George of Trebizond

George Of Trebizond was really a native of Crete, but as that island has a bad name, especially unfit for a priest, he took that of Trebizond, whence his ancestors had come. In 1420 he came to Italy — first to Venice, afterwards to Rome, where he lectured on rhetoric and philosophy. He was made secretary to Nicholas V, but lost the favor of the pope by his fierce advocacy of Aristotle against Bessarion, Pletho, and other learned Greeks. Alphonso, king of Naples, received him at his court and gave him a pension. He died at Rome in 1486, aged 91. He was undoubtedly a man of talent and learning, but quarrelsome and vain. He translated some of Plato's writings, and Eusebius's, but inaccurately. He published also a treatise De Rhetorica (Venice, 1523, fol.); controversial pieces against the Greek Church, to be found in Allatius, Graecia Orthodoxa (Rome, 1652, volume 1); Comparatio Aristotelis et Platonis (Ven. 1523, 8vo). See Brucker, Hist. Philippians 4:65; Herzog, Real-Encyklopadie, 5:23; Cave, Hist. Lit. 2, App. page 49; Fabricius, Bibl. Graca, 3:102; Niceron, Mem. pour Servir, etc., tom. 19; Hoefer, Nouv; Biog. Generale, 20:127.