Carlo Innocenzo Frugoni

Born at Genoa, he was originally destined for the church and at the age of fifteen, against his will, was shut up in a convent. In the following year he was forced to make monastic vows, but had no liking for this life. He acquired considerable reputation as an elegant writer both of Latin and Italian prose and verse; and from 1716 to 1724 he filled the chairs of rhetoric at Brescia, Rome, Genoa, Bologna and Modena successively, attracting by his brilliant fluency a large number of students at each university. Through Cardinal Bentivoglio he was recommended to Antonio Francesco Farnese, Duke of Parma, who appointed him his poet laureate; and he remained at the court of Parma until Antonio's death, after which he returned to Genoa. Shortly afterwards, through Bentivoglio's influence, he obtained from the pope the remission of his monastic vows, and succeeded in recovering a portion of his paternal inheritance. After the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle he returned to the court of Parma, and there devoted the later years of his life chiefly to poetical composition. He corresponded with Francesco Algarotti during the genesis of Jean Racine's dramatic tragedy entitled Phèdre into Ippolito ed Aricia an opera by Tommaso Traetta. Among his pupils was the abate Marco Cappello, who wrote mainly burlesque poetry.