Bentleii, and purchasers are deluded by the idea of its being the production of the illustrious Master of Trinity College, whose name every body has heard associated with that of Callimachus.

The edition of Ernesti appeared at Leipsic in 1761, in two volumes comprising above sixteen hundred closely printed pages. The following is the history of this publication given by Wyttenbach in Vita Ruhnkenii, p. 79. A design of reprinting the edition of Grævius being entertained by the Leyden booksellers, Ruhnken was induced by his regard and partiality for Ernesti, with whom he had been acquainted at Wittenberg, to suggest to him a full and complete edition of Callimachus, as an undertaking for which he was qualified, at the same time offering him the assistance of the three most learned Grecians then in existence, Hemsterhuis, Valckenaer, and himself. It is to be remarked that he had already, in his second Epistola Critica addressed to Ernesti and published in 1751, given a large and important collection of Notes on Callimachus. Ernesti undertook the task, and soon after sent for the inspection of his friend at Leyden, the Notes which he proposed to insert. Both Ruhnken and Hemsterhuis were surprised and disappointed at finding them poor and meagre: they were therefore returned to Ernesti, with exhortations to improve and render them more worthy of a new edition; and the sources were pointed out, from which he might draw the requisite information. At the same time he was again advised to apply for the assistance of Valckenaer, who had accumulated valuable materials for explaining and emending the fragments. Accordingly the Notes received additions and improvements, but not a word from Valckenaer, whose assistance Ernesti would not ask, for fear his own Notes might be obscured by the superior merit of those of his coadjutors. The truth of this account, so little creditable to Ernesti, has been of late disputed; nor are we able to corroborate it: but from the examination of the book itself, we certainly suspect that the editor was fearful of enriching the work with those things which would have added to its intrinsic value, but would have eclipsed his own share of the performance. Thus, while his pages are crowded with remarks upon Hymns by Stephanus, Vulcanius, Anna Fabri, Theodore Grævius, and all the preceding annotators, except Frischlinus and Voetius, we find scarcely a note of David Ruhnken, who in learning and taste surpassed them all except Bentley, and whose friendship

the

deserved some more solid acknowledgement than bare thanks. Mr. Blomfield is the first editor of Callimachus, who has brought the contents of Ruhnken's Epistola Critica to illustrate and correct the poet. In the fragments indeed, Ernesti's obligations to his friend were too great to be disguised: it appears pretty clear that for the whole of his Auctarium Fragmentorum he was indebted to Ruhnken.

The Hymns and Epigrams of Callimachus are comprised in the first volume of Brunck's Analecta Græca. His notes are given in the third volume, and discover the same talent and acute perception of the Greek language, along with the same marks of hurry and rashness as his other writings.

Mr. Blomfield has first given the text of the Hymns and Epigrams, with the various readings of the editions of Lascaris and Robortellus at the bottom of the page. Then follow the Notes: those borrowed from other critics, are principally the property of Bentley, Ruhnken, and Ernesti; but it is our duty to mention, that the author of the greater part of the Annotations is Mr. Blomfield himself. The collection of Fragments, quoted from various writers, occupying, with the comments upon them one hundred and seventy pages, has now been enlarged to the number of five hundred and eleven. These numerous quotations form strong proof of the estimation in which the various writings of Callimachus were formerly held while in modern times, they have been the means of exercising the ingenuity and learning of the ablest Scholars who have devoted themselves to Greek literature.

LITERARY INTELLIGENCE.

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS.-We have the pleasure of announcing to the public an undertaking, which promises to assist and promote the study of the Greek language more than any work that ever appeared in this country. It is a Greek and English Lexicon, which will be published under the auspices of the University. The author is the Rev. E. V. Blomfield, Fellow of Emanuel College, a gentleman whose talents and classical acquirements are well known to every one who takes an interest

in the literary reputation of Cambridge. Such a work has long been considered a desideratum: and it is the opinion of many competent judges, that the defective knowledge of the Greek language so generally remarked, is owing to its being acquired by the student through the medium of the Latin, at a time when that language is itself but imperfectly understood. It is the intention of Mr. Blomfield to give distinctly the meanings borne by each word in writers of different classes, and in different ages of the language. In the prosecution of his work, he avails himself of all accessible aids from existing Lexicons, and from the Indexes of late editions. Among other aids, may be mentioned that of Schneider's Greek and German Lexicon, which is highly esteemed by his countrymen, and of which Mr. Blomfield's knowledge of the German language enables him to avail himself. The work will have the benefit of assistance and revision from some of the ablest scholars which this country contains. In the explanation of the Greek particles, which may, generally speaking, be better rendered in English than in Latin, the new Lexicon will have singular advantages: and so great is the number of additional words, that it will be much the most copious Thesaurus of the Greek language yet compiled.

It is well known that the project of a Greek and English Lexicon was entertained by the late Gilbert Wakefield a short time before his death. That the design was not executed, the world has no cause to regret; since his rashness, bad taste, and, above all, his deplorable want of accuracy rendered him peculiarly unfit for the office of a lexicographer. That so extensive and laborious a work should have been undertaken by a person of Mr. Blomfield's endowments, and at his period of life, was rather to have been wished than expected. The patronage of the University has been on the present occasion extended with a liberality which was called for by the importance of the work, and the high opinion entertained of the qualifications of the Gentleman who has engaged in it. The dimensions of the Lexicon cannot be calculated with accuracy: but it is expected to be comprised in one large quarto volume.

Professor Monk's edition of the Alcestis of Euripides is in the press, and will 'ere long be published.

Mr. Kidd has commenced printing his new edition of Dawes's Miscellanea Critica.

Dr. Butler's edition of Eschylus will shortly be finished, the Indexes only remaining unprinted; they will complete the last volume.

We congratulate the literary world on the appearance of Dr. Maltby's Thesaurus Græca Poeseos. Our readers are already acquainted with our opinion of the value and extreme utility of this work to the Student, and indeed to every reader of the Greek poets: having seen something of it during its progress through the press, we are enabled to speak in terms of confident and warm commendation both of the plan, and the execution. We feel satisfaction and exultation at seeing a work, which was suggested and recommended by Porson, completed in so able a manner. To the Prosody of Morell are affixed Notes by Dr. Maltby, who has himself added a systematic account of the Greek metres, availing himself of the lights thrown upon the subject by modern scholars. The appearance of the book is uncommonly beautiful it consists of about 1250 quarto pages, and is printed with the Porsonian types.

The publication of the Persæ of Æschylus has been already mentioned. There is another work lately printed at our press, which claims our notice; an ingenious and very learned dissertation upon the origin and language of the Pelasgi, by the Rev. Dr. Herbert Marsh. The title is Hora Pelasgica; the first part only is yet published. We shall probably in the next Number give an account of its contents; to which our readers are in some degree entitled, since it was originally intended by Dr. Marsh as an essay for insertion in the Museum Criticum: but the subject was found to have swelled to an extent which was incompatible with the limits of our publication.

An English translation of Matthiæ's Greek Grammar, from the German, is in hand.

EXTRACTS

OF

LETTERS AND PAPERS

RELATING TO THE

EGYPTIAN INSCRIPTION OF ROSETTA.

I. Remarks on the ancient Egyptian Manuscripts. From the ARCHEOLOGIA XVIII. 61. [Read 19 May 1814.]

SPECIMENS of Egyptian manuscripts have been exhibited by Rigorde, Montfaucon, and Caylus, from linen bandages of mummies: Denon has published two others from papyrus. There are two rolls of papyrus in tolerable preservation in the gallery of the British Museum, and one in the possession of the Society of Antiquaries; and it is said that many others have lately been brought to Paris. It may be observed, that these manuscripts exhibit a greater diversity of characters than could be expected from the use of any one alphabet; but Mr. Akerblad does not hesitate to consider those, which he has seen, as written in the same character which is exhibited in the stone of Rosetta: and if we allow the truth of his conclusions respecting this inscription, it must be confessed that the letters employed in it have been combined and diversified in such a manner, as to present appearances of a much greater number. The specimens of the Zendish, the Sassanidian, and the Phenician alphabets, which have been subjoined, on the authorities of Anquetil, Silvestre de Sacy, and Henley, will serve to show not only how nearly some of the forms, assigned to the different letters by Akerblad, agree with those which are found in the oldest alphabets of the neighbouring countries, but also how great a diversity was allowed in these alphabets to the characters appropriated to each letter, and to the values assigned to each character. It is useless to enquire whether the common alphabet of the manuscripts and the inscription is more properly denominated the epistolographic, as most authors would probably term it, or the hieratic, as Akerblad is inclined to call it; and the