The history of the popes, from the close of the middle ages : drawn ...

GHISLIERI AS A DOMINICAN. 47
abilities, and since the regulations of the Council of Trent
were not yet in existence, Antony was able, when he was only
fourteen years old, to enter the Dominican convent at Voghera,^
where he received the name of Michele. His superiors first
sent him to Vigevano,^ where he was professed on May i8th,
1521,^ and afterwards to Bologna for his scientific training,
and lastly to Genoa, where he was ordained priest in 1528.
For many years Fra Michele of Alessandria, as he was called,
was lecturer in philosophy and theology in the convent of his
Order at Pavia.* During this period of teaching, a duty
which he discharged most conscientiously, he distinguished
himself at the General Chapter held at Parma in 1543 by his
defence of certain theses which boldly proclaimed the authority
of the Holy See. Fra Michele was also commissary of the
Inquisition in the city and diocese of Pavia, as vicar of his
fellow Dominican, Sante of Padua. ^ He acquitted himself
of all these offices so well that men compared him to
St. Bernardine. The least rule of his Order was sacred to
him ; he never travelled except on foot, with his wallet on
his shoulder. He was a shining example to all his brethren
by his great humility, his strict observance of poverty, his
unwearied activity and his spotless purity of life. He could
not avoid being twice elected Prior, but accepted the dignity
most unwillingly, and this was still more the case when the
^ When he was Pope Ghislieri showed his gratitude to this
convent ; see A. Cavagna Sangiuliana, Dell'abbazia di S. Alberti
di Butrio e del monastero di S. Maria della Plata in Voghera
1865.
" His cell is still shown : see C. Clerici, Vigevano, 1880, 82.
' See the attestation in manuscript in Granello, Fra Michele
Ghislieri, I., Bologna, 1877, 25.
* See Majocchi, La chiesa e il convento di S, Tommaso in
Pavia, Pavia, 1895, 82 seq. ; cf. Dell'Acqua, 33 seq. ; An incunabulum
(Perottus, Cornucopiae seu Comment, linguae latinae,
Venetiis, 1490) with annotations in the hand of Ghislieri was put
up for sale in 1899 by the Roman antiquarian B. Benedetti
(Catalogue 61, Nov. 1899, n, 2099),
' See Riv. di scienzc storiche, IV., i, Pavia, 1907. 62 seq.