POGGIO BRACCIOLINI, a man of great parts and learning, who contributed much to the revival of letters in Europe, was born at the little town of Terranova, near Florence, in 1380. His first public employment was that of writer of the apostolic letters, which he held for ten years, after which he was made apostolic secretary, and in that capacity he officiated, under seven popes, for a period of forty years. In 1453, when he had attained the age of seventy-two, he accepted the employment of secretary to the republic of Florence, and he died in 1459. Poggio visited several countries, and searched many monasteries to recover ancient authors, numbers of which he brought to light. His own works consist of moral pieces, orations, letters, and a history of Florence from 1350 to 1455, which is the most considerable of them all. In 1802, the Rev. Dr Shepherd published, in one volume quarto, a Life of Poggio, containing much curious information in literary history.