of the works written by Alphonsus, given by Nic. Antonio in the Bibliotheca Hispana, in which we find no notice of any translation of St. Paul's Epistle to the Hebrews, but only of an Hebrew and Latin Epistle to the Jews residing at Rome: "Epistola, quam misit ex Regno Hispaniæ ad Hebræos, qui sunt in Urbe Romana ad reprehendum eos in sua pertinacia, hebraicè olim scripta, hic tamen Hebraicis Latinâ interpretatione interlineari adjuncta," He died in 1530.30

Beside the editors already named, Alvarez Gomez, who wrote the life of Ximenes in 1560, says that JOHN DE VARGARA, a learned Spaniard, doctor of divinity and pro fessor of philosophy in the university of Alcala, was engaged in preparing for the press, the books termed Libri Sapientiales, viz. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Wisdom, and Ecclesiasticus." Vargara died in 1557.31

Such was the patron, and such were the editors, of the famous Complutensian edition of the Scriptures; a work which, if defective, from the imperfect state of sacred criticism at that period, deserves, nevertheless, the highest praise, as a noble attempt to create attention to the Original Texts of the Divine Oracles; and may justly be regarded as the parent of those more perfect and immense compilations, which have been made since, of the original texts and most important versions.

Another great and important work, sanctioned and patronized by Pope Leo X. was the Latin translation of the Bible, by SANCTES PAGNINUS, This was the first version of the Scriptures from the Original Texts, after the revival of literature in the West. Pagninus, in the preface to his Bible, informs us, that Leo being made acquainted with his design of translating the Old and New

(30) Antonii Biblioth. Hisp. I, p. 45. Rom, 1672, fol.

Le Long, Biblioth, Sacra, I. pp. 83. 303, 304, 462, 465, Paris, fol. 1723.

Ibid. edit Masch; pt. ii. vol. I. sec. 1. p. 13.

(31) Le Long, Biblioth, Sacra, I. pp, 11. 310. et Index. Auctor.

Testament from the Hebrew and Greek originals, he sent to him, and requested to be allowed the inspection of his work. After examining several sheets, he was so satisfied with it, that he immediately ordered that the whole should be transcribed at his own expense, and gave directions that materials should be provided for printing it. A part of it was accordingly executed, but the unexpected death of the pontiff retarded its completion. After the decease of Leo, he removed, first to Avignon, and then to Lyons, where the work was first printed, in 1528, in 4to.by Anthony du Ry, at the expense of his kinsmen Franciscus Turchus, and Dominicus Bertus, citizens of Lucca, and Jacobus de Giuntis, a bookseller of Florence. "This version was the work of twenty-five years, and has been greatly extolled both by Jews and Christians, particularly the Old Testament, as the best Latin version that ever was made from the Hebrew, that of Jerom not excepted;" yet some critics have considered the translation to be too literal, and chiefly useful as a grammatical glossary, and illustrative of the Hebrew idiom. In the translation of the New Testament he was less successful than in the Old, and has too generally adopted the Jewish modes of expression. Though finished in 1518, it was not printed, as we have seen, till 1528, when it was published with the approbation of the Pope; and with the bulls of Adrian VI. and Clement VII. prefixed to it. To the translation of the Bible, he added a Table of the Hebrew, Syriac, and Greek names, contained in the Scriptures, with their derivations and meanings. This was the first Latin Bible in which the verses of each chapter were distinguished and numbered.3

32

SANCTES PAGNINUS, or according to the Italian,

(32) Hody, De Bibl. Text. Orig. lib. iii. pt. ii. pp. 473-480, Fabricy, Titres Primitifs, II. pp. 152-156.

Geddes's Prospectus, pp. 74, 75.

Whittaker's Historical and Critical Enquiry into the Interpretation of the Heb. Scriptures, p. 19. Camb. 1819, 8vo.

SANTE PAGNINI, was born at Lucca, in 1466, and afterwards became an ecclesiastic of the order of St. Dominic. He was accurately skilled in the Latin, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, and Chaldee tongues; yet was supposed to excel particularly in the Hebrew. He diligently applied himself to a comparison of the Vulgate Bible, with the original Texts, and believing it either not to be the translation of Jerom, or greatly corrupted, undertook to form a new version, which he effected with great credit, producing a translation, which has been, in a great measure, the model of all succeeding Latin versions.

Beside the translation of the Bible, Pagninus was the author of several other valuable works; the following are particularly deserving notice:

"Thesaurus Linguæ Sanctæ, seu Lexicon Hebraicum, printed at Lyons, 1529, fol." "Institutiones Linguæ "Isagoge ad mysticos

Hebraica; Lyons, 1526, 8vo." S. Scripturæ sensus; Lyons, fol. 1536." In this work he explains cabalistically, the principal part of Job, and Solomon's Song, and the whole of the 7th. chapter of the 1st. Epistle to the Corinthians. "Catena Argenteœ;" or commentaries compiled from the Fathers and others, on the Pentateuch and Psalms.

He died at Lyons, in 1541, (or according to Le Long, in 1536,) and was buried there. A marble monument was raised to his memory, in the choir of the church of the Dominicans.33

SACRED LITERATURE revived with the general cultivation of science and letters; the Oriental languages were more extensively known and studied; and the Holy Scriptures began to be regarded as the purest source of theology and ethics; and though profound ignorance, and depravity, of manners still reigned generally in the church, many of the clergy deemed it their duty to acquaint (33) Sixt. Senens. Biblioth. Sanct. lib. iv. p. 375.

Le Long, Biblioth. Sacra, II. pp. 890. 1178, 1188. Paris, 1723.

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themselves with the original languages; and several rose to considerable eminence as Biblical critics and exposi tors. The pursuits of Oriental and Sacred learning extended to the laity, and there were not wanting scholars among them, whose extent of information, and critical research, placed them in the foremost rank of theological students and authors. To the names of learned ITALIANS already noticed, we may add those of Cardinal CAJETAN; THESEUS AMBROSIUS; FELIX PRATENSIS; and ALDUS MANUTIUS.

Cardinal CAJETAN, whose proper name was THOMAS DE V10, was born in 1469, at Cajeta, a town in the kingdom of Naples, from which he assumed the surname of Cajetan. Entering into the order of St. Dominic, he rose successively to be general of his order, archbishop of Palermo, and at length cardinal and legate. He was employed in various negociations with foreign powers; but is chiefly distinguished by his opposition to Luther; and by his translation of the principal part of the BIBLE. Sent by Leo X. to suppress the rising influence of Luther and his friends, he displayed all the subtilty and imperiousness of the Romish legate; so that even Erasmus described him as a furious, imperious, and insolent ecclesiastic. We are, therefore, not surprised to learn that his legatine authority proved utterly inadequate to silence the intrepid reformer, or to stop the progress of the Reformation. But whilst we detest his unhallowed conduct as the legate of the pope, we regard him with respect, when, as the minister of the sanctuary, we find him studying the Sacred Volume, and labouring to transfuse the invaluable truths of Scripture, into a literal translation of the Word of God. Of this version of the Scriptures nto Latin, Dr. Geddes gives the following account; "The famous Cardinal de Vio Cajetan, who, amidst a multiplicity of state affairs, found means to devote a part of every day to serious study, left behind him, among other

laborious productions, a translation of a great part of the Bible. As he was totally ignorant of the Hebrew, he employed two learned persons, a Jew and a Christian, as his interpreters; and having a sound judgment, and discerning taste, he succeeded much better than could be expected. But his version was formed on this erroneous principle, that a translation of the Scripture cannot be too literal; should it even for that reason be unintelligible. This prepossession made him judge unfavourably of the Vulgate, which he often censures without reason; for which cause some zealots have unjustly taxed him with heresy. His translation has much the same faults with that of Pagninus; and may be of much the same use to the Hebrew student. It was printed with his Commentary, at Lyons, in the year 1639." The books of Scripture contained in this translation, were those of the Pentateuch, Joshua, Judges, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Job, the Psalms, Proverbs, and the three first chapters of Isaiah. These, with his commentary, form five volumes in folio. The Psalms were printed separately, at Venice, 1530, fol. accompanied with the Vulgate version. At the commencement he explains his mode of translation.

A list of the rest of his works may be found in Freher's Theatrum Virorum Eruditione Clarorum, pars I. pp. 27, 28, Noriberg, 1688, fol. He died August 10th. 1534.*

THESEUS AMBROSIUS, or according to his Italian name, TESEO AMBROGIO, one of the first oriental scholars of his day, and regular canon of the Lateran, was of the noble family of the Conti d' Albonese, and born at Pavia, in 1469. He visited Rome in the year 1512, at the opening of the fifth session of the Lateran council, which commenced under Julius II. and was continued under Leo X. (34) Freheri Theatrum, pt. i. pp. 27, 28.

Geddes's Prospectus, p. 78.

Jortin's Life of Erasmus, I. p. 260.

Le Long, edit, Masch, pt, ii. vol. III. cap, iii, sec. 1. pp. 490. 528.