Franciscus Portus (Greek: Φραγκίσκος Πόρτος; Italian: ''Francesco Porto''; 22 August 1511 – 5 June 1581) was a Greek-Italian Renaissance humanist and

classical scholar Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

Biography

Born on 22 August 1511 in

Rethymno Rethymno (also Rethymnon; ) is a city in Greece on the island of Crete. It is the capital of Rethymno regional unit, and has a population of more than 35,000 inhabitants (nearly 40,000 for the municipal unit). It is believed to have been built ...

, Venetian Crete, Portus was orphaned early. He studied in his youth with

Arsenius Apostolius Arsenius Apostolius ( or Ἀρσένιος Ἀποστόλης; c. 1468 – 1538) was a Greek scholar who lived for a long time in Venice. He was also bishop of Monemvasia in the Peloponnese. Life Arsenius Apostolius was born about 1468 in Crete ...

.P. Tavonatti, "Il contributo di Francesco Porto alla filologia eschilea", ''Ítaca: quaderns catalans de cultura clàssica'', no. 27, 2011, p. 155. He went to study in Italy thanks to the generosity of a family friend. He studied for six years in

Padova Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of ...

, and then went to

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

, where he was admitted to the city's Greek school, where he soon became the director ("ἀρχιδιδάσκαλος καὶ πρωτοκαθηγητὴς τῶν Ἑλλήνων"). During the decade from 1526 to 1535, one should also note his important activity as a copyist of Greek manuscripts. However, he was an adherent of

Reformed Christianity Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyterian ...

, and certain mocking remarks that he made about the customs of traditional Christian religion, such as fasting and veneration of images, caused him to leave Venice. In 1536, Portus obtained a Chair in Greek at

Modena Modena (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It has 184,739 inhabitants as of 2025. A town, and seat of an archbis ...

, although he was unwilling to sign the declaration of faith which was required of public officials. In 1542, he was hired by

Renée of France Renée of France (25 October 1510 – 12 June 1574), was List of Ferrarese consorts, Duchess of Ferrara from 31 October 1534 until 3 October 1559 by marriage to Ercole II d'Este, grandson of Pope Alexander VI. She was the younger surviving ch ...

, the Duchess of

Ferrara Ferrara (; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, capital of the province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main ...

, as tutor to her sons, and she also entrusted to him the secret correspondence that she was maintaining with

John Calvin John Calvin (; ; ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French Christian theology, theologian, pastor and Protestant Reformers, reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of C ...

. He was admitted to the ''Accademia dei Filareti'', founded in Ferrara in 1554, and spoke before the Duchess a speech in praise of the Greek language. After the death of the

Duke of Ferrara This is a list of rulers of the estates owned by the House of Este, Este family, which main line of Marquesses (''Marchesi d'Este'') rose in 1039 with Albert Azzo II, Margrave of Milan. The name "Este" is related to the city where the family came ...

Ercole II d'Este Ercole II d'Este (4 April 1508 – 3 October 1559) was Duke of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio from 1534 to 1559. He was the eldest son of Alfonso I d'Este and Lucrezia Borgia. Biography Through his mother, Ercole was a grandson of Pope Alexand ...

, in 1559, the Duchess returned to France. In fear of the

Inquisition The Inquisition was a Catholic Inquisitorial system#History, judicial procedure where the Ecclesiastical court, ecclesiastical judges could initiate, investigate and try cases in their jurisdiction. Popularly it became the name for various med ...

because of his religious views, Portus left Ferrara with his family, and spent some time in the area of

Friuli Friuli (; ; or ; ; ) is a historical region of northeast Italy. The region is marked by its separate regional and ethnic identity predominantly tied to the Friulians, who speak the Friulian language. It comprises the major part of the autono ...

before settling in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

, becoming a citizen of Geneva in 1562. In the same year, he was appointed to the Chair of Greek at the

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public university, public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by French theologian John Calvin as a Theology, theological seminary. It rema ...

, which he occupied until his death. One of his most important students was

Isaac Casaubon Isaac Casaubon (; ; 18 February 1559 – 1 July 1614) was a classical scholar and philologist, first in France and then later in England. His son Méric Casaubon was also a classical scholar. Life Early life He was born in Geneva to two F ...

, whom he recommended to succeed him. After the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre in 1572, he had a polemical correspondence with his former colleague Pierre Charpentier, which became the instrument of French governmental propaganda and justified the massacre through the existence of a pretended plot against the royal family. Portus died in Geneva on 5 June 1581.

Scholarship

Portus corrected and annotated the texts of many Ancient Greek authors, and translated many into Latin, including

Aristotle Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...

's ''

Rhetoric Rhetoric is the art of persuasion. It is one of the three ancient arts of discourse ( trivium) along with grammar and logic/ dialectic. As an academic discipline within the humanities, rhetoric aims to study the techniques that speakers or w ...

'', the treatises of

Hermogenes of Tarsus Hermogenes of Tarsus (; ) was a Greek rhetorician, surnamed The Polisher (, ''xustḗr''). He flourished in the reign of Marcus Aurelius (161–180 AD). Life and work His precocious ability secured him a public appointment as teacher of his art ...

, Aphthonius and pseudo-Longinus (edition printed by Jean Crespin in 1569), the ''Syntax'' of Apollonius Dyscolus, the hymns and letters of Synesius of Cyrene, and the ''Odes'' of Gregory of Nazianus. He also produced commentaries on numerous authors:

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

Pindar Pindar (; ; ; ) was an Greek lyric, Ancient Greek lyric poet from Thebes, Greece, Thebes. Of the Western canon, canonical nine lyric poets of ancient Greece, his work is the best preserved. Quintilian wrote, "Of the nine lyric poets, Pindar i ...

, the Greek tragedians (

Aeschylus Aeschylus (, ; ; /524 – /455 BC) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek Greek tragedy, tragedian often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Greek tragedy is large ...

Sophocles Sophocles ( 497/496 – winter 406/405 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. was an ancient Greek tragedian known as one of three from whom at least two plays have survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or contemporary with, those ...

and

Euripides Euripides () was a Greek tragedy, tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to ...

Aristophanes Aristophanes (; ; ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek Ancient Greek comedy, comic playwright from Classical Athens, Athens. He wrote in total forty plays, of which eleven survive virtually complete today. The majority of his surviving play ...

Thucydides Thucydides ( ; ; BC) was an Classical Athens, Athenian historian and general. His ''History of the Peloponnesian War'' recounts Peloponnesian War, the fifth-century BC war between Sparta and Athens until the year 411 BC. Thucydides has been d ...

Xenophon Xenophon of Athens (; ; 355/354 BC) was a Greek military leader, philosopher, and historian. At the age of 30, he was elected as one of the leaders of the retreating Ancient Greek mercenaries, Greek mercenaries, the Ten Thousand, who had been ...

Demosthenes Demosthenes (; ; ; 384 – 12 October 322 BC) was a Greek statesman and orator in ancient Athens. His orations constitute a significant expression of contemporary Athenian intellectual prowess and provide insight into the politics and cu ...

Theocritus Theocritus (; , ''Theokritos''; ; born 300 BC, died after 260 BC) was a Greek poet from Sicily, Magna Graecia, and the creator of Ancient Greek pastoral poetry. Life Little is known of Theocritus beyond what can be inferred from his writings ...

Dionysius of Halicarnassus Dionysius of Halicarnassus (, ; – after 7 BC) was a Greek historian and teacher of rhetoric, who flourished during the reign of Emperor Augustus. His literary style was ''atticistic'' – imitating Classical Attic Greek in its prime. ...

. He provided corrections and additional remarks to the ''Lexicon'' of Robert Constantin (Geneva, 1592). Shortly after his death, his son published many further volumes of his work at

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

: ''Commentarii in Pindari Olympia, Pythia, Nemea, Isthmia'' (1583); six of his treatises entitled ''In omnes Sophoclis tragœdias prolegomena'', ''Sophoclis et Euripidis collatio'', etc. (1584); and ''Commentarii in varia Xenophontis opuscula'' (1586). He also published his ''

'' of

Speyer Speyer (, older spelling ; ; ), historically known in English as Spires, is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate in the western part of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located on the left bank of the r ...

in 1598. Portus' son Aemilius Portus (born in Ferrara, 13 August 1553; died in Stadthagen, 1614 or 1615) taught Greek in Geneva alongside his father from 1569, and then at Lausanne from 1581 to 1592, and then at

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

from 1596 to 1608, and published numerous works (including works by his father).

Modern editions of Portus' work

* Paolo Tavonatti (ed.), ''Francisci Porti Cretensis Commentaria in Aeschyli Tragoedias'', doctoral thesis,

University of Trento The University of Trento (Italian: ''Università degli Studi di Trento'') is an Italian university located in Trento and nearby Rovereto. It has been able to achieve considerable results in didactics, research, and international relations accord ...

and

EHESS The School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (, EHESS) is a graduate ''grande école'' and '' grand établissement'' in Paris focused on academic research in the social sciences. The school awards Master and PhD degrees alone and conjo ...

, 2010. (Edition of Portus' commentaries on Aeschylus.)

List of works

*1568: ''Synesii Cyrenaei ... Hymni ... Gregorii Nazianzeni Odae aliquot'' ... Utrisque ... latinam interpretationem adiunxit , Genevae. *1569: Oἱ ἐν ῥητορικῇ τέχνῃ κορυφαίοι, , * 1573: Ad Petri Carpentarii Causidici virulentam epistolam, responsio Francisci Porti ... pro causariorum quos vocat innocentia. *1574: ''Response de François Portus Candiot, aux lettres diffamatoires de Pierre Carpentier,'' ... pour l'innocence des fidèles serviteurs de Dieu ... massacrez le 24 jour d'aoust 1572, appellez factieux par ce plaidereau, traduite nouvellement de latin en françois. *1580: ''Homeri Ilias'', postrema editio ... a innumeris in locis emendata, Genevae. *1583: ''Francisci Porti ... Commentarii in Pindari Olympia, Pythia, Nemea, Isthmia'', Genevae. *1584: ''Francisci Porti Cretensis in omnes Sophoclis tragoedias προλεγόμενα, ut vulgò vocantur''. *1586: ''Francisci Porti ... Commentarii in varia Xenophontis opuscula'', Lausannae. *1590: ''Apollonii Alexandrini de syntaxi ... libri IV''. *1592: Lexicon graecolatinum ''R. CONSTANTINI''. Secunda hac editio partim ipsius authoris partim ... auctum, Genevae. *1594: ''Thucydidis, Olori filii, de Bello Peloponnesiaco libri octo''. Iidem latine, ex interpretatione Laurentii Vallae, ab Henrico Stephano nuper recognita, quam Aemilius Portus, Francisci Porti Cretensis f., paternos commentarios accurate sequutus, ab infinita ... errorum multitudine ... repurgavit ... in hac postrema editione, Francofurti. *1598: ''Aristotelis Artis rhetoricae, sive de arte dicendi, libri III'', a M. Aemilio Porto ... nova interpretatione illustrati; item Francisci Porti ... in eosdem libros perpetui latini commentarii, Spirae.From the biography of Portus in Paolo Tavonatti, ''Francisci Porti Cretensis Commentaria in Aeschyli Tragoedias'', doctoral thesis, University of Trento / EHESS Paris, 2010 pp. 9-162
on-line

Biography

Scholarship

Modern editions of Portus' work

List of works

References

Further reading