MARULLUS

marullus, michael tarchaniota (d. 1500), greek scholar, poet, and soldier, was born at constantinople. in 1453, when the turks captured constantinople, he was taken to ancona in italy, where he became the friend and pupil of j. j. pontanus, with whom his name is associated by ariosto (_orl. fur._ xxxvii. 8). he received his education at florence, where he obtained the patronage of lorenzo de' medici. he was the author of epigrams and _hymni naturales_, in which he happily imitated lucretius. he took no part in the work of translation, then the favourite exercise of scholars, but he was understood to be planning some great work when he was drowned, on the 10th of april 1500, in the river cecina near volterra. he was a bitter enemy of politian, whose successful rival he had been in the affections of the beautiful and learned alessandra scala. he is remembered chiefly for the brilliant emendations on lucretius which he left unpublished; these were used for the juntine edition (munro's _lucretius_, introduction). the hymns, some of the epigrams, and a fragment, _de principum institutione_, were reprinted in paris by c. m. sathas in _documents inedits relatifs a l'histoire de la grece au moyen age_, vol. vii. (1888).