ADRIAN, cardinal priest, of the title of St Chry-
sopherus, was a native of Cornetto in Tuscany. In-
nocent VIII. sent him nuncio into Scotland and into
France; and after he had been clerk and treasurer of
the apostolic chamber, Pope Alexander VI. whose se-
cretary he had been, honoured him with the cardinal's
hat. His life was a continued scene of odd alterations.
He narrowly escaped death the day Alexander VI.
poisoned himself by mistake. Afterward he drew upon
himself the hatred of Julius II. so that he was obliged
to go and hide himself in the mountains of Trent.
Having been recalled by Leo X. he was so ungrate-
ful, that he engaged in a conspiracy against him. The
pope pardoned his fault; but the cardinal, not caring
to trust to this, made his escape, and it could never
be known exactly what was become of him. He was
one of the first who effectually reformed the Latin
style. He studied Cicero with great success, and
made many excellent observations on the propriety of
the Latin tongue. The treatise he composed De Ser-
mone Latino, is a proof of this. He had begun a La-
tin translation of the Old Testament. He wrote De
Vera Philosophia: This treatise was printed at Cologne,
1548.