MARTYR (Peter), a famous divine, born at Flo-
rence in 1500. He studied philosophy and the tongues
at Padua and Bononia, was a regular Augustine in
the monastery of Fiscoli, and was counted one of the
best preachers in Italy. Zuinglius and Bucer's writ-
ings gave him a good opinion of the Protestants, and
his conversation with Valdes confirmed it. He preach-
ed that doctrine at Rome in private; but, being im-
peached, fled to Naples, and thence to Lucca, where
he brought over to the Protestant interest Emanuel
Tremellius, Celsus Martinengus, Paul Lalicus, and
Jeremiah Zanchy. He was sent for to England by
king Edward VI. and made professor of divinity at Ox-
ford in 1549. In queen Mary's reign he returned to
Strasbourg, and was present at the conference of Poissy.
His sentiments were not the same with Calvin's about
Christ's presence in the eucharist. He wrote a great
number of works, and died in 1562.