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was expected from Denmark. This laft named prince had a powerful partizan in the famous Earl Godwin, whofe attachment to him arofe in fome degree from the favours which Knud and Emma had heaped on him, but still more from his unbounded ambition; because he conceived, that if the two crowns fhould be united under one head, the king must neceffarily be ablent on fome occafions in Denmark, which would not be the cafe if each kingdom was governed by its own monarch. The earl's wife befides was a Dane. Haideknud had also an additional fource of power in his mother's treasures; for immediately on the death of the king, Emma removed to a nunnery at Winchefter, and carried with her all the money that Knud had left her, which the pro mifed to give to her favourite the moment he landed in England. Hardeknud's party, in order to weaken the intereft of Harald, fpread a report that he was not the fon of Knud, but that his mother artfully feigned that he was pregnant, and that on her pretended lying.in, the fon of a fhoe maker was privately conveyed to her chamber, which the paffed off as the fon of the king. But as Knud had a fecond fon, Svend, by the fame queen, they they alfo gave out that he was the fon of a priest, and that the king never fufpected the deceit. Thus every bafe attempt was made, through the wicked medium of party views, to blacken the memory of the innocent mother, in order to impair the intereft of her fons. But what will not ambition do, when the object is a crown!

"The banished English Princes, Alfred and Edward, (the fons of Ethelred by Emma,) were scarce ever thought of, though they lived in a neighbouring state; namely, Normandy. They could expect no affiftance to regain their right from the Duke of Normandy, who was then only eight years old and it is well known, that their own mother bore them little affection, as the never liked their father; but was fond of Knud; and all her maternal affections were certered in Hardeknud; fo that the exiled princes had but a fmall party in England, which was then divided between Hardeknud and Harald. Matters had now come to fuch a crifis, that every thing bore the appearance of a civil war; in the dread of that event, men, women, and children, fled for refuge to the monafleries. The thinking part of the natives, anxious to avert fuch an aw. ful irritation of Providence, propofed that a meeting fhould be held at Oxford, in

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order that the fenfe of the heads of the nation might be taken on the fituation of public affairs. Both parties accordingly met, the powerful Earl Leofric of Leicefter, was called to the chair; and after a very stormy debate, it was at length refolved, that Harald fhould be invested with the regal power, fo long as his brother Hardeknud remained in Denmark. Earl Godwin, and all the nobility in Weffex, oppofed this refolution; but on finding that it was likely to be carried by a large majority, they yielded to it at laft. The artful Earl Godwin though he yielded, did it with a view of gaining time, in hopes that, in the interval, Hardeknud would come over from Denmark. And as he faw that Harald entertained fome fears from the party of the exiled princes, which was gathering ftrength in England, he began to contrive how he might improve that circumftance in favour of Hardeknud; and at the fame time, he wished to get rid of thofe unhappy exiles, who might one day prove a thorn in the fide of his favourite. Harald and the earl laid a plot together, with different views undoubtedly, to take away their lives. To accomplish this abominable end, Harald caufed the following letter to be written to Alfred and Edward, in the name of Einma:-"Deareft fons, at the fame time that we lament the death of our lord and king, and that your lawful kingdom is daily rent in pieces from you, it fills me with furprize to think that you can remain quiet under fuch afflicting circumftances. The ufurper, who has feized on your rights, gathers daily ftrength. flies from place to place, and through promifes, gifts, entreaties, and threats, adds to the number of his partizans; yet, withal, they would much rather that one of you fhould rule over them, than one who has impofed an intolerable yoke on them. I earnestly request that one of you will come hattily and privately over to me, that we may confult what is beft to be done on an occafion that will not admit of the least delay. Let me know by the bearer what you intend to do. Live and be happy, vitals of my heart." Alfred, the youngest, with his brother's confent, on the receipt of this letter, prepared to fet out for England. In his way he called on Baldwin Earl of Flanders, who kindly received him, and advifed him in vain to take a party of his own foldiers with him; but Alfred thought himfelf fufficiently fecure with a party of men that he found in Boulogne ready to accompany him. Having landed at Sand

He

wich,

wich, he proceeded to Canterbury, where he was met by Earl Godwin, who ftretched forth his right hand to the prince, fwore fealty to him, and took him under his protection. They propofed travelling by a circuitous route to London. When they came to Guildford, a royal feat in Surrey, Godwin divided his people into parties of twenty, twelve, and ten, and affigned apartments to each. Having entertained Altred, and his men, with abundance of meat and drink, they retired to reft; but as foon as they were all fallen into a deep fleep, Godwin's followers, well armed, crept privately into the houfes where the guests were lodged, removed their weapons, and bound them hand and foot in iron chains. The next morning they were led out in this fituation to the amount of fix hundred; they were feated in rows; fome were beheaded, and fome were fcalped. The prince himfelf was brought to London. With his hands tied behind his back, he was led into the prefence of Harald, who gave way to the moft indecorous joy on feeing the royal youth in chains. The king ordered the

heads to be ftruck off of two of the unhappy prince's attendants in his prefence. Alfred, half naked, was placed on a horse, and his feet tied beneath; in this manner he was conducted along the fea coast to Ely, where the foldiers were encouraged to treat him with all manner of indignity. A guard of the meaneft wretches that could be picked out was placed round his perfon. After experiencing a thousand mockeries and infults, he was condemned to lose his eyes. In order to carry this fentence into execution, he was conveyed on board a fhip, two perfons food over him, and held his arms; another fat on his breaft, and one on his legs; but fuch was their impatience to root out his eyes, that the point of the knife penetrated into his brain, of which wound he happily died in a few days. During all the time of his captivity, he was allowed only a little coarfe bread and water. I write the hiftory of men-and of men who called themfelves Chriftians! The monks of Ely begged his body, which they decently buried on the right hand side of their church."

MEMOIRS OF EMINENT PERSONS.

ACCOUNT of ALDO MANUZIO, the famous

THE

VENETIAN PRINTER.

HE three Manucci of Venice-men who contributed much more than any of their contemporaries to the reftoration of the learning of Greece and Rome in modern times have been lately made the fubjects of an highly curious and learned work, by Mr. Renouard, of Paris. The new light which his refearches have thrown upon many parts of their lives and literary exertions, encourages us now to make the elder Aldo, with his affiftance, the matter of a fhort memoir.

Aldo Manuzio, the elder, was born about the beginning of the year 1447. The place of his buth was Baffiano, a fmall town in the duchy of Sermonetta, fituate near Velletri, and in the vicinity of the Pomptine Marthes. His baptifmal name, Aldo, is a contraction of Theobaldo, according to the Italian fashion.

In his early youth, he studied under a teacher who knew of no bet er elementary book for his first inftruction in the Latin language, than the Doctrinale of Alexander de Ville-Dieu. The rules of this grammar, Aldo was obliged to get by art at a time when he could not well understand them. And, as it feems, he

could never afterwards forgive this grammar for the trouble which it then occafioned to him.

He went next to Rome, and there received leffons from Gafpar of Verona, and from Domizio Calderino, who was a native of the fame city. Under thefe malters, his proficiency was rapid. He retained through life a grateful fenfe of the utility of their inftructions; and in several of his Prefaces, he has mentioned their talents and erudition in terms of the highest respect. They were his mafters in Latin literature only.

He went to Ferrata to ftudy Greek under the celebrated G. Batt. Guarini, who then taught the Greek language and lite rature with great fuccefs in that city.

It feems to have been at Ferrara, that, Aldo became preceptor to young Alberto Pio, Prince of Carpi, nephew, by a fifter, to the famous Giovanni Pico, Prince of Mirandula; or, he rather, perhaps, undertook the tuition of the Prince of Carpi immediately after finishing his own ftudies at Feriara.

In 1482, Ferrara being clofely besieged by a Venetian army, Aldo retired to Mirandula, and there fpent fome time in the fociety of the illuftrious Giovanni Pico,

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who, though not quite twenty years of in the philofophy of the ancients. Many printing-houses were entirely without types of the Greek characters; fo that, for the Greek quotations in books printed in fuch houfes, there were left blanks, to be afterwards filled up with the pen. Yet Aldo was not the very first that printed an entire Greek book. The Greek Grammar of Lafcaris had been printed in folio, at Milan, in 1476. The works of Homer were printed at Florence in 1488; and feveral other Greek works had alfo appeared in print, when Aldo began his eftablishment. He was, however, the firft that used elegant Greek types, and printed from the molt correct and authentic manufcripts.

age, was already a confummate mafter of almost all learning. From Mirandula, Aldo went, fome time after, to refide with his pupil, Alberto Pio, at Carpi. Giovanni Pico, in a fhort time, followed him to the fame place. Young Pio, though not more than twelve years of age, was of fuch a forward genius, and had made fuch advances in learning, that he was already qualified to take a part in the ferious converfations, and the defigns of his uncle and his preceptor. It is believed to have been at this time, and in concert with thefe two young noblemen, that Aldo conceived the project of his fubfequent printing eftablishment at Venice. As he had but little money of his own, it is naturally enough imagined, that Pico and Pio muft have largely contributed to the expence of the undertaking.

He began to print, at Venice, in the year 1488. The first work of his prefs was the fmall Greek poem of Mulous, which he printed in quarto, with a Latin tranflation. It is without date; but is known not to have been finished in the prefs before the year 1494. In the end of the fame year, he publifhed the Greek Grammar of Lafcaris. He printed in 1495, in one collection, the grammatical treatifes of Theodore Gaza, Apollonius, and Herodian.

He had already begun to collect, collate, and prepare for the prefs, the manufcripts of the then unprinted originals of the works of Ariftotle. Thofe were, in number and extent, fufficient to fill five volumes in folio. The manufcripts were, in many infances, fcarce legible, often mutilated, or having the reading almoft obliterated. They were all prodigioufly depraved by the ignorance and negligence of the copyifts. Latin trandations of them were before this time in print; but

none had hazarded the arduous task to give an edition of the Greek. With almoft incredible efforts of diligence and erudition, Aldo brought out a first volume of the Works of Aristotle in 1495. The edition was completed in 1498. Aldo was from that time confeffed, without difpute, to ftand as an editor in the very first rank among his contemporaries.

The printers of that age were in general more attentive to the demands of the market, than ambitious to promote the restoration of claffical learning. Their preffes were employed on works of fchoollogic, of myftic theology, and of jurifprudence, with fome very few eafy and popular works in claffical literature, and

In imitation, it is faid, of the handwriting of the celebrated Petrarch, Aldo procured the first examples of that which is called, in printing, the italic character, to be cut and caft for him by Francesco of Bologna, about the year 1500. An edition of the Works of Virgil, in octavo, was the first book he printed in this type. The type is ftill known among printers, by the name of Aldine. The inventor obtained a patent from the Senate of Venice, for its exclufive ufe for ten years, from the 13th of November, 1502; and another fimilar patent from Pope Alexander the Sixth, from the 17th of November, 1502. The laft of these was renewed for fifteen years more, by Julius the Second, on the 27th of January, 1513; and again by Leo the Tenth, on the 28th of the following November

From the year 1502, the different works printed by Aido, were reprinted at Lyons, with a clofe imitation of the Aldine type and edition. The very Prefaces of Aldo, and his affiftants, were copied in the edi ticns of Lyons. But the imitation was difgraced by many typographical errors. Aldo obferving and noting thefe, published on the 16th of March, 1505, a lift in which they were particularly enumerated, and which he appears to have diftributed to the purchafers of copies of his own genuine editions. The cunning and induftrious Lyonnefe took this lift of their errors, corrected them in new editions of the fame books; and thus ftill divided the market with Aldo, and now more fuccefffully than at the first.

In the years 1501, 1502, 1503, 1504, and 1505, Aldo printed in folio, or in octavo, a confiderable number of the best authors, Greek, Roman, and Italian, such as Demofthenes, Lucian, Dante, Horace, Petrarch, Cicero's Epiftles to his familiar Friends, Juvenal, Lucan, Homer, Sopho

cles, Euripides, &c. &c. He published, at the leaft, a volume every month. Thefe publications were in all refpects excellent. They were of works the most valuable in all literature, ancient or modern. The compofition of the types was finely regular and uniform; the prefs-work was admirably executed; and the ink fo truly good, that it retains, to this day all its beauty and luftre of colour.

In the neceffary pains upon these works, Aldo had the affiftance of fome of the best and most learned among his contemporaries. His houfe became a fort of New Academy. The learned in Venice began, about the year 1500, to assemble there on fixed days of frequent recurrence, for converfation on interefting literary topics: and their meetings were continued for several years fubfequent. The topics on which they converfed were, usually, what books were fittest to be printed, what manufcripts might be confulted with the greateft advantage, what readings, out of a diverfity, for any one paffage, ought to be preferred. Among thofe who attended thefe converfations, were, befides Aldo himself, the famous A. Navagero, P. Bembo, the celebrated Cardinal; Erafmus, when he was at Venice; P. Alcionio, M. Mufuro, Marc-Ant. Cocch. Sabellico, Alberto Pio, Prince of Carpi, and others, whofe names, though they were then eminent, are not now equally in remembrance. Among those who affifted Aldo in the correction of the prefs, were men not lefs eminent than Demetrius Chalchondylas, Girolamo Aleandro, afterwards famous as a Cardinal, and even Erafmus.

There are fome curious circumstances in the hiftory of the acquaintance and connexion between Erafmus and Aldo. The Adagia of Polydore Virgil had been printed at Venice, and well received in the world. Erafmus, aware of this fact, wrote from Bologna, to requeft that Aldo would undertake the printing of his Adagia. Aldo readily agreed to the propoal, and invited Erafmus upon it to Venice. When Erafmus came, it was not till after fome delay that he obtained admittance to the printer's clofet, whofe fervants were not aware of the ftranger's literary confequence. But Aldo no foner knew that it was Erafmus who waited for him, than he haftened to receive his vifitor with open arms. He did more : he ftopped the progrefs of feveral important Greek and Latin works, which he had then in the prefs, to make room for the printing of the great collection of Eraf

mus, with the defired expedition. Erafmus was, in the mean time, entertained in the house of Andrea Torrefano d'Asola, father-in-law to Aldo, with whom Aldo and his wife appear, by Erasmus's account, to have lived. D'Afola was rich; yet his table was, even for that of an Italian family, parfimoniously served: and Erafmus loved good cheer. The Dutchman made frequent remonftrances to his friend Aldo, against the thinness of the foups, the abfence of folid animal food, the weakness and fournefs of the wine, the general fcantinefs of the whole provifions. The Italians, whole climate, and natural habits, had taught them to live much more sparingly than was usual for the Dutch and Germans, were astonifhed and offended by his complaints. Some fmall additions, fuch as a fowl or two, and perhaps half a dozen eggs a week, were made on his account to the commons of the family. But these dainties were fometimes intercepted by the women in the kitchen, on their way to the table. On the table, they were devoured by the reft who fat at it, ftill more eagerly than by Erafmus. And if he was not abfolutely ftarved, he was affuredly a good deal mortified in his appetite for a glafs of good wine and a mess of delicate and favoury meat, before he could fee the printing of his Adagia entirely at an end. His humours and complaints made him at length a very unpleafant inmate to the family; while he was, on the other hand, diffatisfied ftill more, that his murmurs were not more complaifantly attended to. They parted with mutual diflike. Eraf mus wrote afterwards his Dialogue, which has the title of Opulentia Sordida, in ridicule of the parfimonious fpirit, and the fcantily-ferved table of Andrea d'Afola. Aloo and his fucceffors, whenever they, after this time, reprinted any work by Erafmus, avoided to mention his name, and gave him fimply the appellation of Tranfalpinus quidam homo.

Aldo, not thinking that he did enough for the interefts of literature, in printing, for the first time, fo many excellent books in the Latin, Greek, and Italian languages, gave, in his Latin Grammar, in the year 1501, a fhort Introduction to the Knowledge of the Hebrew Tongue; and even propofed to give a beautiful edition of the original Hebrew of the Sacred Scriptures, with the Septuagint and the Vulgate Latin verfions. Of this, however, he was diverted from printing more than a specimen fheet. That fheet, now in the National Library at Paris, exhibits the text in the

three

three different languages, each occupying one of three parallel columns on the fame page. It is to be regretted, that Aldo should have been by any means hindered from completing so noble a defign.

In the year 1500, Aldo had married the daughter of Andrea d'Afola, who had been above twenty years a printer at Venice, and of fome reputation. From D'Afola he obtained fome pecuniary affiftance toward his undertakings. The father and the fon-in-law first printed fome works at their joint expence ; and after fome time went fully into partnership. The firft publication, indicating the exiftence of this partnership, is an edition of the Letters of Pliny, which came out in the month of November, 1508, and is marked as having been printed in adibus Aldi et Andrea Afulani Soceri.

In 1506, Aldo was a great fufferer by the war which then ravaged Italy. He had confiderable property in the country, which was confiicated. He interrupted his printing, and leaving Venice for a time, took much fruitless trouble to procure its reftitution. Having gone, at the invitation of certain learned perfons, to Milan, he was feized, on his return for Venice, as a spy, by a party of the Duke of Mantua's foldiers, and detained in prifon at Caneto. By the good offices of Goffredo Carolo, he was fcon fet at liberty. He then came back to his own home a poorer man, and in worfe circumftances, than when he left it twelve months before.

He printed little or nothing for himfelf during the fix years immediately fublequent. He began to renew his publications in 1512, the year of the birth of his third fon, Paulo Manuzio. Befide Paulus, he had three other children; a daughter, who married Julio Catone, of Mantua; Manuzio de Manucci, who became a prieft, and paffed his life chiefly at Afola; and Antony, who was fome time either a printer or a book feller at Bologna.

Aldo published a number of books in the years 1413 and 1514. He was going en with many more, when, in the year 1515, he was cut off by death at nearly feventy years of age. His four children heing then very young, were educated by their mother at Afola, while their grandfather, with his two fons, Francefco and Frederico, affumed the direction of the printing-office which he continued to conduct till his death in 1529.

It is impoffible to bestow praife too high on the zeal, ability, and diligence of Aldo, as a printer. He spared no pains

nor expence to procure unprinted manu fcripts. From all parts of the Chriftian world, the best manufcripts were accordingly tranfmitted to him, fome without price, others for money. He was not a printer and collater merely. His prefaces and differtations, fome in elegant Latin, others in Greek, gives him a right to confiderable refpect among the original writers of his age. He publifhed a Latin Grammar of his own compofition. In 1515, after his death, came out under the care of his friend Marco Mufuro, a Greek Grammar, which Aldo had compiled with great refearch and induftry. Aldo wrote, likewife, a Treatife De Metris Horatianis, which has been reprinted in Dr. Combe's late London edition of Horace's Works. He produced a Greek Dictionary, which was first printed by himself, in tolio, in the year 1497; and afterwards by Francefco D'Afola, with improvements, in the year 1524. Aldo likewile tranflated out of Greek into Latin, the Grammar of Laf caris, the Batrachomyomachia afcribed to Homer, the Sentences of Phocylides, and the Golden Verfes which país under the name of Pythagoras. The Latin verfion of Æfop and Gabrias, printed in his edition of 1505, of which the copies are now very rare, was written by himself; and the tranflation of the Life of Aratus, in his collection of the ancient aftronomers. He was the author of various other pieces, originals and tranflations. Several of his letters, excellent in their kind, have been printed in collections of thofe of his eminent contemporaries with whom he was in correspondence. It is probable, that many others of his letters may he yet in unpublifed prefervation in the libraries of Italy. Printing and the study connected with it, were not the only labours of Aldo, during his refidence at Venice. For a feries of years after he fettled in that city, he gave a

public courte of readings of the heft Greek and Roman authors, which was attended by a great number of ftudents. While the duties in which he had engag ed were of greater labour almost than he could perform; much of his time was unavoidably confumed by the neceflity of anfwering letters, and receiving the vifits of thofe whom curiofity or literary bufinefs brought to wait upon him. Impa tient of thefe laft avocations, he put up an infcription over the door of his study, inviting those who fhould enter, to tell their bufinefs in few words, and unless they came to give affiftance, to leave him quickly.

Although univerfally esteemed, and cer

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