Monte, Pietro Dal

Monte, Pietro dal a celebrated Italian ecclesiastical canonist, was born at Venice in the latter part of the 15th century. After studying Greek and Italian under the direction of Guarino, he was made master of arts in Paris, and then obtained the rank of doctor in Padua. In 1433 he was made apostolic prothonotary, and in 1434 was sent by pope Eugenius IV to the council at Basle. He afterwards went to Rome to ask of her citizens, in the name of that council, a tax for liberating a nephew of the pope, whom cardinal Condolmieri had imprisoned. In 1434 he was sent to England to collect the taxes due the pontifical court. He remained in that country five years, during which time he became a favorite of the duke of Gloucester, uncle of the king. In 1442 he was made bishop of Brescia, a position which he held for two years. He was afterwards sent to France as legate of the Holy See. In 1447 he again visited Rome to assist in the ceremonies attending the ordination of pope Nicholas V. On his return to Brescia he founded many churches and a few religious institutions. Monte died in 1457, leaving a reputation worthy of a learned and pious man. His works are, Repertoarium Juris utriusque (Bologna, 1465, 3 vols. fol.): — Monarchia, in qua generalium conciliorum materia, de potestate et prcestantiat Romani Pontificis et Imperatoris discutitur (Rome, 1496, 4to): — a Latin translation of the Miraculum Eucharistice of St. Epiphany (Rome, 1523, 8vo). Some fragments of his discourses and letters have been published by cardinal Quirini in his Fr. Barbari Epistolce, t. 2, and in his Epistolae ad Benedictum.