The Pope's Elephant by Silvio Bedini
Jan. 4th, 2001 05:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
threeplusfire"The menagerie assembled by Leo X was no makeshift housing of birds and beasts haphazardly collected. It was in fact one of the most advanced and professional installations in Europe at that time."
-page 82
"Soon after Leo X was installed at the Vatican, he brought together there a small menagerie oh his own, paticularly featuring lions, and including leopards, monkeys, civit cats and bears... In addition to these beasts, an area of the pope's menagerie situated on the plantation along the slop of the Vatican hill adjacent to the Cortile del Belvedere contained spottedleopaards, panthers, apes and parrots he had recieved as state gifts, as well as several lions sent as gifts reflecting his pontificial name. A contemporary account mentioned 'a multitude of parrots, of diverse colouring... a quantity of monkeys, of apes, of civets and of other bizarre animals...'"
-page 83 to 84
-page 82
"Soon after Leo X was installed at the Vatican, he brought together there a small menagerie oh his own, paticularly featuring lions, and including leopards, monkeys, civit cats and bears... In addition to these beasts, an area of the pope's menagerie situated on the plantation along the slop of the Vatican hill adjacent to the Cortile del Belvedere contained spottedleopaards, panthers, apes and parrots he had recieved as state gifts, as well as several lions sent as gifts reflecting his pontificial name. A contemporary account mentioned 'a multitude of parrots, of diverse colouring... a quantity of monkeys, of apes, of civets and of other bizarre animals...'"
-page 83 to 84