ixxii preface; 



the next century, Strozza, a Florentine nobleman whom I men- 

 tioned before, added two books to Ariftotle's Books of Polity, written, 

 as I have faid, in choice Greek. But, as it happened, I think it is 

 well that more of the Greek originals have not been loft, and only 

 the tranflations preferved ; for it is very natural tofuppofe, that after 

 the tranflation was publiflied the original would be negledled, or 

 perhaps deftroyed, to make the tranflation more valuable ; and ac- 

 cordingly fome very valuable originals have been loft, particularly a 

 moft valuable Commentary upon the Metaphyfics of Ariftotle, of 

 Alexander Aptnodifcienfis, the firft who wrote commentaries upon 

 Ariftotle, and who is reckoned one of the Succeftbrs of his School,^ 

 which is extant only in Latin, and in Latin fcarce intelligible. 

 Befides fome other valuable antient works that are in the fame 

 condition, there is a work which I am very defirous to fee, of 

 Porphyry upon the Pythagorean Philofophy, w^hich is alfo publifhed 

 only in a Latin tranflation, and that a moft wretched one, as 

 Holftenius, a very good judge in thofe matters, informs us *. The 

 original of this Work, Fabricius tells us, is ftill extant in fome library 

 which he names, and if there were any curiofity about antient Phi- 

 lofophy yet remaining, would no doubt be publiftied ; as would like- 

 wife, a Commentary upon the Metaphyfics of Ariftotle by Afclepius 

 Trallianus, a fcholar of Ammonius Hermeias, which is ftill extant in 

 MS. but never has been publiflied '\\ And befides this commentary, 

 there are many more upon Plato as well as Ariftotle to be found 

 in the Efcurial library, which never have been publiftied, as appears 

 from a catalogue of that library which I have feen. 



The great Greek authors, however, upon Philofophy as well as 

 other fubjeds, were publiftied in the original language foon after the 

 reftoration of letters ; not only Ariftotle was fo publiftied, who before 



was 



* See Hoiflenlus in Vita Porphyr'ti. 



4- See Fabriciiis's BibUothecOy Vol. II. p. 282. 



