BRUNI, LEONARDO (1369-1444), Italian scholar, author of a history of Florence, was born at Arezzo, and is generally known as Leonardo Aretino. Bruni advanced the study of Greek literature by many literal translations from the Greek classics. He was secretary to the papal chancery (from 1405) under Inno cent VII. and John XXII. From 1427 to his death (Mar. g, he was chancellor to the republic of Florence. He was the first to free the history of Florence from its fabulous elements, but his book, on which he was engaged in 1415, though not unintelli gent, only repays very laborious study. The only Latin edition is Historiarum Florentinarum libri xii. . . . exempto in lucem edit. stud. et op. Sixti Brunonis (Argentor. 161o, fol.). A trans lation 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. He also wrote lives of Petrarch and Dante in the vernacular.