GEMISTUS PLETHO [or PLETHON], GEORGIUS (c. Greek Platonic philosopher and pioneer of the revival of learning in Western Europe, was a Byzantine by birth, but settled at Mistra in the Peloponnese. He changed his name to the equivalent Pletho ("the full"), perhaps owing to its similarity to that of his master Plato, whom he introduced to the West dur ing his visit to Florence in 5439, as one of the deputies from Constantinople on occasion of the general council. Cosimo de' Medici and Cardinal Bessarion were much impressed by him. He endeavoured to promote the union of the Greek and Latin Churches, and founded a sect on the speculative mysticism of Neoplatonism. He probably died before the capture of Constan tinople. His treatises on the distinction between Plato and Aris totle appeared at Venice (154o), on the religion of Zoroaster (Paris, 1538) ; on the condition of the Peloponnese (ed. A. Ellis sen in Analekten der nod neugriechischen Literatur, iv.) ; and the N6 soc (ed. C. Alexandre, Paris, 1858). Many of his vol umes of excerpts from ancient authors, and works on geography, music and other subjects exist in ms.
See especially F. Schultze, Geschichte der Philosophie der Renais sance (1874); J. A. Symonds, The Renaissance in Italy (1877), ii. H. F. Tozer, "A Byzantine Reformer," in Journal of Hellenic Studies, vii. (i886), chiefly on Pletho's scheme of political and social reform for the Peloponnese; W. Gass, Gennadius and Pletho (1844). Most of Pletho's works are in Migne, Patrologia Graeca, clx.; for a com plete list see Fabricius, Bibliotheca Graeca (ed. Harles), xii.