Leonardo Aretino, one of the scholars who gathered about Cosmo de Medici, dedicated to him a translation of the _Politics_ of Aristotle, and when another Italian scholar sent him a fragment of a translation of Plato's _Republic_ the Duke wrote to beg him to send the rest.

But with its love of learning Humphrey combined the restlessness, the immorality, the selfish, boundless ambition which characterized the age of the Renascence.

His life was sullied by sensual excesses, his greed of power shook his nephew's throne.

So utterly was he already distrusted that the late king's nomination of him as Regent was set aside by the royal Council, and he was suffered only to preside at its deliberations with the nominal title of Protector during Bedford's absence.

The real direction of affairs fell into the hands of his uncle, Henry Beaufort, the Bishop of Winchester, a legitimated son of John of Gaunt by his mistress Catharine Swynford.
[Sidenote: Jacqueline of Hainault] Two years of useless opposition disgusted the Duke with this nominal Protectorship, and in 1424 he left the realm to push his fortunes in the Netherlands.