Lucretius, by analysing in detail many of their verses we can note that a ‘secret’ reading of the De rerum natura has left several traces. This is the case of the Carmelite friar Battista Spagnoli Mantovano (1447-1516), better known as ‘Mantuan’ in Europe. Although he could not share Lucretius’ philosophical ideas, he not only relied on the poet explicitly as an authority to support his use of neologisms and his – sometimes daring – prosodic solutions, but in his eclogues titled Adolescentia and in his epic poem Alphonsus (at least in book I), he also re-elaborates, re-functionalizes and brings new Christian meanings to various passages from the De rerum natura.