But we must be cautious in offering any interpretation of his real opinions.

It was not for nothing that he dedicated himself to the monastic life in boyhood, and persevered in it to the end of his long career.

The discipline of the convent renders every friar inscrutable; and Sarpi himself assured his friends that he, like all Italians of his day, was bound to wear a mask.[130] [Footnote 129: It was under the supervision of the Servites that Sarpi gained the first rudiments of education.

Thirst for knowledge may explain his early entrance into their brotherhood.

Like Virgil and like Milton, he received among the companions of his youthful studies the honorable nickname of 'The Maiden.' Gross conversation, such as lads use, even in convents, ceased at his approach.