Paolo Beni

Nevertheless, he was a prolific writer, publishing almost a book a year on top of numerous unpublished works.

[5] Beni had five siblings, two sisters (Theodora and Eleonora) and three brothers (Giacomo, the eldest; Federico; and Giulio).

He worked as a poet and secretary for Cardinal Cristoforo Madruzzo in 1576–1578 and in a similar capacity for Marc-Antoine Muret in 1577–1578.

[11] On 20 March 1578, Pope Gregory XIII named him a miles pius (pious knight), an office in an unknown military order which his father had purchased for him.

[13] Beni entered the Jesuit order as a novice over the objections of his father on 4 May 1581 at Sant'Andrea al Quirinale.

Without the knowledge of his superiors, he attempted to coerce his brothers Giacomo and Giulio to finance Jesuit colleges in Gubbio and Pesaro.

[16] After his expulsion, Pope Clement VIII offered him a lectureship on Aristotle at the Sapienza University of Rome.

[17] In 1594, Beni delivered the traditional Ash Wednesday sermon in the church of Santa Sabina before the pope and the assembled cardinals.

[18] On 3 November 1599, Beni accepted the chair of humanities at the University of Padua, which had been vacant since the death of Antonio Riccoboni.

[19] On 12 March 1600, Beni was admitted to the Accademia dei Ricovrati, a learned society founded the previous November.

[20] His break with the Ricovrati may have owed something to his intervention in the controversy over Molinism with the publication of his Qua tandem in 1603.

[22] This work caused a break with Clement VIII and ended Beni's interest in theology.

[25] In late 1612, Beni published the Anticrusca, a critique of the Florentine Vocabolario degli Accademici della Crusca.

[27] On 15 July 1616, Beni wrote to his nephew Francesco in advance of his marriage, advising him on the importance of health and asking for money.

He left to his furniture, wines, carriages and horses to his housekeeper, Prudenza dei Bianchi.

In a letter to Francesco that day, he asked that all his unpublished works be printed posthumously, possibly in Germany if it were profitable.

He was still living on 1 August 1625, the date of the dedication to Urban VIII of his commentary on Tasso's Gerusalemme liberata.

[36][37] Beni contributed six poems to the anthology Panegirico nel felice dottorato dell'illustre, et eccellentissimo signor Gioseppe Spinelli, dignissimo rettor de legisti, et cavalier splendidissimo, published at Padua in 1575 in honour of Giuseppe Spinelli's doctorate.