, a man of letters of great emience in the fifteenth century, was
, a man of letters of great emience in the fifteenth century, was born at Rome in 1407.
His father was a doctor of civil and common law, and advocate of the apostolic consistory. He was educated at
Rome, and learned Greek under Aurispa; but in consequence of the troubles which arose on the death of pope
Martin, and the advancement of Eugenius to the papal
chair, he retired to Pavia. Here he read lectures on rhetoric, and wrote his three books “De Voluptate ac vero
bono.
” From thence he removed to Milan, and read the
same lectures: and before 1435 read them to Alphonsus,
king of Arragon, Sicily, and Naples, that learned patroa
of letters, who took minutes of his lectures, and acknowledged his literary obligations to him. While in this place
he wrote his book on free-will, against Bbetius, and his
detection of the forged gift which Constantine is said to
have made, of liome, to pope Sylvester, which was first
published in 1492. Here too he translated Homer into
Latin, and began his six books of “Elegantiae linguae Latinae.
” All this while he had followed Alpbonsus in his
wars, and had exposed his person in several sea-fights; and,
among his other literary undertakings he had written three
books of logical disputations, in which, having reduced
the ten predicaments, or elements, to three, he was accused of heretical pravity by the inquisitor-general.