He received at baptism the name of Girolamo, which he changed to that of Luigi when he took, in 1612, the garb of the Theatines.

After having studied theology and entered the priesthood at Venice, he returned to his native city, where he occupied different positions in his order.

He was well skilled in the Greek, Hebrew, and Syriac languages, and enjoyed the esteem of the princes and learned men of his time.

[2] Of his value as a writer, Nicéron says: "His natural vivacity would not allow him to polish his productions; he placed indiscriminately upon paper all that he found in his collections upon the subject of which he was treating, whether good or bad; the desire of using all he had gathered often caused him to make digressions, which only served to swell his books.

He also thought more of making large and numerous works than of composing good ones."