[1] His mother was a relative of Agostino Recuperati, the Master of the Order of Preachers.
He joined the Dominican Order, changing his name from Simone to Agostino.
After he was ordained as a priest, he accepted a teaching assignment at Bologna, later moving to Naples.
In 1592, he became inquisitor of Brescia; he later held the same office in Piacenza, then Genoa, then Milan.
Under Pope Clement VIII, he served as Master of the Sacred Palace.