came the admiration of his superiors, on account of his learned acquisitions. In 1467, he was elected a professor at the university of Pavia, and continued there with high reputation till the year 1485, when he accepted a professorship at Padua. In 1488, he removed to the university of Pisa, to which the republic of Florence invited him, on a very liberal salary. After this he resumed the professor's chair at Padua, where his reputation was so high, that he is said to have had three thousand auditors. Besides the duties of his office as teacher, he transacted much public and important business with accuracy and fidelity. In 1492, he was sent by the duke of Milan to do homage to pope Alexander VI., on which occasion he pronounced an oration that was afterwards printed. He was, in 1494, sent to compliment the emperor Maximilian on his marriage, and on this occasion he was rewarded with the title of cavalier and count palatine; and next, from Ludovico, duke of Milan, he obtained the rank of patrician, and honorary post of senator. Lewis XII., of France, attended by five cardinals, paid a visit to his school; Jason, in introducing his majesty, humbly requested him to enter first, to which Lewis replied, "I am no king here," and obliged the professor to precede, he being entitled to the chief respect among his scholars. After the lecture, the king embraced Jason with the utmost cordiality, and in the course of a familiar conversation, he hinted to his majesty. that he might favour him, by mentioning his name to the pope as not disqualified to wear a cardinal's hat. He was, however, unable to obtain the object of his ambition, and continued to hold his office as professor till the year 1511; after this he fell into a state of dotage, in which he continued till he died, in 1519. This gentleman was esteemed one of the greatest masters of jurisprudence in his time, and is mentioned by Alciatus among the five jurists who alone deserve to be read.

BENEDICT ACCOLTI, an Italian lawyer, was born at Arezzo, in 1415, and was distinguished about 1450, when he is said to have succeeded Poggius as secretary to the republic of Florence. He wrote "Four books concerning the war which the Christians carried on against the Infidels, in order to recover Judea and the holy sepulchre; which work was printed at Venice in 1532, 4to., and serves as the ground-plot to Tasso's Jerusalem delivered;" and also, an account "of the excellent personages of his time," in the form of a dialogue, printed at Parma, in 1692, 8vo. He died in 1466.

FRANCIS ACCOLTI, the brother of Benedict, and usually called Francis d'Arezzo, or Aretin, from the place of his birth, was born in 1418. He studied at Siena, about 1443; and afterwards taught law there with such reputation, that they called him the Prince of Subtleties; and his wit became proverbial. He displayed his talents chiefly in disputes, in which

nobody could withstand him. He gave his opinion in law with so much confidence, as to assure those who consulted him that they should carry their cause, nor did experience contradict him; for it was a common saying at the bar, "such a cause has been condemned by Aretin, it must therefore be lost." He taught also in the universities at Pisa, and Ferrara. He was at Rome under the pontificate of Sixtus IV., but soon perceived that the great hopes which he had built upon his reputation, would come to nothing. This pope, however, declared he would have given him a cardinal's hat, had he not thought he should have done a public injury by depriving the youth of such an excellent professor. When old age would not permit him to go through the duties of his office, they dispensed with his reading of lectures, and his salary was continued. He continued, however, sometimes to mount the chair; and although his lectures had but little spirit in them, yet he still had many hearers on account of his reputation. One day when the stu dents were gone to some public shows, there were but 40 persons in his auditory; which so mortified him that he threw away his book, and crying out, "Aretin shall never explain law to a few persons," retired in a passion, and would teach no more. He was severe in his temper, and never kept a servant longer than a month or two; for it was a maxim of his, "that new hired servants always serve best." He was honoured with the title of knight, and spent all his life in celibacy; and his way of living was so parsimonious, that he amassed great wealth. He had designed this wealth for the maintenance of a college; but he altered his resolution, and left it to his relations.

To show how much he valued reputation, a whimsical anec dote may be added. Finding some of his scholars less attentive to their character than he wished, he took a singular method of giving them a lesson upon the subject. He went with his lacquey, before the break of day, into the shambles of Ferrara, and breaking open one of the boxes which the butchers had left, carried off the meat. Two of his scholars, whose mischievous pranks were well known, were immediately accused of the action, and committed to prison. Aretin waited upon the magistrate, and solicited their release, confessing that he himself had been the thief. This appeared too improbable to obtain credit; and the more earnest Aretin appeared to take the offence upon himself, the more confidently was it believed that the prisoners were the offenders; for no one could persuade himself, that a professor of known gravity and wisdom could commit such an action. The suspected culprits, were, ever, acquitted for want of evidence against them; and the professor openly declaring the whole matter, made compensation to the butchers, and entreated his pupils to learn from this transaction, the weight and authority of a good character.

His works are-1. S. Chrysostomi Homiliæ in Evangelium S. Joannis, interprete, 1470, fol. 5. Phalaridis Epistolæ, 1469, 8vo. 3. Diogenis Cynici Philosophi Epistolæ. 4. Authoris incerti Libellis de Thermis Puteolorum, et vicinis in Italia, 4to. 1475. 5. Consilia seu Responsa. 6. Commentaria super Decretalium, 1481. Commentaria, 1495, folio. He was also a poet, and some of his sonnets have been printed by Grescembini, in his history of Italian poetry.

SIR THOMAS LITTLETON, an English lawyer and judge was eldest son of Thomas Westcote, Esq. of Devonshire, by the heiress of Littleton, of Frankley, in Worcestershire, whose name he assumed. He was regularly educated for the law; and, in the reign of Henry VI., he was made judge of the Mar shalsea Court, and king's serjeant,; and in 1455, went the nor→ thern circuit of judge of the assize. In 1466 he was appointed one of the judges of the Common Pleas, and a short time after, was created a knight of the Bath. He died in 1481, leaving three sons, from whom many considerable families are des cended. He was author of a valuable work entitled "Tenures and Titles by which Estates were anciently held in England." Sir Thomas during the troubles and confusions of the times, so comported himself, as to enjoy the favour of both the contending sovereigns, and, at the same time, acquired the esteem of all, for his great skill in the laws of England.

MATTHEW AFFLITO, an Italian lawyer, was born at Naples in 1430. He filled many offices of state in his native country, under five successive kings. His knowledge was extensive, and his character most excellent. He was twice married, and from his latter wife, Diana Carmegrana, are descended the Afflitos, barons of Rocca-Gloriosa. He died in 1510. He wrote commentaries in Latin, on the Sicilian and Neapolitan laws and customs, the Justinian code, and other works, which are still held in esteem by the jurists.

PETER D'ANDLO, a lawyer and professor at Basil, was rector of the University in 1471. Many of his manuscripts are preserved in the library; and one has been published, entitled "De Imperio Romano:" Strasburgh, 1603, 4to.

BLAISE D'AURIOL, a professor of the canon law at Toulouse, is known by some poetical pieces, and treatises. He was so terrified at the prediction of a deluge, by a pretended prophet of his time, that he built himself a large ark, in which like Noah, he hoped to survive the general calamity. He died in 1540.

JAMES MINUTOLI, born in the year 1434, and son to Francis Minutoli; senator, and Margaret Balbani, who was also of a very noble family, became very learned in the civil and canon law. Pope Pius II. made him abbreviator of the apostolic letters. In the year 1460, pope Paul II. made him one of

the commissaries of the Papal army in the war of the holy see against Robert Malatesta, lord of Rimini, he behaved himself so prudently and courageously in that office, that he brought all Umbria into subjection, and especially Spoleto and Citta di Castello, which gave occasion to the learned Antonius Campanus to speak of him in one of his letters to Gentil of Urbino, in this manner, "I hear our friend Minutoli is taken into your college; if it be so, you have got a stout colleague, and who learned long since to defend the common dignity; for that affair of Ancona was a flight and not a fight, and he showed he was a man of courage that day, fighting amongst the first captains." After the war of Rimini, he was made secretary of the apostolic penitentiary, and count of the sacred palace of St. John de Lateran by Paul II. The emperor Frederic III. honoured him with the title of count Palatine, which at that time was a considerable dignity.

In the pontificate of Sixtus IV., he was made governor of Spoleto; and having performed several services for the holy see, Sixtus recompensed him for it by giving him the bishopric of Nocera, in Umbria, and a little time after, he sent him with the cardinal legate, John de Balne, to Lewis XI., king of France, who had such an esteem for him, that he made him his agent with the popes, and procured him a translation from the bishopric of Nocera to that of Agde, in Languedoc; and in the same year, 1481, he was sent with the king's ambassadors, to persuade the senate of Venice to join in the pacification of Italy, which had been first resolved upon at Rome. The king rewarded him for it by giving him a rich abbey in Poictiers, and by allowing him to enjoy the archbishopric of Cambray. He died in France very much regretted. There are several of his Latin letters in the collection of those of the cardinal of Pavia, James Amarmati Picorlornini.

BARTOLOMEO SOXINI, or SOCCINI, a celebrated civilian, son of Mariano Soxini, or Soccini, was born at Siena in 1436. He studied the law under different masters at Siena and Bologna, and after he had been admitted to a doctor's degree, he became professor of the civil and canon law in his native city. He was, in 1473, invited to Pisa, where he taught both branches of law, and in this city he resided twenty years, with some occasional absences. He took an active part in the civil dissentions of Siena, and was, at one time, in the list of the banished citizens. He was employed in embassies from the Sienese to the Florentines, and it is said he engaged in a military attempt to change the constitution of Siena. At Pisa, the famous Jason del Maino was his rival, and they held frequent public disputations, at one of which Lorenzo de Medici was an auditor. Jason being hard pressed by the arguments of his antagonist, quoted in his own favour, a text which he had

invented for the occasion. Soxini, with equal readiness, invented another to oppose it, and being asked by Jason where he had found it, "Next to that which you have just now quoted," he replied. The fame which he had acquired, caused him to be invited to Padua in 1489, with the offer of a large salary, which he determined to accept, but his intentions being known, he was detained. For some time he was professor at Padua. He died in 1507, having been three years deprived of the use of his speech. His works as an author, were "Consultations," "Comments on the Code and Digest," the "Rule of Right," and other pieces of a similar kind. He was not estimable as a practical moralist. He was addicted to gambling, and would sometimes leave his scholars without a lesson, and pass whole nights at the gaming table, the consequence of which most destructive habit was, that he did not leave money enough behind him to pay the expenses of his funeral. He was extremely greedy of money, and charged very high for his opinion, which he would sometimes give to both parties in a suit. He was free of speech, sarcastic and jocular. His faults were borne with on account of his high professional character. Angelo Politiano, speaking of his intended correction of the Pandects, says, "I must have recourse to the assistance and advice of that singularly excellent doctor of Siena, Bartolomeo Soxini, whom I may boldly denominate the Papinian of our age."

NICHOLAS GERBEL, a learned jurist, was a native of Pfortzheim. He was brought up to the study of the law, and became a professor of it at Vienna, and afterwards at Strasburg. He applied to the study of antiquities, and/ obtained great reputation by his writings. De Thou characterizes him as one equally estimable for his erudition and humanity. He died at a very advanced age in 1560. He wrote-1. A description of Greece, under the title of "Isagoge in tabulam Græciæ Nicolai Sophiani," fol. 2. "Vita Johan. Cuspiniani. 3. De Anabaptistorum ortu et progressu." He likewise published an edition of the New Testament, 4to.

SEBASTIAN BRANDT, or TITIO, a lawyer, poet, and historian, was born at Strasburgh in 1448. After prosecuting his studies in that city, he removed to Basil, where he took his master's degree in Arts, and superintended the education of youth, as a public professor, both at Basil and Strasburg. Here he arrived at the highest honours of the law, being made count Palatine, and councillor and chancellor of Strasburg. He died in 1520, leaving numerous works on law, divinity, and poetry. The celebrated "Ship of Fools," is the work which has chiefly perpetuated his memory. It was written originally in the Ger man language, and translated into Latin by Locher, 1497, 4to. PHILIP DECIO, one of the most eminent jurists of the