JOHN VIII.
John, of English extraction, was born at Mentz [=Mainz] and is said to have arrived at Popedom by evil arts; 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 Leo (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. They write that, because of this, the Pope avoids going through this street to the Lateran Church, and that, to avoid the same error, when he is first placed on the seat of Peter, that has a hole for this purpose, his genitals are felt by the youngest deacon. The first, I can't rule out, on the latter I think it might be prepared for the great magistracy, to make him understand he is a man, not God; and exposed to the necessities of nature, and that he has the possibility of discharge, for this reason the seat is called Stercoria. 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. Some say that at this time the body of St Vincent was brought by a monk from Valentia, in Spain, to a village in Albigeois, in France. They say, too, that Lotharius, being now aged, taking on him a monastic habit, left the empire to his son Louis, who passing into Germany, by his precense composed matters there which otherwise threatened a war.