Text

IOANNES FOEMINA IOANNES Anglicus: ex Magũtiaco oriundis malis artibus (ut aiũt) pontificatum adeptus eſt. Mentitus enim ſexum cum fœmina eſſet aduleſcens admodum Athenas cum amatore uiro docto proficiſcitur: ibique præceptores bonarum atium audiendo tantum profecit: ut romam ueni&etilde;s paucos admodum etiam in ſacris litteris pares haberet: nedum ſuperiores. Legendo autem: & diſputando docte & acute tantum beniuolentiae & auctoritatis ſibi cõparauit: ut mortuo Leone in eius locum (ut Martinus ait) omnium conſenſu pontifex crearetur. Verum poſtea a ſeruo compreſſa: cum aliquandiu occulte uentrem tituliſſet: tand&etilde;dum ad lateranſem basilicam p ficisceretur: inter theatrum (quod coloſſeum uocant) a Neronis coloſſo: & sanctum Clementem doloribus circũuenta peperit eoque [...]

Translation

John the woman
John, of English extraction, was born at Maguntiacum (Mainz) and is said to have arrived at popedom by evil art; for disguising herself like a man, whereas she was a woman, she went when young with her paramour, a learned man, to Athens, and made such progress in learning under the professors there that, coming to Rome, she met with few that could equal, much less go beyond her, even in the knowledge of the scriptures; and by her learned and ingenious readings and disputations, she acquired so great respect and authority that upon the death of Pope Leo IV (as Martin says) by common consent she was chosen pope in his room. As she was going to the Lateran Church between the Colossean Theatre (so called from Nero's Colossus) and St. Clement's her travail came upon her, and she died upon the place, having sat two years, one month, and four days, and was buried there without any pomp. This story is vulgarly told, but by very uncertain and obscure authors, and therefore I have related it barely and in short, lest I should seem obstinate and pertinacious if I had admitted what is so generally talked. I had better mistake with the rest of the world, though it be certain, that what I have related may be thought not altogether incredible.

Author

Platina, Bartolomeo

Reference

Platina, Bartolomeo, Maffei, Raffaelo: In hoc volumine hec continentur. Platyne de vitis maxi. ponti. historia periocunda [...], sh. 62r

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