Leo, Jons

, a skilful geographer, born at Grenada, retired into Africa when his native place was taken in 1492, whence he had the surname of A fricanus. After having travelled a considerable time in Europe, Asia, and Africa, he was taken at sea by some pirates, and abjured the Mahometan religion under pope Leo X. He died about 1526. He wrote a “Description of Africa,” in Arabic, which he afterwards translated into Italian. Marmol has translated this work, almost entirely, without mentioning it. There is a Latin translation by John Florian, not very accurate, | and a French one by John Temporal, Lyons, 1556, fol. John Leo. also left the “Lives of the Arabian Philosophers,” which was printed by Hottinger in Latin, at Zurich, 1664, and is in torn. 13 of the Bibliotheca of Fabricius, from a copy which Cavalcanti sent from Florence. ¹