Complete Works

How he conducted himself in his illness. The praiseworthy end of a Christian man is related. The image of God To that end he hastened, and he was maturing the publication of whatever works he had begun. But in the year 1494 of our redemption, while he was completing the thirty-second year of his age and was staying at Florence, he died, seized by a most insidious fever, which so raged through his humors and viscera that it defied every kind of medicine applied, and forced him to satisfy nature entirely within thirteen days. But how he conducted himself in his illness—though I was far from him at that time—I shall nonetheless not cease to relate those things which I received from the most grave witnesses who were present. Such was the occasion when, after receiving the sacrament of the Eucharist, an image of the crucified Christ was offered to him, so that from it he might take full draughts of love on account of the memory of that ineffable passion for the sake of our salvation, before he breathed out his soul—a most strong defense against whatever adversities, and a most powerful bulwark against wicked demons.

And when he was soon after asked by the priest whether he firmly believed that to be the true image of the true God and true man, who, insofar as He is God before time and eternity, was begotten by God the Father himself, to whom He was equal in all things; and who by the Holy Spirit, who is also God from Him and the Father (which three are one), coeternally remaining, was conceived in time in the womb of Mary ever virgin; who had endured hunger, thirst, labors, heat, and vigils; and who finally, for the sake of washing away our filth contracted from the seed of Adam, and for the sake of unlocking the great gate of heaven, embracing the human race in charity, had shed His most precious blood both spontaneously and most willingly upon the altar of the cross; and other things of that kind which are customarily recited: he replied not only that he believed, but that he was certain of it.

Alberto Pio, Alexander of Aphrodisias, Themistius, Averroes And likewise there was that occasion with Alberto Pio, his sister's son—whom we named at the beginning of this life, a youth conspicuous for his genius, his study of the liberal arts, and his morals. In the same manner as Alexander of Aphrodisias and Themistius, in the proem of the books of the Physics, declared that fortitude against the fear of death is drawn from physical contemplations—which opinion Averroes soon adopted—when Alberto, I say, was attempting to make the boundaries of death more peaceful for him, Pico replied in this manner: that the mind is not pacified by that reason alone, nor is an end put to the tortures of death by it, but most of all by this: that he was now setting a limit to his offenses against his God; for he considered that even the very short time of his life had been filled with too frequent offenses against God.

And this besides: when he revealed to many of the most approved witnesses from the college of the Preachers and to the aforementioned Alberto himself, That the Queen of Heaven came to the sick man by night. that the Queen of Heaven had come to him in the night, fragrant with a wondrous odor, and had revived all his limbs, bruised and contracted by that fever, and had promised that he would not entirely yield to death. It was observed that he lay on his bed with a cheerful and peaceful countenance while he was sick. And amid the stings of death which he was enduring, he was accustomed to speak as if he saw the heavens opened to him; and all those who greeted him and offered their help, as is customary, were both received and kissed by him with the most charming discourse.

We have also been informed that he asked for forgiveness from all his servants, if perchance he had been troublesome to anyone; for whom he had provided in his will a year before, that food and clothing be given to some while they lived, and money to others according to their merits. He appointed the poor of the Florentine hospital as his heirs, but only for those things which could not be moved; but of his movables, he appointed his brother Antonio Maria. That his death brought distress to all ranks of men. How much distress his death caused to the lowest and highest ranks of all, the princes, cities, and peoples of Italy are witnesses. These kings whom we cited above are witnesses. Likewise, the kindness and grace of Charles, King of the Franks, must not be passed over in silence; to whom, when he was arriving at Florence so that he might go from there to Rome to conquer the Kingdom of Naples, it was announced that Pico was suffering from a grave illness. He immediately sent two doctors to him, who were not even acting in the capacity of ambassadors, to visit and help him, and he gave letters which we both saw and read, signed by his own hand, full of both humanity and those promises which...