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 humour of the grammarians of the age, he took instead of it Parrhasius. He taught at Milan with much reputation, being admired for a grace-
Parricide. Parricide ful delivery, in which he chiefly excelled other profes-
sors.—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 in-
volved in the misfortunes of Bernardini Cajetan and
Silius Savello, with whom he had some correspondence;
but he escaped the danger, by the information of Tho-
mas 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 cri-
minal 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 na-
tive 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 po-
lite 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 bro-
ther, 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 coun-
try, where he was tormented a long while with a fever,
and at last died in the greatest misery. He left his li-
brary to his friend Seripandus, brother to Cardinal Je-
rome 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 Hen-
ry Stephens.