sans retour, for ever

le jeune MÉDICIS {Pictro ist), born 1414, succeeded his father in the government of Florence (1464). He was a patron of literature and art, but shewed no ability as a politician.

1. 37. Bembo [Fietro] [1470 — 1547!, secrelary to Pope Léo X., at whose death he retired to Venice, where he became curator of the library of Saint Mark. Paul III. created him a cardinal. His works comprise poems in Italian and Latin, a history of Venice, and numerous letters.

p. 8, 1. 3. // ne put se défendre, he could not help.

1. 20. Si nous devons périr, au moins que l' Europe... \i we are to perish, let Europe at least...

\. 11. englouti, swallowed up. (L. L. ingliitire.)

P. 9, 1. II. peuple déchu, a people shorn of its greatness. Déchoir, to fall, fiom de and choir, O. F. chéoir ; origin. chaer and cader, frora the L. cadere.

1. 24. f^j' brillants signaux dont parle notre Eschyle: cf. Agamemnon, V. 275 and foll.

fiiyav ôè iravàv êK vriaov rpirov S.6wov aÎTTOi ZTjuàs è^eoé^aro, k.t.X.

1. 34. Alberti [1404 — 1475], a Florentine aitist, equally celebrated as a painter, an arcliitect, and a sculptor.

Calderino (Doinizio) [71447 — 1478], distinguished as a scholar; was apostolic secretary to Pope Sixtus IV.

P. 10, 1. I. de se plaire, to take pleasure.

1.17. Gh.MiSTE Plétho [1355 — 14.S2]. At the council of Florencc Gemiitus Pletho made himself remarkable by his éloquence ; some years afterwards he settled in that town, and obtained the friendship of Cosmo de Medici. Ile declared himself the champion of Plato against Aristotle, and published several works on metaphysics.

yadis, formerly, (jà^l^. jani; dis fvom L. dies).

1. 27. ces persécutions religieuses. On the quairel between Gemistus Pletho and Gennadius, seethe notice préliminaire of M. Alexandre to the treatise IIEPI N0MÎ2N, composed by Pletho, and publislied for the first time with a French translation in Paris, i vol. 8°, 1858.

1- 33- Julien. Julian the apostate {Flavius Claudius Julianus") [331— 363]> emperorin 361.

1. 36. auquel il croyait presque. "There is also," says Mr Hallam, some ground for ascribing a rejection of Christianity to Pletho." (Liter, of Europe.) See also M. Alexandre's notice, alluded to above.

P. II, 1.6. Plotin. The philosopher Plotinus [205 — 270] is considered as the chief of the Neo-Platonist school. His Enneads form a collection of 54 treatises, divided into six sections of nine books each. They were arranged and edited by his pupil Porphyry [233 — 304], who has likewise left a number of original works.

1. II. Bessarion (Joannes) [1395 — 1472], originally amonk of the order of Saint Basil. Pope Eugenius IV. made him a cardinal as a reward for his zeal in promoting the union of the Greek and Latin Churches at the Council of Ferrara (1438). Bessarion settled at Rome, where his house became the meeting-place for ail those who cultivated letters. His works hold a distinguished place amongst those which contributed to the revival of literature in Italy.