LEONARDO

BRUNI (1369-1444)  , Italian scholar, author of the History of Florence, was born at Arezzo, and is generally known as Leonardo Aretino . He was secretary to the papal chancery under Innocent VII. and John XXII . From 1427 to his death in 1444 he was chancellor to the republic of Florence . He was buried at the expense of the state in Sta Croce, where his laurelled statue is still to be seen . He was the first to free the history of Florence from its fabulous elements, but his book, though not unintelligent, only repays very laborious study . The only Latin edition is Historiarum Florentinarum libri xii . . . exempts, in lucem edit. stud. et op . Sixti Brunonis (Argentor . 161o, fol.) . A translation into Tuscan was published by Donato Acciajuoli in 1476 at Venice, was republished at Florence in 1492, and again, with Sansovino's continuation, at Venice in 1561 .