titular patriarch of Constantinople and archbishop of Nice, and one of those illustrious persons who contributed to the restoration of letters in the 15th century, was born at Trebizonde. He was very zealous to reunite the Greek with the Latin church, and engaged the emperor John Paleologus to interest himself in bringing this great work about. He passed into Italy, appeared at the council of Florence, harangued the fathers, and made himself admired as well by his modesty as by his uncommon abilities. The Greek Schismatics conceived so mortal an aversion to him, that he was obliged to remain in Italy; where pope Eugenius IV honoured him with the purple in 1439. He fixed his abode at Rome, and would have been raised to the Papal chair, if cardinal Alain had not opposed it, as injurious to the Latin church, to choose a Greek however illustrious. He was employed in several embassies, but that to France proved fatal to him. When legate at this court, he happened to visit the duke of Burgundy, before he saw Louis XI., which so disconcerted the capricious haughty monarch, as to occasion him a very ungracious reception. Nay, the king even took the cardinal legate by his most magnificent beard, saying in his fine Latin, *Barbara Graeca genus retinent quod habere celebant:* and this affront so chagrined the cardinal, as to occasion his death at Ravenna upon his return in 1472. This at least is what Matthieu relates in his History of Louis XI. Bessarion loved the literati, and protected them. Argyropilus, Theodore of Gaza, Poggio, Laurentius Valla, &c. formed in his house a kind of academy. His library was large and curious; and the senate of Venice, to whom he gave it, prefer it to this day with attention and regard. He left some works, which rank among those that helped to revive letters; as, *Defensio Doctrinae Platonicae,* &c. Translations of some Pieces of Aristotle. Orations, Epistles, &c.