At sixteen he undertook the translation of Themistus, which he published seven years afterwards. In the school of Padua he graduated in jurisprudence and philosophy. Returning to Venice, he entered upon public life, and so diligently occupied himself in the service of the state, as almost entirely to neglect his favourite studies. He resumed them, however, after an interval of twelve years, with renewed ardour. The study of the Greek language was his particular delight; and to diffuse this branch of learning, he read lectures gratis in his own house upon Demosthenes, Theocritus, and Aristotle; his doors being open to all who chose to attend. His acquaintance was universally sought by men of letters. At 32 years of age, he was sent ambassador to the emperor Frederic, who, in addition to the honour he had conferred upon him 18 years before, now granted him that of knighthood. Deputed afterwards on an embassy from the state to Pope Innocent VIII., the pontiff created him patriarch of Aquileia. The laws of Venice forbid its ministers to receive any dignity, temporal or spiritual, from any foreign prince, without the consent of the republic. Ermolao overlooked or forgot this prohibition, and accepted the patriarchate without soliciting permission from the state. The Venetians resented this neglect, and pronounced upon him a sentence of perpetual exile. In order to prevent the execution of this sentence, he was desirous to relinquish the patriarchate, but the pope refused to accept the renunciation. From this time, Ermolao resided at Rome. He died of the plague in 1493. He left a considerable number of works. Besides the translation of Themistus, he translated Dioscorides, and the Dialectics of Aristotle; but his principal work is entitled "Castigationes Plinianæ," an illustration of the Natural History of Pliny, folio, 1491 and 1493; and again at Basil in 1534. Barbaro was treated with great respect by the illustrious Lorenzo de Medici, who, upon his visit to Florence, on an embassy from the republic of Venice, not only entertained him with great magnificence, but offered him the use of his villa and library for the prosecution of his studies. Hermolaus is certainly entitled to rank in the first class of learned men, at a period when classical learning was the first, and almost the sole object of attention.

ANGELUS POLITIAN, a very eminent Italian man of letters, was born at Monte Pulciano in Tuscany, in 1454. He adopted the name of Angelus Bassus. He learned Greek under Andronicus, and philosophy under Ficinius and Argyropylus. The first work which gained him reputation, was a poem on the tournament of Julian de Medicis. The account he wrote some time after the conspiracy of the Pazzi's was very much esteemed. He wrote many other pieces which have merited approbation, but his Epistles have been most read. Politiano was placed in the chair of Greek and Latin eloquence at Florence;

and in this situation he formed many scholars who became eminent in literature. Various honours and emoluments were conferred upon him. He corresponded with several sovereigns and men of rank, as well as with the principal literary characters of the age. Above all, he was honoured with the friendship and patronage of Lorenzo de Medici, who entrusted to him the education of his children, and the care of his library and museum, and assigned him a constant residence under his roof. The erudition of Politiano was of the highest class. But all his high titles to admiration and esteem were depreciated in Politiano by moral defects, which have blotted his memory, and furnished matter for severe invective to his rivals and enemies. His morals answered the homeliness of his face rather than the beauty of his genius, for Paul Jovius informs us, that "he was a man of awkward and perverse manners, of a countenance far from open and liberal, a nose remarkably large, and squinting eyes. He was crafty, satirical, and full of inward malice; for his constant practice was to sneer and ridicule the productions of other men, and never to allow any criticism, however just, upon his own." He died September 1494, at the immature age of forty.. His works have often been printed.

PETER MARTYR D'ANGHIERA, an Italian man of letters, was born in 1455, at Arena, on the lake Major. In 1477, he went to Rome, where he resided ten years, and was employed as secretary by two cardinals. In 1487, he went to Spain, where he served two campaigns in the army, and then quitted it for the church. In 1501, he was sent on an important embassy to the sultan of Egypt, and while in that country, he made particular observations on the pyramids. On his return he rose into high favour at court, and Charles V. presented to him a rich abbey. He died at Granada, in 1526. His, principal works are-1. Opus epistolarum, 1530, folio. 2. De rebus Oceanicis et orbe novo Decades, 1536, fol. 3. De Insulis nuper inventis et incolarum moribus, 1521, fol. 4. De Legatione Babylonica. In this he gives an account of his embassy. to Egypt.

NICOLO LEONICO TOMEO, an eminent man of letters, born at Venice, of an Albanian family, in 1456. He studied Greek at Florence; and in 1497, became a teacher at Padua, where he gave instructions to cardinal Pole. His favourite study was the Platonic philosophy, and he lived in seclusion from the world, solely intent on his mental pursuits. His contemporaries speak of him with esteem and honour, as being equally estimable for his moral qualities, and profound erudition. He died in 1531. He translated several of the works of Aristotle, Proclus's Commentary on the Timæus of Plato, and other treatises of the ancient philosophers. He wrote ten dialogues on subjects philosophical and moral, a work "De varia Historia," and some Italian poems.

JEROM BUSLEIDEN, was born at Arlon in Luxemburgh. Being introduced by a brother to the court of Charles V., he became master of the requests, and counsellor to the sovereign council of Mecklin. He was employed in embassies to Pope Julius II., and the kings Francis I., and Henry VIII. He was a man of distinguished literary attainments, and an intimate friend of the learned of the age, particularly Erasmus and Sir Thomas More. He founded in the university of Touraine the college of the Three Tongues, for the teaching of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. Being sent by the emperor into Spain, in 1517, he fell ill on the journey, and died at Bourdeaux. The only writing of his remaining, is a letter prefixed to More's Utopia.

DONALD MONRO, an ingenious writer, author of "Description of the Hebrides or Western Isles, with Genealogies of Chief Clans of the Isles," a little work which is mentioned with applause by Buchanan. It was published at Edinburgh. in 1772, and re-printed in 1805.

ANDREW DE LA VIGNE, a French writer, who bore arms under Charles VIII., and was secretary to his queen, Anne of Brittany. In conjunction with Jaligni, he composed a "History of Charles VIII." folio, printed at the Louvre, under the care and with the notes of Denis Godefroy. He also wrote Vergier d' Honneur," Paris, 1495, containing an exact account of the expedition of Charles VIII. against Naples, at which he was present.

JOHN TIXIER, a person of literary character in France, was lord of Ravisy, in the Nivernois, and educated in the college of Navarre, at Paris, where he taught the belles lettres, and whence issued many of his publications for the use of his students. In 1500, he was appointed rector of the university at Paris, and he died, as some say, in the hospital, in 1522.

JOHN DESPAUTER, a grammarian, was a native of Pinove in Flanders, and died at Comines in 1520. He had lost the use of one eye, but Vossius said of him, that he saw clearer into the grammatical art with one eye, than all his contemporaries with two. His work entitled "Joan Despauterii Commentarii grammatici," printed at Paris by Robert Stephens, folio, 1537, is very scarce and valuable.

SILVESTER MOZZOLINO, a celebrated Italian dominican monk, better known by the name of Silvester de Prierio, a village in the territory of Asti, where he was born in the year 1460. He entered the order when he was fifteen years of age, and became one of its greatest ornaments. He filled the chair of theological professor in the principal universities of Italy; was frequently elected prior; and was once appointed vicargeneral of the congregation of Lombardy. Afterwards he was called to Rome, where he was promoted to the high post of master of the sacred conclave, and made general of his order. He

died of the plague in 1520, when he was about sixty years of age. Notwithstanding his numerous avocations, he devoted a considerable share of his time to study, and produced several works which met with a very favourable reception from the public.

JOHN FRANCIS BURANA, a native of Verona, who read lectures on logic and moral philosophy, with great reputation at Bologna. He was a follower of Aristotle, and translated some of the Arabian Commentaries on the Stagyrite, which were printed after his death, in 1533, folio.

DOMENICO GRIMANI, cardinal, son of Anthony Grimani, procurator of St. Mark, and afterwards doge of Venice, was born at Venice, in 1460. He was early employed by the republic, and in 1493, was raised to the purple by pope Alexander VI. He has merited commemoration by the piety he displayed towards his father, who, having been commander of a fleet, and defeated by the Turks, was imprisoned and treated with great rigour. The son offered to take his place, which being refused, he waited upon him in prison, and rendered him every possible service. Antony at length receiving sentence of banishment, retired to Rome, where his son paid him every attention capable of alleviating his affliction, till he was enabled to return to Venice. The cardinal was an eminent patron of letters and the fine arts. He collected a choice library consisting of eight thousand volumes in all languages, which at his death he bequeathed to the canons regular of St. Salvadore in Venice. He also made a fine collection of statues, and other remains of antiquity, which, augmented by his nephew John, patriarch of Aquileia, was presented by both to the republic of Venice. He was a patron of learned men, and translated from Greek into Latin some homilies of Chrysostom, He died in 1523.

AGOSTINI CHISI, or CHIGI, or GHISI, was born at Sienna, and became a merchant at Rome. He was a true friend to letters and arts. He built at Rome a splendid mansion in the Transtavere, which he decorated with works in painting and sculpture, by the greatest artists of the time. He employed his wealth in encouraging every branch of the fine arts, and likewise devoted himself to the restoration of ancient learning. Among the learned men whom he distinguished by his particular favour, was Cornelio Benigno of Viterbo, who under his patronage, produced at Zaccaria Calliergo's press, a fine edition of the works of Pindar, 1515, 4to. the first Greek book printed at Rome. Chisi not only vied with the Roman pontiffs in his patronage of letters, and of the arts, but also in the luxury of his table. He died about the year 1520, Pope Paul III., drove the family of Chisi from Rome, and annexed their mansion to the Farnese palace, whence it has since

been called the Farnesina. In the next century, however, the family of Chisi rose to pontifical honours in the person of Alex ander VII., Fabio Chisi, or Chigni, who established it in great credit. Zenobio Acciaioli, a learned Dominican, of the same family with Donatus Acciaioli, continued to enjoy the office of library-keeper to pope Leo X., from the year 1518, to his death in 1520, as some say, in 1537, according to others, at the age of 58. He learned Greek and Hebrew towards the close of his life, translated several of the fathers, and wrote several orations and poems, sermons on the Epiphany, and some other pieces. He likewise collected a volume of Politian's Greek epigrams, which were published in 1495.

GIOVANNI PIČO, or JOHN PICUS, of Mirandola, one of the most extraordinary persons of his time, surnamed the Phoenix, was the third son of Gianfranchesco Pico, prince of Mirandola and Concordia. He was born in 1463, and almost from his childhood displayed an eager attachment to literature. At the age of 14 he was sent to Bologna to study canon law, but after spending two years there, he set out to visit the most celebrated schools in Italy and France. He went to Ferrara, where he was kindly received by his relation, duke Hercules I., and studied under Batista Guarino. He had a great readiness in acquiring languages, and is said to have thoroughly understood twenty-two by the time he was 18 years of age. This is probably an exaggeration. After he had employed seven years in his academical tour, he returned to Rome, at the age of twenty-three. There he posted up 900 propositions appertaining to dialectics, morals, physics, mathematics, &c., offering to dispute with any antagonist whomsoever, upon any one of them. This caused him to be looked upon with envy and jealousy, none daring to accept his challenge. Thirteen of his propositions were, however, accused before the Pope as contrary to sound doctrine. He published an elaborate defence of them, addressed to Lorenzo de Medicis, and after putting him to a considerable deal of trouble in justifying himself, he was acquitted of all blame. The effect of the anxiety produced by this business caused a total change in his course of life, and though young, rich, elegant in person, and in manners, and in some degree habituated to pleasure, he gave himself up to devotion, and confined his future. studies to theological subjects. He fixed his abode in Florence, where he enjoyed the intimacy of several illustrious characters, among whom was Lorenzo de Medicis, who testi-. fied his affection for him by calling him to a parting embrace on his death-bed. His high reputation caused him to be thought of for the cardinalate, but it does not appear that any steps were taken to advance him to that dignity. At this period he had a most enthusiastic desire to be useful, and he