PARRHASIUS, Janus, a famous grammarian in Italy, who was born at Cosenza in the kingdom of Naples, 1470. He was intended for the law, the profession of his ancestors; but he refused it, and cultivated classical learning. His real name was Johannes Paulus Parisius; but according to the order of the grammarians of the age, he took instead of it Parrhasius. He taught at Milan with much reputation, being admired for a grace-
Parthasius ful delivery, in which he chiefly excelled other professors.—It was this charm in his voice, which brought a vast concourse of people to his lectures; and among others he had the pleasure to see General Trimoles, who was then threescore years old. He went to Rome when Alexander VI. was pope; and was like to be involved in the misfortunes of Bernardini Cajetan and Silius Savello, with whom he had some correspondence; but he escaped the danger, by the information of Thomas Phœdru, professor of rhetoric, and canon of St John Lateran, whose advice he followed in retiring from Rome. Soon after, he was appointed public professor of rhetoric at Milan; but the liberty he took to censure the teachers there as arrant blockheads, provoked them in return to asperse his morals. They said he had a criminal converse with his scholars: which being a crime extremely abhorred by the Milanese, our professor was obliged to leave Milan. He went to Vicenza, where he obtained a larger salary; and he held this professorship till the states of the Venetians were laid waste by the troops of the League: upon which he went to his native country, having made his escape through the army of the enemy. He was at Cosenza, when his old friend Phœdru persuaded Julius to send for him to Rome; and though that design proved abortive by the death of the pope, yet, by the recommendation of John Lascaris, he was called thither under his successor Leo X. Leo was before favourably inclined to him; and on his arrival at Rome, appointed him professor of polite literature. He had been now some time married to a daughter of Demetrius Chalcondylas; and he took with him to Rome, Basil Chalcondylas, his wife's brother, and brother of Demetrius Chalcondylas, professor of the Greek tongue at Milan. He did not long enjoy this office conferred upon him by the pope; for, worn out by his studies and labours, he became so afflicted with the gout, that for some years he had no part of his body free, except his tongue: having almost lost the use of both his legs and both his arms. He laboured besides under so great a degree of poverty, as put him out of all hopes of being ever in a better situation; so that he left Rome, and returned into Calabria, his native country, where he was tormented a long while with a fever, and at last died in the greatest misery. He left his library to his friend Seripandus, brother to Cardinal Jerome Seripandus, who built him a tomb in the convent of the Austin friars at Naples. There are several books ascribed to him; and in the dedication of one of them, his character is drawn to great advantage by Henry Stephens.