a new world of letters. Whether he might not add much to the benefits he has already conferred on the learned, by availing himself of his present office to facilitate the admission of the studious into the inestimable library over which he presides, is not now the question; but it is certain, that he deserves the most grateful thanks, and the highest honours, for his sedulous efforts in restoring many valuable fragments, especially if they be contrasted with the supineness of the learned in general on a subject of such marvellous interest, and which would seem altogether incredible, had not experience taught us that great discoveries are always matured slowly, and do not for some time - produce the fruit that might be expected.

We will relate some of the performances of the learned prelate, always, however, studiously affecting brevity, and being willing rather to be blamed for the scantiness and imperfection of our narrative, than to fall into the odious and intolerable sin of prolixity. We will speak first of the discovery of some fragments of the orations of Cicero. He gives the following account of his good fortune, in an agreeable preface:- In examining carefully some manuscripts in the Ambrosian Library at Milan, 'I observed that one of great antiquity was a Palimpsest. This manuscript had belonged to the convent of Bobio, a monastery ' of Liguria, situated in the midst of the Apennines, which was 'founded by St Columbanus, A.D. 612, and of which the monks 'obtained considerable reputation, not only for sanctity, but for 'learning also. Gerbertus, a Frenchman by birth, who was Pope, under the name of Sylvester II. and was so famous for his learning, that he is one of those who are reported to have 'sold their souls to the devil, was head of the monastery in the "tenth century, and he added greatly to the reputation of the 'place, and to the contents of the library. The Cardinal Fre'deric Borromeo, who founded the Ambrosian Library at the 'beginning of the seventeenth century, purchased the principal part of the collection at Bobio, and brought it to Milan. Whilst I was examining these manuscripts, I remarked that one, which contained some of the writings of Sedulius, a Christian poet, which had already been published, was a Palimp'sest; and on looking very closely and attentively, I discovered traces of the former writing under the latter. O Deus im"mortalis, repentè clamorem sustuli, quid demum video! En ""Ciceronem, en lumen Romanæ facundiæ, indignissimis tenebris ""circumseptum! Agnosco deperditas Tullii orationes! sentio "ejus eloquentiam ex his latebris divina quadam vi fluere, abun"dantem sonantibus verbis uberibusque sententiis." He read the titles pro Scauro,' pro Tullio,' and 'pro Flacco,' and was

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able, with some trouble, to decipher the whole of the fragments of these three lost orations. They are written in large and very beautiful letters, each page being divided into three columns. The oration pro Scauro was accompanied by scholia, elegantly written in small letters of a square form, and there were others in characters of a ruder shape, but still ancient. He supposes, for reasons that are given at length, that all the scholia were the production of the celebrated Asconius Pedianus. These three fragments, with the scholia, were published at Milan.

On another occasion, in looking over the manuscripts from Bobio, he observed, that one, which contained a Latin translation of the proceedings of the Council of Chalcedon, was a Palimpsest also; the more ancient writing was in large and handsome characters, larger, but less beautiful, than that which contained the fragments of the three orations already named; and there were two columns only in each page, which circumstance testifies that the writing is somewhat more modern, than where there are three. He perceived that it contained parts of three other unpublished orations of Cicero, with annotations, which were also unpublished, and some unpublished commentaries on four orations which we possess. The learned editor published the whole of these fragments in one volume, in the year 1817, correcting and amending those which he had before sent forth. Quis enim,' he says, tanto sit inflatus errore, ut quæ summo 'cum labore, difficultate, miseriaque, e palimpsestorum involucris expediverit, eadem credat, veluti armatam Minervam e Jovis cerebro, omnibus numeris absoluta se in lucem emittere '-tum etiam in notis meis quidquid pingui Minerva egeram, id accuratiore eruditione refeci.' This edition is entitled, M. Tullii Ciceronis sex orationum partes, ante nostram æta• tem ineditæ, cum antiquo interprete, qui videtur Asconius 'Pedianus, ad Tullianos septemtriones. Accedunt scholia minora vetera.' We cannot doubt that the learned editor had some trouble in deciphering the manuscript; but it is plain, that he is not disposed to underrate his labours. He enumerates, amongst his toils, that of arranging the pages; to describe the inversion, dispersion, and wonderful perturbation of which, he uses three epithets, having, however, told us the page but one before, that the number of the leaves amounted, in all, only to eleven or twelve. But we may excuse the desire so natural to persons who have assisted in making extraordinary discoveries, to magnify the value and the difficulty of their own efforts; it is a miserable economy to be sparing of praise.

The new characters are sometimes written across the old, as in the fragment of the oration pro Scauro,' where the lines are

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at right angles; sometimes, as in the fragment pro are alieno Milonis,' the page is inverted, and the letters are placed in the spaces between the erased lines, so that the letters may be described as being foot to foot, the latter writer appearing commonly to avoid treading in the very steps of his predecessor. Whenever he has neglected this precaution, and placed the later letters immediately upon the ancient, it is of course more difficult to decipher them; but the difference in the form and colour is still a great help, and the difficulty of reading the Palimpsests is greatly magnified. It is not to be denied, that the interest of a novel would soon begin to flag, if there was no other method of making out the story; but as the manuscript is to be read once only, that it may be copied and printed, there is no great hardship in picking out the text, letter by letter, for that purpose; many ancient documents that have not undergone the process of washing, or scraping, are quite as illegible, the ink being as pale, and the ground as dark, as in any Palimpsest whatever. A good magnifying glass is of great use in reading obscure and faded manuscripts; and we cannot doubt that this obvious expedient was adopted to smooth in some measure the difficulties of deciphering the Palimpsests, although we are not informed that it was in fact. A powerful microscope might, perhaps, be useful in examining manuscripts in the first instance; it might discover traces of the ancient writing, that were too minute to be seized by the naked eye; and in thus examining many parchments, such a familiarity with the appearances might be formed by this instrument, that a practised observer might be able to decide at once, whether the surface was in its original state, or had undergone the process of erasure.

The manuscripts which contained these fragments of the Orations of Cicero, would of themselves prove the great antiquity of the practice of rescription; for it is supposed that the oration 'pro Scauro' was obliterated in the 8th century. The learned editor informs us, on the high authority of Montfaucon, that it was common with Latin more early than with Greek manuscripts; the former are found of as remote a date as the 7th century, but of the latter he had not met with one, in which the second writing was older than the 11th century. The editor observes, that in both these manuscripts the ancient writing was as much superior to the more modern, as the matter it contains was more precious; both the form and the substance were more excellent. Respecting the more modern matter he remarks, not unfairly, Sed enim et illud fatendum est plerosque Palimpses6 tos, Christiana argumenta, immo ipsos divinos libros excepisse,

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quorum materiam, quamquam religionis gratia exosculamur, ' eam tamen vacuas membranas multo mallemus occupasse.'

A handsome work, published at Milan in the year 1815, in 2 vols. 8vo, bearing the title, M. Cornelii Frontonis Opera inedita, cum Epistulis item ineditis Antonini Pii, M. Aurelii, L. Veri et Appiani, necnon aliorum veterum fragmentis, invenit et commentario prævio notisque illustravit Angelus Maius,' is another proof of the industry of the learned editor. This manuscript was also in the Ambrosian Library; it is a Palimpsest, and the latter writing was a part of the history of the Council of Chalcedon; it was unhappily much damaged, and is altogether in a very imperfect state. The editor thus expresses his joy at the discovery, O præclarum antiquitatis studium, commemorandasque Bibliothecarum divitias! quæ doctorum Cæsarum sapientissimum, oratorem summum, gravem historicum, philosophum perfectum, grammaticum castigatissimum, epistularum ludicrorumque scriptorem politissimum, Latinæ Græcæque litteraturæ auctorem egregium, 'miserrimo excidio jamdiu ereptum, cælesti nunc munere in lu'cem reducunt!' The commemoranda Bibliothecarum divitiæ are found in England, as well as in Milan, but the præclarum 'antiquitatis studium' is unfortunately wanting. The prefatory commentary is written in a lively style; it is copious and interesting, and highly honourable to the learning and industry of the editor. Fronto was a very voluminous writer, and composed works on various subjects, amongst which we find enumerated Invectiva in Christianos.' He was considered to hold the next place in eloquence to Cicero; though his style was very different; for he is said to have united the siccum' and the ' grave,' which was then esteemed a wonderful union. We must take these words, we suppose, in a learned and unusual sense, for, according to the unlearned and usual meaning, dry and heavy speakers are common enough, even in these degenerate days. Fronto was equally skilled in Greek and Latin; there are several of his Greek epistles in these volumes, the first of which is addressed to M. Aurelius, and is on a very extraordinary subject. The writings of so remarkable a person would be in themselves interesting, but they become doubly curious from having been thus marvellously rescued from destruction. As a specimen, therefore, of the style of Fronto, we select the fragment of an oration, entitled, de Testamentis transmarinis.' The learned editor supposes, in the preface, that it had been ordered by an imperial decree, that all wills made in the provinces should be brought to Rome unopened; it being the custom, as is well known, to seal up a will at the time of making it, and not to open it until the

death of the testator; and he cites, although with some doubt, the Code of Justinian, 1. 6. tit. 23. leg. 18. as repealing this supposed law in these words, Testamenta omnia, &c., in eodem loco rescrventur, nec usquam permittatur fieri ulla translatio.' Fronto argues thus

Tuis autem decretis, Imperator, exempla publicè valitura in perpetuum sanciuntur. Tanto major Tibi vis et potestas quam Fatis adtributa est! Fata quid singulis nostrum eveniat statuunt; Tu, ubi quid in singulos decernis, ibi universos exemplo adstringis. Quare si hoc decretum tibi, Proconsul, placuerit, formam dederis omnibus omnium provinciarum magistratibus, quid in ejusmodi causa decernant. Quid igitur eveniet? Illud scilicet, ut Testamenta omnia, ex longinquis transmarinis provinciis, Romam ad cognitionem tuam deferantur. Filius exheredatum se suspicabitur? Postulabit ne patris tabule aperiantur. Idem filia postulabit, nepos, abnepos, frater, consobrinus patruus, avunculus, amita, matertera, omnia necessitudinum nomina hoc privilegium invadent, ut tabulas aperiri vetent, ipsi possessione jure sanguinis fruantur. Causa denique Romam emissa, quid eveniet? Heredes scripti navigabunt, exheredati autem in possessione remanebunt, diem de die ducent dilationes petentes, fora variis excusationibus trahent. Hiems est; et crudum mare hibernum est; adesse non potuit. Ubi hiems præterierit, vernæ tempestates incertæ et dubiæ moratæ sunt. Ver exactum est? Estas est calida, et sol navigantes urit, et homo nauseat, aut volnus sequitur: poma culpabuntur, et languor excusabitur. Fingo hæc et comminiscor, quia in hac causa nonne hoc ipsum evenit? Ubi est adversarius, qui jampridem ad agendam causam adesse debuerat? In itinere est. Quo tandem in itinere? Ex Asia venit. Et est adhuc in Asia. Magnum iter et festinatum. Navibusne, an equis, an diplomatibus facit hæc tam velocia stativa? Proposita cognitione rursum a te duum mensium petitur dilatio. Duo menses exacti sunt? Idibus proximis et dies medii isti aliquot. Venit tandem? Si nondum venit, saltem adpropinquat; si nondum a lpropinquat, saltem profectus ex Asia est; si nondum profectus, at saltem cogitat. Quid ille cogitet aliud, quam bonis alienis incubare, fructus diripere, agros vastare, rem omnem dilapidare? Non ille ita stultus est, ut malit venire ad Cæsarem, et vinci, quam remanere in Asia, et possidere. Qui mos si fuerit inductus, ut defunctorum testamenta ex provinciis transmarinis Romam mittantur, indignius et acerbius testamentorum periculum erit, quam si corpora huc advehantur eorum qui trans maria testantur. Num his quidem nullum ferè gravius periculum superveniet? Sepultura cadaveribus in ipsis injuriis præsto est. Sive maria naufragos devorent, sive flumina præcipites trahant, sive arenæ obruant, sive feræ lacerent, sive volucres discerpant, corpus humanum satis sepelitur ubicumque consumitur. At ubi testamentum naufragio submersum est, illa demum et res et domus et familia naufraga et insepulta est. Olim testamenta ex Deorum munitissimis ædibus proferebantur, aut tabulariis, aut lucis, aut archiis, aut opis thodomis. At jam testamenta prope—'

There is much spirit, singular perspicuity, and a remarkable