THE DECLINE AND FALL

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chap. Greek and Roman erudition. 1 The presence oflxvi. £| ie em p eror recalled Clirysoloras from the col-lege to the court, but he afterwards taught atPavia and Rome with equal industry and ap-plause. The remainder of his life, about fifteenyears, was divided between Italy and Constan-tinople, between embassies and lessons. In thenoble office of enlightening a foreign nation, thegrammarian was not unmindful of a more sacredduty to his prince and country; and EmanuelChrysoloras died at Constance, on a public mis-sion from the emperor to the council.

Til? Greek After his example, the restoration of thea d'.J4oo- Greek letters in Italy was prosecuted by a series,500 ' of emigrants, who were destitute of fortune, andendowed with learning, or at least with lan-guage. From the terror or oppression of theTurkish arms, the natives of Thessalonica andConstantinople escaped to a land of freedom,curiosity, and wealth. The synod introducedinto Florence the lights of the Greek church andthe oracles of the Platonic philosophy ; and thefugitives who adhered to the union had thedouble merit of renouncing their country, notonly for the Christian, but for the catholic, cause.A patriot, who sacrifices his party and con-science to the allurements of favour, may be pos-

* Hinc Graecse Latitiatque sc.holae exort* sunt, Guarino Philelpho,Leonardo Aretino, Caroloque, ac plerisque aliis tanquam ex equo Tro*jano prodeuntibus, quorum emulatione multa ingenia deinceps adlau-dem cxcitata sunt(Platina in Bonifacio IX). Another Italian writeradds the names of Paulus Petrus Vergerius, Omnibonus Vincentius,Poggius, Franoiscus Barbarus, See. But I question whether a rigidchronology would allow Chrysoloras all these eminent acholars (He*dius, p. 25 27, &c.).