Pier Angelo Manzolli

Pier Angelo Manzolli was a name used for the author of the book *Zodiacus Vitae*. This persona is believed to be the Neapolitan poet Marcello Stellato, also known by his Latin name Marcellus Palingenius Stellatus, who was born around 1500 and died in Cesena before 1551. The persona of Pier Angelo Manzolli was created by Jacopo Facciolati in the eighteenth century. *Zodiacus Vitae* is a Latin poem divided into 12 books, one for each sign of the zodiac. It was first published in Venice in 1536 and later in Basel in 1537 and 1543. The poem is dedicated to Ercole II d'Este, duke of Ferrara. The didactic poem explores the subject of human happiness in connection with scientific knowledge. It combines metaphysical speculation with satirical attacks on ecclesiastical hypocrisy, particularly targeting Popes and Martin Luther. The work was translated into several languages but was banned by the Inquisition due to its rationalizing tendencies. After Stellato's death, the Catholic Church burned his remains, and Pope Paul IV included his book in the first Index Librorum Prohibitorum in 1559. As a Christian humanist poet, Stellato significantly influenced 16th-century English grammar-school education, with translations such as Barnabe Googe's in 1565. His influence is particularly noted in William Shakespeare's "Seven ages of man" speech from *As You Like It*.