POMPONATIUS (Peter), an eminent Italian phi-
losopher, was born at Mantua in 1462. He was of so small
a stature, that he was little better than a dwarf; yet he
possessed an exalted genius, and was considered as one of
the greatest philosophers of the age in which he lived. He
taught philosophy, first at Padua and afterwards at Bo-
logna, with the highest reputation. He had frequent dis-
putations with the celebrated Achillini, whose puzzling
objections would have confounded him, had it not been
for his skill in parrying them by some joke. His book
De Immortalitate Animæ, published in 1516, made a
great noise. He maintained, that the immortality of
the soul could not be proved by philosophical reasons; Pompona-
but solemnly declared his belief of it as an article of
faith. This precaution did not, however, save him;
many adversaries rose up against him, who did not
scruple to treat him as an atheist; and the monks pro-
cured his book, although he wrote several apologies for
it, to be burnt at Venice. His book upon Incanta-
tions was also thought very dangerous. He shows in
it, that he believed nothing of magic and sorcery; and
he lays a prodigious stress on occult virtues in certain
men, by which they produced miraculous effects. He
gives a great many examples of this; but his adversaries
do not admit them to be true, or free from magic.—
Paul Jovius says, that he died in 1525, in his grand
climacteric. He was three times married; and had but
one daughter, to whom he left a large sum of money.
He used to apply himself to the solution of difficulties
so very intensely, that he frequently forgot to eat,
drink, sleep, and perform the ordinary functions of na-
ture: nay, it made him almost distracted, and a laugh-
ing-stock to every one, as he himself tells us.