PICUS (John), earl of Mirandola, a prodigy of parts and learning, was the youngest child of John Francis Picus, earl of Mirandola and Concordia; and was born in the year 1463. The progress that he made in letters was so extremely rapid, that it was matter of astonishment to see even a boy one of the first poets and orators of his age. After visiting the most famous universities of France and Italy, he went to Rome; where, in 1486, before he was 24 years of age, he published 900 propositions in logic, mathematics, physics, divinity, cabalistic learning, and magic, drawn not only from Greek and Latin, but even from Jewish and Arabian writers: subjoining to his advertisement, that, "if any philosopher or divine would come to Rome to dispute with him, upon any or all of them, he would defray the expences of his journey from the remotest corners of Italy." He
enjoyed, however, the honour of this disputatious challenge quietly, without danger to his credit; for envy procured some of his propositions to be charged with heresy, and he was forbid to dispute upon them. At the age of 28, he confined himself wholly to the study of the scriptures; and undertook to combat the Jews and Mahometans, as well as to confound judicial astrology; but in this intention his credit was also saved, tho' with the loss of his life, by his dying in 1494, in his 32d year. He was called the phoenix of his age; and composed a great number of works, which have often been printed both separately and together.