Page:A new and general biographical dictionary; containing an historical and critical account of the lives and writings of the most eminent persons in every nation v1.djvu/336

 A R E T I N. i<J. cap. g. reputation, till it was known he had tranflated it from the an 116. Greek of Procopius : this drew fome infamy upon his me- mory, for he had appropriated the work to himfelfj but Chriftopher Perrona with a good deal of pains reftored it to the real author. Aretin left feveral other works, the cata- logues of which may befeenin Gefner's Ci Bibliotheca." He died about 1443, being then feventy-four years of age, at Florence ; where there is a marble monument eretSled to him, in the church of the Holy Crofs, with an infcription to the following purpofe: " Since the death of Leonard, " Greek and Latin Mules cannot forbear fheddmg tears." Poggius made his funeral oration, wherein he informs us, that he lived forty years in fuch con (tan t friendship with Aietin, that it never fuffered the Icaft interruption. ARETIN (FRANCIS), a man of great reading, and well acquainted with the Greek language. He tranflated into La- tin the *' Commentaries of St Chryfottcm upon St. John," and about twenty homilies of the fame father : he alfo tranf* Jated the " Letters of Ph^laris" into Latin, and wrote E, treatife " De balneis Puteolanis." Heitudied at Sienna, about the year 1443$ and afterwards taught law there with fuch a vivacity of genius, that they called him the Prince of Subtle- ties, and his wit became a proverb. He difplayed his talent chiefly in difputes, in which nobody could withftand him. He gave his opinions in law with fo much confidence, as to aiTure thofe who confuhed him, that they fhould carry their caufe ; nor did ^experience contradict him, for it was a com- mon faying at the bar, fuch a caufe has been condemned by Aretin, it muft therefore be loft. He taught alfo in the uni- verfity of Pifa, and in that of Ferrara. He was at Rome under the pontificate of Sixtus IV. but did not ftay here long, for he foon 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 rot thought he fhould have done a public injury, by depriving the youth of fuch an excellent prorcfTor. When old age would not permit him to go through the duties of his ofHce, they difpenlVd with his reading of lectures, and his falary was continued. He continued, however, fometimes to mount the chair; and although 1 his leba<es had now but little fpiiit in them, yet he had (till many hearers on account of his reputation. One day, when the ftudents were gone to fome public (hews, there were but forty perfons in his auditory,
 * ' hiftory is in mourning, Eloquence is become mute, the