into another, that he erased all mark of their primitive character. The beauty of his Polybius likewise is universally acknowledged, but the fidelity of it is not so unquestionable: we must confess, he is accused by Casaubon and Huetius of taking very unjustifiable liberties with that writer, and deviating vastly from his original in a multitude of instances. Be that as it will; the world was highly obliged to him for his curious and useful collection of the purest and most genuine Latin. His large and elaborate Commentaries on Martial, which he intituled "Cornucopia," were of unspeakable service to young scholars, for whose benefit he wrote them: he has therein laid open the treasures of the Latin tongue; explained the nature and gerius of it; shewn the peculiar signification of its words, and crowned all with so copious an index of them, that it might well serve for a Lexicon of that language, really did for a long while after. as it Perottus entered upon this work at the importunate request of Pomponius Fortunatus; but having finished it he laid it by, nor would he allow it to be printed during his life, on account of the obscenity and filthiness of several passages of the Author he illustrated. But, having lent the manuscript to many who had requested the favour of consulting it, some ungrateful plagiary had stole its principal beauties, and decked a meaner offspring of his own with them, after the decease of their true parent. This obliged the friends of Peroitus, who were concerned for the honour of his memory, to publish this posthumous piece, that the learned might no Longer attribute to others what they were indebted only to him for. Our Editors have not ascertained the date of the first edition of it: it was some time between 1482 and 1486, and not in 1470, as Du Cange supposed. In less than ten years, viz. 1492, it was printed again in folio at Venice. Its next impression was, by Aldus Manutius, in 1499. The year following there came forth an edition of it at Paris, printed by by Gering and Rembolt. This was indeed a most beautiful one, and very carefully corrected by Joannes Pompeius Cornianus. But the noblest of all was that of Aldus, at Venice, 1513. This, besides the most diligent emendations, was enriched by the . edition of Varro, Festus, and Nonius Marcellus; which last was in this edition of it exceedingly improved and enlarged by J. Jucundus, a man of infinite erudition, whom Scaliger respected as his master, and was used to style a library of all the antient and modern arts and sciences. After this the most learned Valentin. Curio published an accurate edition of our author and his associates, Varro, &c. at Basil, annis 1526 and 1532. Besides all these, the "Cornucopia" had several other inpressions, viz. in 1504. At Paris, in 1506. In 1521 at Basil; and again in 1536. In short, all the Literati of that age admired and commended these Commentaries of the renowned Perotti. The business of Lexicons was about this time. indeed so mightily in vogue, that, as our Editors observe, some of the greatest rank and capacity in philology and criticism thought it no diminution of their dignity to employ themselves in amending, enriching, and embellishing the labours of others in that way; and this they did with a care and application equal to any they bestowed on the most valued authors of antiquity. Not one of the moderns had more respect paid him of this sort than our Perotti; first of all, by Ludovicus Odaxius; then by Polydore Vergil, who was at the pains of collating the first impression of the "Cornucopia" with an authentic copy in the Duke of Urbino's library, by which he minutely corrected all the errata of it: after him, as we have seen, the modeling, augmenting, and adorning it, was undertaken by no meaner hands than those of Cornianus, the most excellent Aldus, and that rich treasury of knowledge Valen+ tinus Curio. It would be superfluous to add here the testimonies of Gesner, Ludovicus Vives, Trithemius, and others, in honour of this noble work: Paulus. Jovius supposed its intrinsic merit and serviceableness would render it immortal; and our Editors remark he judged rightly, as it has been taken into the composition of every subsequent Dictionary. After this exalted character of Perotti, it is some displeasure to descend to that of Calepin, who follows him in the list of Lexicographers. Ambrosius Calepinus was a native of Calepio near Bergamo, and of the order of Augustin Friars. He lived to a great age, and died at Bergamo, anno 1510, where some say he was born, and where he lies buried in the Augustin Church, without any monument to distinguish him. He left the world no legacy but his Dictionary; which has, indeed, more by good fortune than any merit, sufficiently aggrandized his memory. Erasmus, Ludovicus Vives, Borrichius, Scioppius, Hieronimus Magius, and other very competent judges, all concur with our Editors in speaking very contemptibly of him. They represent him as not ashamed of transcribing from Perotti what Perotti was ashamed to publish; as incapable of supplying the deficiencies of those authors, whose labours he only injudiciously heaped together; as a person altogether ignorant of Greek, and scarce tinctured with human learning. They characterise his Dictionary as meanly, and load it with the most disgraceful epithets. It is jejune and sterile; barbarous and fulsome; dry, inaccurate, and throughout erroneous: and, after all the amendments and improvements of better hands than the first compiler's, it remains an insipid performance, and worse than any that preceded it. But, after all this accumulation of disgrace, our ingenious Editor has picked up a single testimony in Calepin's favour; but seems to wonder how it could drop from the pen of the celebrated Jacobus Philippus, after he had read that Writer's Dedication of his Dictionary to the Senate and People of Bergamo, and his Poetical Address to the Work itself, at the beginning of it. Philippus says of him, "that he was of a sweet disposition and be haviour." haviour." And as for his book, he calls it "a great and valuable collection of the lucubrations of innumerable learned men, gathered with prodigious labour and industry, and sorted with the nicest accuracy and judgment." He is pleased likewise to style the Epistle the author prefixed to it, a very learned and elegant thing. Perhaps Philippus would have passed a less favourable judgment on Calepin's performance, if he had not been his countryman; of the same age and order with himself; and at the same time his most dear and intimate companion. It is surprizing that a work so mean and despicable should surmount such an universal contempt, pass through such a number of editions, and employ the pains of so many learned men to revise, enlarge, and adorn it, as this of Calepin did. It grew under every posthumous impression; and such vast additions were made to it by a variety of hands, after the author's decease, that, though it still retained his name, it soon became a quite different thing from what he left it. There were but two editions of it in his life-time. The first was at Reggio in Lombardy, in 1502, in folio, upon a very fine letter. It is become extremely scarce. Our Editors have seen it (which is what few can boast of), and have inserted in their Preface the "Allocutio ad Librum" which is prefixed to it, and which does not appear in any of the following editions. that has nothing but its rarity to recommend it, I chuse to omit it here; and observe, that the pages in this first edition were not numbered, but we know they amounted to fifty-five signatures, of four sheets each. The second edition was printed at Venice in 1509, by Liechtenstein: neither Gesner, nor the diligent and inquisitive Borrichius, who saw this, had ever light upon the former one. Our Editors have set down the dates of eighteen editions more that this Dictionary has passed through since the death of Calepin; and suppose several others might be discovered, if it were worth an enquiry. As Amongst Amongst the many contributors to the fame, as much as to the materials of this Lexicon, one of the most eminent was Johannes Passeratius, Regius Professor in the University of Paris. Our Editors have collected a great many encomiums on him, celebrating the politeness of his genius, the purity of his style, and the elegance of his writings: the most accomplished wits of his own time were even ambitious of praising him; always excepting the ill-natured Scaliger, who treats him opprobriously. He was certainly a man of the justest taste, and of a nice discernment, but too difficult to please, very seldom approving the works of others. He was so delicate in this respect, that he could not bear the apprehension of his bones being loaded (as he termed it) even after his death, with inelegant epitaphs and eulogiums. This sentiment is finely expressed in the following one, composed by himself upon the very brink of the grave, and designed, as I suppose, to be inscribed on his sepulchre: "Hic situs in parvâ Janus Passertius urnâ Discipuli memores tumulo date serta magistri, He died at Paris, 1602, in the sixty-eighth year of his age, and was buried in the church of the Dominicans, under a monument erected to his memory by Jo. Jac. Memmius, who styles him his dearest preceptor. This was probably some near relation of the most noble Henricus Memmius, who had been always Passeratius's bountiful patron, and at whose recommendation he was promoted to be Regius Professor of Eloquence in the University of Paris. Our Editors have quoted the inscription on his tomb, but are not entirely satisfied with the style of it. His death was universally lamented; the Literati covered his hearse with their panegyricks: the truth is, in that age they were very liberal of |