my opinion, safely assigned as the real period when the Strena was printed. As to its merit as a composition, no great deal can be said. The author seems to have been tolerably well read in the Classics, and has borrowed very freely from Ovid. As a whole, however, it is far from contemptible. ARISTEAS. ARIȘTEAS, the presumed author of this book, was an officer in the service of Ptolemy Philadelphus, and of Jewish extraction. This Ptolemy desired Eleazar, the High Priest of the Jews, to send him some persons properly qualified to translate the Books of the Jewish Law out of Hebrew into Greek. Eleazar selected seventy-two for this purpose, from which circumstance this Version obtained the name of the Septuagint. This book of Aristeas gives the history of this Version; but it is fabulous, and not the work of Aristeas, a heathen, and an officer of Ptolemy, but of an Hellenistic Jew of Alexandria. That it was an imposture, there can be no doubt, from the numerous anachronisms by which it is distinguished. In sanction of this opinion, Archbishop Usher thus expresses himself in his Historia Dogmatica Controversiæ inter Orthodoxos et Pontificios de Scripturis et Sacris Vernaculis. P. 317. "Non illubens equidem concedo Aristeæ historiam ab Impostore quodam Judæo longe post Philadelphi tempora confectam esse, ante Phi lonis tamen et Josephi tempora a quibus laudatur emissam constat." Consult Simon Histoire Critique du Vieux Testament. L. 2. C. 2. "Il est certain, que pour peu qu'on fasse de reflexion sur l'histoire d'Aristée en la lisant avec application, on sera convaincu que quelque Juif Helleniste a écrit ce livre sous le nom d'Aristée en faveur de sa nation. Les miracles qui y sont rapportés, et la maniere même dont tout le livre est écrit, representent parfaitement l'esprit des Juifs," &c. &c. See also Dodwell de Veter, Græcorum Romanorumque Cyclis. CONSTAN CONSTANTINI LASCARIS BYZANTINI. Grammatica Græca, &c. Mediolani, per Dionysium Paravisinum. Anno 1476. 4to. THIS is one of the scarcest books in the world, and is the first Greek book that was printed. See it imperfectly described by De Bure, No. 2217, who had only seen one copy, and that wanted the letter of Demetrius Cretensis, which is prefixed; which letter De Bure, in more than one place, describes as Epitre Lascaris. See also Maittaire Annal. Typograph. Tom. I. p. 146. "Latini jam ex omni penè facultate et scientia libri in cruditorum manus per plurimas passim Europæ partes Typographicæ artis auxilio venerant. Græca autem lingua non adeò frequentabatur; nec à prima artis origine usque ad annum 1480, ullus liber mihi occurrit integer eo sermone excusus præter Lascaris Grammaticam, ann. 1476." The beautiful copy of this book, which is in the Cracherode Collection, was bequeathed him as a legacy by the learned Mr. Crofts, as appears by by the following note in Mr. Cracherode's hand writing. "Legatum ex Testamento amicissimi Viri. Thomæ Crofts, M. A. Anno MDCCLXXXI." This copy is perfect, and has the letter of Demetrius Cretensis both in Greek and Latin, which De Fure had not seen. Dr. Askew's Lascar of this date was purchased for the Royal library for 211. 10s. and this was very cheap. It would now produce at least 50 pounds. There was no copy, either in the Pinelli or the Valliere Collections. It is also not unworthy of remark, that an edition of Lascar was the first book published at the Aldine Press. It appeared in 1494. IONATII |