Esopicarum Delectus: Oxon. 1698," octavo, with a view to Dr. Bentley. You may perhaps think it deserving of a place in your Miscellany, for which a copy is transcribed by CANIS IN PRÆSEPI. OXONIENSIS. "Bos post laboris tædia reversus domum In your last volume, it is said that Dr. Bentley did not go beyond the first year in preaching the Boyle's Lectures. But this is a contradiction to the List of Preachers at the end of Dr. Ibbot's Sermons at Boyle's Lectures, 8vo, 1727; where Dr. Bentley is said to have preached the second year, but the sermons were not printed. 1780, May. XV. Anecdotes of Mr. MAITTAIRE, with an Account of his Publications. MR. URBAN, IN answer to the query about Mr. Maittaire, who was born in 1668, accept these hints. Doctor South made him student of Christ Church. (In other words, South, canon of Ch. Ch. brought in Maittaire, canoneer of that house.) He was second master of Westminster-school, from 1695 to 1699. In "Catalogus Librorum Manuscriptorum Angliæ & Hiberniæ, Oxon. 1697," See Boyle's Preface to Phalaris, occurs, "Librorum Manuscriptorum Ecclesiæ Westmonasteriensis Catalogus. Accurante viro erudito Michaele Maittærio." But before the volume was published, the library came to a fearful end; for which see Widmore's "History of Westminster Abbey,” p. 164. The classic authors, which he published, came out in the following order: In 1713, Christus Patiens; Justin; Lucretius; Phædrus Sallust; and Terence. In 1714, the Greek Testament, 2 vols. In 1715, Catullus, Tibullus, and Propertius; Cornelius Nepos; Florus; Horace; Juvenal; Ovid, 3 vols. and Virgil. In 1716, Cæsar's Commentaries; Martial; Quintus Curtius. In 1718 and 1725, Velleius Paterculus. In 1719, Lucan. In 1720, Bonifonii Carmina. And here he appears to have stopped; all the other classics which are ascribed to him having been thus disclaimed, by a memorandum under his own hand, in the latter part of his life: "As the Editor of several classics some years ago printed in 12mo. at Mess. Tonson and Watts's press, thinks it sufficient to be answerable for the imperfections of those editions, without being charged with the odium of claiming what has been put out by Editors much abler than himself; he therefore would acquaint the public, that he had no hand in publishing the following books, which in some newspapers have been advertised under his name, viz. Sophoclis Tragoedia; Homeri Ilias; Musarum Anglicanarum Analecta; Livii Historia; Plinii Epistolæ & Panegyricus; Conciones & Orationes ex Historicis Latinis. M. M." Westminster School is indebted to Mr. Maittaire for "Græcæ Linguæ Dialecti, in usum Schole Westmonasteriensis, 1706;" 8vo. (which was recommended in the warmest terms by Dr. Knipe to the school over which he presided, cui se sua omnia debere fatetur sedulus Author), and for "The English Grammar, applied to, and exemplified in, the English Tongue, 1712," 8vo. In 1711, he published "An Essay against Arianism, and some other Heresies; or a Reply to Mr. William Whiston's Historical Preface and Appendix to his Primitive Christianity revived." 8vo. I will send you a second list of his works for your next number, and, in the mean time, shall be glad if this pro duces any authentic anecdotes. AGREEABLY to promise, I send some further particulars of Mr. Maittaire's very learned publications. In 1709, he gave the first specimen of his great skill in typographical antiquities, by publishing "Stephanorum Historia, vitas ipsorum ac libros complectens," 8vo; which was succeeded in 1717 by "Historia Typographorum aliquot Parisiensium, vitas & libros complectens," 8vo. In 1719," Annales Typographici ab Artis inventæ Origine ad annum MD. Opera Mich. Maittaire, A. M. Haga Com." 4to. To this volume is prefixed, "Epistolaris de antiquis Quintiliani Editionibus Dissertatio, clarissimo viro D. Johanni Clerico." The second volume, divided into two parts, and continued to the year MDXXXVI, was published at the Hague, in 1722; introduced by a letter of John Toland, under the title of "Conjectura verosimilis de prima Typographia Inventione." The third volume, from the same press, in two parts, continued to MDLVII, and, by an Appendix to MDCLXIV, in 1725. In 1733, was published at Amsterdam, what is usually considered as the fourth volume, under the title of "Anñales Typographici ab artis inventæ origine, ad annum MDCLXIV, operâ Mich. Maittaire, A. M. Editio nova, auctior et emendatior, tomi primi pars posterior." The aukwardness of this title has induced many gentlemen to dispose of their first volume, as thinking it superseded by the second edition; but this is by no means the case; the volume of 1719 being equally necessary to complete the set as that of 1733, which is a revision of all the former volumes. In 1741, this excellent work was closed, at London, by "Annalium Typographicorum Tomus Quintus & Ultimus; indicem in tamen quatuor præeuntes complectens;" divided (like the two preceding volumes) into two parts. The whole work, therefore, when properly bound, consists either of five volumes, or of nine; and in nine volumes it was properly described in the catalogue of Dr. Askew, whose elegant copy was sold to Mr. Shaftoe for 101. 5s.-I have de viated from chronological order, to place the "Annales Typographici" in one view. In the intermediate years, however, Mr. Maittaire was diligently employed on various works of value. In 1721, he published "Batrachomyomachia Græcè ad veterum exemplarium fidem recusa: Glossa Græca, variantibus lectionibus, versionibus Latinis, commentariis, & indicibus, illustrata." 8vo. In 1722, "Miscellanea Græcorum aliquot Scriptorum Carmina, cum versione Latina & Notis." 4to. In 1724, he compiled, at the request of Dr. John Freind, (at whose expence it was printed,) an Index to the works of Aretæus, to accompany the splendid edition of that author which appeared from the Clarendon press in 1723. The index is introduced by a short Latin preface. In 1725, an excellent edition of Anacreon, in 4to. of which no more than 100 copies were printed, and the few errata in each copy corrected by his own hand, In 1726, he published "Petri Petiti Medici Parisiensis, in tres priores Åretai Cappadocis Libros Commentarii, nunc primum editi," 4to.. This learned Commentary was found among the papers of Grævius. From 1728 to 1732, he was employed in publishing "Marmorum Arundellianorum, Seidenianorum, aliorum que Academiæ Oxoniensi donatorum, una cum Commentariis & Indice, editio secunda," folio; to which an "Appendix" was printed in 1733. "Epistola D. Mich. Maittaire ad D. P. Des Maizeaux, in qua Indicis in Annales Typographicos Methodus explicatur," &c. is printed in The present State of the Republick of Letters, August 1773, p. 142. The Life of Robert Stephens, revised and corrected by the author, with a new and complete list of his works, is prefixed to the excellent edition of R. Stephens's Thesaurus, 4 volumes in folio, 1734. 66 Antiquæ Inscriptiones duæ, 1736," 4to. These were the Greek and Latin inscriptions on a table of copper, (found at Heraclea) accompanied with a grammatical com mentary. The history of this table is worth preserving. In 1732 two large tables of copper were discovered near Heraclea, in the bay of Tarentum, in Magna Græcia; the first and most important of them, which was broken into two, containing on one side a Greek inscription relat ing to lands sacred to Bacchus; on the other side, a Latin inscription, being part of a pandect or digest of Roman municipal laws. The second table, engraved on one side only, contained a Greek inscription relating to lands belonging to the temple of Minerva, nearly of the same antiquity with the first; but the inscription imperfect, the table being mutilated, and broken off at the lower end. The first part of the first table, soon after its being discovered, was carried to Rome, and purchased there at a great price by Franciscus Ficoronius, a celebrated antiquary. In 1735 it was brought by an Italian into England, where it was purchased by Brian Fairfax, Esq. a commissioner of the customs, a lover of antiquities, and F. S. A. soon after whose death it was purchased of his executors by Philip Carteret Webb, Esq. who in 1760 obliged the world with a curious account of it, read by him before the Society of Antiquaries, Dec. 13, 1759; and by him the table itself was presented, March 12, 1760, to the King of Spain, by the hands of the Neapolitan Minister, in London, to be deposited in the Royal Collection of Antiquities at Naples, where the other half and the second table had been placed by purchase in 1748. The Commentaries of Mazochius on these tables, in 600 folio pages, were published at Naples, in 1758. In 1738, appeared at the Hague, "Græcæ Linguæ Dialecti in Schola Regia Westmonasterii usum, recognitæ operâ Mich. Maittaire. Præfationem & Appendicem in Apollonii Dyserti Fragmento inedito addidit J. F. Reitzius." A De dication was prefixed to the volume by Mr. Maittaire, to the Marquis of Granby, and the Lords Robert and George Manners, his brothers; and a new Preface, dated 3 cal. Octob. 1737. This was again printed at London in 1742. The last publication of Mr. Maittaire was a volume of poems in 4to, 1742, under the title of "Senilia, sive Poetica aliquot in Argumentis varii generis Tentamina." I can recover no other particulars of him than that he took the degree of M. A. at Christ Church, March 23, 1696; and died April 7, 1747. His valuable library was sold by auction the same year. There is a good mezzotinto print of him by Faber, from a painting by B. Dandridge, inscribed "Michael Maittaire, A. M. Amicorum jussu." I shall be glad if this imperfect sketch contributes to preserve the memory of a man whose literary talents deserve to be perpetuated. If any gentleman will take the trouble to amend it, it will give a real pleasure to Yours, &c. 1780, Jan. J. N. |