Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini’s Latin Comedy, Chrysis, was composed one year before its author took up holy orders. Fourteen years later, in 1458, he became Pope Pius II. The Chrysis, however, is the product of his humanist youth and the literary brilliance that won him the title of Poet Laureate. This play, full to bursting with dense and dextrous allusions to Roman and Renaissance authors, follows the misadventures of two priests who arrive at a brothel to find that the workers have doubled-booked their appointment with two other clients. The plot revolves around the unravelling of this not-so-accidental double booking. Supported by a cast of characters, including other brothel workers, the brothel keeper, a cook, and other clients, the two priests and the two workers find their ways back to each other.

To celebrate the publication of the first English critical edition of this play (Cynthia Liu and R. A. Smith, The ‘Chrysis’ of Enea Silvio Piccolomini, Bloomsbury, 2025), students of the Classics Faculty, with the support of the Corpus Christi Centre for the Study of Greek and Roman Antiquity and the APGRD, will perform (possibly for the first time in history) Piccolomini’s Chrysis. The humanist-turned-pope attempted to supress the play, famously admonishing his readers to “Reject Aeneas! Accept Pius!”. The two authors of the present edition have ignored Pius’ plea and invite you to raise a glass to Piccolomini’s Chrysis.