LACTANTIUS.

THERE were two editions of Lactantius pub. lished in the same year at Venice, viz. in 1478. One, "impendio Joannis di Colonia, Joannisque Manthen de Gheretzen, 27 Augusti," the other by Andreas de Pattasichis Catarensis and Boninus de Boninis XII. Martii. Both in folio. The last is the most rare, but the former by far the most elegant book.

The first edition of Lactantius was published, In Monasterio Sublacensi, in 1465. A copy of this most rare book was purchased for the King of France from the Valliere Collection for 1830 livres.

There is a most superb copy of this book in the Cracherode Collection, as well as of the edition of 1471. In this last is the following note by Mr. Cracherode.

"A vero aberravit Audiffredy, p. 124, dicens Adamum Lectantii hujus impressorem esse eundem qui Ciceronis Orationes Anno 1472 edidit; nulla enim est inter utriusque characterem paritas. Adeoque Adamus Lactantii Impressor longe discrepat ab Adamo Ciceronem imprimente,

mente, et etiam uterque discrepat ab Adamo Ret Dominici de Sancto Geminiano lecturam super secunda parte decretalium imprimenti, id probante etiam dilucide Characterum disparitate.

Vide F. X. Maire I. L. t. 1. p. 245."

ALEXANDER

in July 1528. He obtained the supreme authority by expelling the faction of the Douglases, who, for their own selfish and ambitious purposes held him in a sort of thraldom.

The STRENA, printed above, was evidently addressed to King James V. on this memorable occasion of his triumph over a factious party.

The first manuscript note informs us how this Poem came into the King's library by purchase, at West's sale. The reference to Herbert's edition of Ames in this manuscript note, should be 1472. The following description which there occurs is curious enough.

"It is a thin quarto it is unique."

The second manuscript note, which is, seemingly, the intimation of a Scotish Antiquary of the last century, is quite apocryphal.

Davidson, who stands at the head of the second dynasty of Scotish printers was appointed printer to the King in December 1541. This STRENA was printed by him before this epoch of his good fortune, otherwise he would have been naturally proud, and have avowed the honourable distinction he had obtained.

I suspect, from various circumstances, that Daviesone, or Davidson, for there was no uniform orthography in these times, did not begin to print in Scotland before the year 1540, whatever the said Scotish Antiquary may affirm, or Herbert may intimate and this year may be, in

my

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