(John Paul), an ingenious writer of the 17th century, was of a distinguished family, and born at Genoa; where he received an education suitable to his birth, and made a great progress in the study of polite literature and the sciences. Having been engaged in the conspiracy of Raphael della Terra, to deliver up Genoa to the duke of Savoy, he was in 1670, when 28 years of age, imprisoned in the tower of that city, and remained there four years. Being at length set at liberty, he was ordered to write the history of that conspiracy; but, when finished, it was seized and prevented from being published. When the republic of Genoa was at variance with the court of France, Marana, who had always an inclination for that court, was afraid of being imprisoned a second time; and retired to Monaco, where he again wrote the history of the conspiracy in Italian; and, in 1682, went to Lyons to get it printed. From Lyons he went to Paris, where his merit soon acquired him powerful protectors. He spent the rest of his life in a happy and tranquil mediocrity, devoted to study and the society of men of learning; and died in 1693. His history of the conspiracy contains many curious and interesting anecdotes, which are nowhere else to be found. He also wrote several other works; the most known of which is the Turkish Spy, in 6 vols. 12mo, which was in 1742 augmented to seven. Of this ingenious work we have an excellent English translation.