or Virgilius Polytropus, an eminent historical writer of the sixteenth century, was a native of Urbino in Italy. He was sent to England in 1501 by Pope Alexander VI., to collect the tax called Peter-pence. Soon after his arrival there he obtained the rectory of Church-Langton in Leicestershire, and in 1507 was made archdeacon of Wells. In 1514 he seems to have fallen into disfavour, was deprived of his collectorship, and was thrown into prison for a time. He continued in England during the reigns of Henry VIII. and part of that of Edward VI., whence it is concluded that he was but a moderate papist. In 1550, being now an old man, he requested leave to revisit his native country, and was accordingly dismissed with a present of 300 crowns, and permission to hold his pre-

ferments to the end of his life. He died at Urbino in Vermioli 1565. His principal work is his History of England from the earliest times to the end of the reign of Henry VII., in Latin. It was undertaken at the command of Henry VII., and was published in 1534. His style is clear and neat, but he is much blamed for partiality and even falsehood. There is much truth, however, in the statement that he was too much of a historian for the period in which he lived, and that he incurred odium from the manner in which he treated the prejudices of the English people. Besides his Historia Anglica, he is the author of a small collection of proverbs, Proverbiorum Libellus, which appeared at Venice in 1498; De Rerum Inventoribus, 1499; Dialogi de Prodigiis, 1531; and other works, some of which passed through several editions. 2 vols. of an English version of his history have been reprinted by the Camden Society in 1844 and 1846.