23 A Reply of a Boy to Cardinal Angelotto (Italy)

The Roman cardinal Angelotto, a sarcastic and quarrelsome man, was long on words but short on common sense. At the time when Pope Eugenius^[1] was in Florence, a very clever ten-year-old boy came to visit Angelotto and in a few words made him a brilliant speech. Angelotto wondered at the maturity and polish of the boy’s diction and asked him some questions, which he answered cleverly. Turning to the bystanders Angelotto said: “Those who display such intelligence and learning in their childhood decrease in wit as they increase in age, and finally turn out to be stupid.”Then the boy retorted: “Then you must indeed have been extraordinarily learned and wise when you were young.”The Cardinal was staggered at this impromptu witty reply, for he had been rebuked for his foolishness by what he thought was a mere child.

—Poggio Bracciolini

[1]　Pope Eugenius：可能是指教皇猶金四世（1383—1447）。