Alexander, archbishop of Patras, was a native of Sienna, where he was born about the year 1508, being descended of an ancient and illustrious family, which came originally from Rome, but afterwards settled at Sienna. He composed with success for the theatre; but he was more distinguished for his genius, than for the purity of his manners, and his regard to virtue. His charity was great, and chiefly exerted in relieving the necessities of men of letters. He left behind him a number of works in Italian, the most remarkable of which are, 1. Various Dramatic Pieces, which laid the first foundation of his character as a writer; 2. A Treatise on the Sphere; 3. A Theory of the Planets; 4. A Translation of Aristotle's Art of Rhetoric and Poetry, in 4to; and, 5. A System of Morality, published at Venice, 1575, in 4to, translated into French by Peter de Larivey, and printed at Paris, 1581, in 4to. These, with a variety of other works, prove his extensive knowledge in natural philosophy, mathematics, and theology. He was the first who made use of the Italian language in writing upon philosophical subjects. He died at Sienna on the 12th of March 1578, at the age of seventy.

Piccolomini, Francis, of the same family with the preceding, was born in the year 1520, and taught philosophy with success for the space of twenty-two years, in the most celebrated universities of Italy, and afterwards retired to Sienna, where he died in 1604, at the age of eighty-four. This city went into mourning on the occasion of his death. His works are, 1. Some Commentaries upon Aristotle, printed at Mayence, 1568, in 4to; and, 2. Universa Philosophia de Moribus, printed at Venice, 1583, in folio. He laboured to revive the doctrine of Plato, and endeavoured also to imitate the manners of that philosopher. He had as his principal rival the famous James Zabarella, whom he excelled in facility of expression and neatness of discourse, but to whom he was much inferior in point of argument, because he did not examine matters to the bottom as the other did, passing too rapidly from one proposition to another.

Piccolomini, James, whose proper name was Ammanoth, took that of Piccolomini in honour of his patron Pius II. He was born in a village near Lucca, in 1422. He became Bishop of Massa, and afterwards of Frescati; was made a cardinal in 1461, under the name of Cardinal of Pavia; and died in 1479, at the age of fifty-seven, of an indigestion, occasioned by eating too freely of figs. His works, which consist of some Letters, and a history of his own time, were printed at Milan in 1524, in folio. His history, entitled Commentaries, commences with the 14th of June 1463, and ends with the 6th of December 1469. They may very properly be considered as a sequel to the Commentaries of Pope Pius II, which end with the year 1463.