* CANTU, CESARE, an Italian historian, was born at Brescia in 1805. Educated at Sondrio in the Valtellina, he there at an early age was appointed professor of the belles-lettres. Subsequently he resided at Como, and afterwards at Milan, which city he quitted at the revo lutionary epoch of 1848, and proceeded to Piedmont, where he entered with ardour into the proceedings of the liberal party. On the suppression of the revolutionary movement Cantu returned to Milan, where he has since devoted himself to his literary labours. M. Cantu is a very prolific writer. The work by which he first became known was the ' Ragionamenti sulla Storia Lombards nel eecolo XVII.,' Milan, 1842. Certain liberal opinions in this work drew down upon him a government prosecution, and he was condemned to a year's imprisonment. He amused his prison hours by the composition of an historical novel, ' Margherita Pasterla: But his chief work, the result of many years of diligent research, is his Universale,' 20 vole 8vo, Torino, 46, many volumes of which have gone through several editions. It
is neat, clever, and spirited in style, and liberal in spirit; and though not a work to be classed in the first rank of historic literature, is one calculated to be of great service in Italy. It has been translated into French by Messrs. Aroux and Leopardi. Cantu has published several other works, including a' History of Italian Literature,' an account of contemporary Italian poets, a' Storia di Cento Anni 1750-1850,' 3 vols. Svo, Firenze, 1851. His 'Reformation in Europe' has been translated into English by F. Prandi, London, 1847. Cantu has also written a good deal of poetry as well as poetio criticism. (Nourelle Biographic Unirerselle ; Conversations-Lexikon.)