GIOVANNI PICO DELLA MIRANDOLA (1463-94) had been dead for almost a month when he last spoke to Baptista Mantuanus — and, for a corpse, he was remarkably chatty. Appearing to Mantuanus in a dream, he answered all manner of questions about “hidden things”. He was especially talkative about whether amulets could protect babies from evil. Then, in an instant, he disappeared — leaving Mantuanus rubbing his eyes in disbelief.
Whether this really happened is anyone’s guess. Since Mantuanus’s only account
