[hprints-00683151, v2] Enea Silvio Piccolomini (Pius II ... - Hprints.org

hprints-00683151, version 2 - 19 Mar 2013
2.
The Orations of Enea Silvio Piccolomini who later became Supreme
Pontiff under the name of Pius II. They were made before and after his
accession to the papacy.
And this the first one was made before he entered the clerical state, at
the Council of Basle, during the negotiations about the choice of
location for the ecumenical council with the Greeks. Here it begins.
0. Introduction
0.1. The background
[1] Most excellent and holy fathers! Over the last days, I have heard 112 what those
eloquent and good men, Gaspare of Perugia - or of Florence whose citizen he has
become, and Simone of Venice 113 had to report concerning their missions. If I
understood correctly, each of them wanted to draw the council to his own city,
Simone to Venice and Gaspare to Florence. I have also heard Isidoro 114 and
Raimondo 115 favouring their own city, and I do not doubt that others will speak
similarly during the next days. It would appear that there are as many sentiments as
there are cities. Since everybody excessively favours his own home city 116 , this holy
council is being drawn in all directions. Thus, it is highly to be feared that the council
will fail because of private interests.
112 Piccolomini had attended meetings of the council where envoys of various Italian cities argued the advantages of
their own city as a venue for the impending council with the Greek Church on union between the Latin Church and the
Greek
113 Presumably Simone della Valle, cf. Pius II: Orationes, p. 35, note 2
114 Isidoro da Rosate: envoy of the Duke of Milano, who presented the case for Pavia so ineptly that the council fathers
bade him be silent. He thereby provided the opportunity for Piccolomini to take over … and to shine, cf. Pius II:
Orationes, p. 35, note 3. Piccolomini speaks negatively about him on other occasions, cf. De Viris Illustribus, IV, and a
letter to Francesco Pizzolpasso of December 5, 1442
115 Raimondo Taloni: the council fathers had delegated the matter of Avignon to him, cf. Pius II: Orationes, , p. 35, note
4
116 ”patria”
43