. 26, Sylla : the debauched Roman dictator, who gave up his command and retired to a solitary retreat at Puteoli. v. 27, “ Hag Jezebel and her paint and powder ”: Jezebel, the wife of Ahab, who “painted her face and tired her head, and looked out at a window” (2 Kings ix. 30). Jam satis , already, enough! v. 33, “ Tantalus’s treasure ”: Tantalus was tortured in hell by having food and drink apparently always within his reach, but always eluding his grasp. v. 37, “ Per Bacco ”: by Bacchus,—an Italian oath. v. 38, “ Salomo si nô et ,” if Solomon had but known this! “ Teneor vix ,” I can hardly contain myself! v. 39, hactenus , up to this time. “ Nec ultra plus! ” nothing further. Spelter , zinc. Peason , peas. v. 43, “ Pou sto ,” where I may stand. Arch i me des said he could move the world if he had a place to stand on. v. 46, Later an : the church of St. John Later an, in Rome; “the mother and head of all the city and the world,” as it is called, was the principal church of Rome after the time of Const an tine. Five important councils have been held here. Adjoining it is the Later an Palace. “ Gained the purple ”: i.e. , the cardinalate, from the scarlet hat, stockings, and ca ock worn by cardinals. “ Bribed the Conclave ”: the meeting of the members of the Sacred College of Cardinals for the election of a pope is called a conclave . “ Saw my coop ope ”: the cardinals go into conclave on the tenth day after the death of the Pope, attended usually by only one person. No acce to the conclave is permitted. An opening is left for food to be pa ed in. The voting must all be done in this a embly. Each cardinal has a boarded cell in the Vatican a igned him by lot. Voting is carried on till some cardinal is found who has the requisite majority of two-thirds of those who are present. v. 47, Tithon : a son of Laomedon, king of Troy. He was so beautiful that Aurora fell in love with him and carried him away. He begged her to make him immortal, and the godde granted the favour. As he forgot to ask her also to preserve his youth, he became old and decrepid, and begged to be removed from the world. As he could not die, she changed him into a gra hopper. v. 48, “ Conciliator Different i arum ,” conciliator of differences. “ De Specie bus Ceremonial is Magiæ ”: concerning the kinds of the ceremonial of magic. “ The Fisher’s ring, or foot that boasts the Cro ”: one of the titles of the Pope is “the Fisherman,” after St. Peter. His signet is the ring of the Fisherman; the cro is worked on his slipper. v. 49, “ Apage, Sathanas! ” begone Satan! “ Dicam verbum Salomonis ,” I command it in the name of Solomon. Peculiar significance is attached by mystical writers to this word Sol-Om-On (the name of the sun in three languages). Dicite : the closing syllables of “benedicite,” so that the visions had all taken place between bene —and— dicite . v. 50, Benedicite! a word of good omen, a ble ing. “ Idmen, idmen! ” we know, we know! v. 51, Scientiæ Compendium , compendium of science. “ Admirationem in cut it ”: it inspires admiration. Antipope : an opposition pope, of which there have been several examples in history; they were usurpers of the popedom. v. 53, Tiberius Cæsar (born 42 B.C. , died 37 A.D. ): Emperor of Rome. When at Padua he consulted the oracle of Geryon, he drew a lot by which he was required to throw golden tali into the fountain of Aponus for an answer to his questions; he did so, and the highest numbers came up. The fountain is situated in the Euganean hills, near Padua. Oracle of Geryon : Geryon was a mythical king in Spain who had three bodies, or three heads. Suet on i us Tranquil i us : author of the biographies of the first twelve Roman emperors. v. 54, Venus : the highest throw with the four tali , or three te eræ . The best cast of the tali (or four sided dice) was four different numbers; but the best cast of the te eræ (or ordinary dice) was three sixes. The worst throw was called can is —three aces in te eræ , and four aces in tali . (Brewer’s Handbook .)