INTRODUCTION. 37 
has served as the basis, and has supplied the most 
valuable part of their commentaries ™. 
The next commentators were John Curio and 
James Crellius, two physicians of Erford in Ger- 
many. The earliest edition of their work was printed 
at Frankfort in 1538. In the dedication to that of 
1545, they profess to have altered and amended the 
text, and to have restored the verses to correct pro- 
sody, except where the rhy trained them. Their 
commentary is little more than a paraphrase of that 
of Villa Nova, of which they say they have polished 
the rude language, amended the errors, purged it from 
darbarisms, corrected the quotations, turned them 
into better Latin, retrenched superfluities, supplied 
omissions, rejected absurdities, and replaced them 
by sounder doctrines. In 1556, Curio alone pub- 
lished a new edition, in which he retained the same 
text, added an old German translation, and a com- 
mentary, which isa fuller paraphrase of Villa Nova’s, 
With many additions. From this time the original 
Commentary was superseded, and this paraphrase 
Mas substituted in its place, with few or no altera- 
"ons: but the name of Villa Nova was still retained. 
tus Moreau, a physician of Paris, began a 
ore enlarged edition, of which a part was published 
7 See after, a specimen of his commentary. 
E 
