COMMELIN, JEROME. 



COHTE, AUOUSTE. 



314 



1558. V.nio: the Psammit-* and Statical Treati** of Archimedes, 

 in Latin, with note* (from a bad text). 1558, Venice: Ptolemy's 

 Plan*S|<bere, with commentary, in Latin ; in the same book U Jordanus, 

 abo with a commentary. 1602, Rome : the Analemma of Ptolemy, 

 with commentary. The original U lost, but a mutilated Latin version 

 w* found by Commandine. With thU came hi* own work on 

 Horology, printed at Venice. 1505, Bologna; and Peearo, 1572: 

 Archimedes on Flouting Bodies, with oomiuentary, Latin. 1566, 

 Bologna (and several other edition*) : Latin version of the four books 

 (then known) of Apollonian, with the lemmas of Pappus, the com- 

 mentary of Kutocius, and the book of Serenus on the Section of Cones 

 and Cylinder*. 1570, Pmro : the book of Mohammed of Bagdad, on 



DivMoa of Surface*, whi. h John Dee, who found it, attributed to 

 Eoclid, and gate to Commandine. A translation into English, with 

 Commaudinv's preface, is appended to the second edition of Dee's 

 .. I860. 1572, P<-raro: Euclid in Latin, fifteen books with 

 tr k " li * in folio. An Italian Torsion of the books most commonly read, 

 under Commnndine's inspection, appeared at Urbino in 1575. 1572, 

 Pwaro : Latin edition of Aruterchus, with notes. [ABISTARCHUS ] 

 1575, Urbino; and Amsterdam, 1680 : the Pneumatics of Hero, with 

 Latin version and note*. 1588, Pcsaro; again in 1602; and Venice, 

 1589; lastly, at Bologna, 1660, edited by Munolesaius : the mathe- 

 matical collections of Pappus, books 3-8 inclusive, being all which 

 remain, folio. It is sometimes stated that the edition of Pappus 

 appeared in 1558, which is not correct, as Commandine died before 

 the publication, which was superintended by his son-in-law Valerio 

 Spaccioli. as explained in the preface. 



COMMELIN, JEROME, born at Douai in France in the 16th 

 century, embraced the reformed religion and retired to Genera, where 

 he carried on the business of a printer. His abilities both as a printer 

 and a scholar, which iu that age were often united in the same person, 

 attracted the attention of Frederic, Elector Palatine, who invited 

 Commelin to Heidvlbrrjr, and made him his librarian. At Heidelberg 

 he publish* d editions of several Greek and Latin authors, which were 

 valued for their correctness ; among others of Eunapius, the text of 

 which he corrected by the manuscripts in the palatine library of 

 Heliudorui, Apollodorns, tc., to which he added critical notes. He 

 also publi-hed a baudsoine edition of ' Herum liri^aunicarum Scriptores 

 Vetottiores ac Pnecipui,' folio, under the fictitious date of Lyon, 1587, 

 dedicated to Frederic, Elector Palatine. This collection consists of 

 Geoffrey of Monmouth, Pontius Virunniun, Qildas, Bede, Gulielmua 

 Neobrigeniif, Froiaurt, and Buchanan's ' De Jure Regni apud Scotos.' 

 Commelin died in 1598. He has been praised for his accuracy and 

 learning by Scaliger, Casaubon, and Do Thou. 



Another of the same name, and probably of the same family, was 

 a printer at Ley den in the 17th century, and published a valuable 

 edition of Virgil, with Servius's Commentaries and numerous notes, 

 4to, Lryden, 1646. 



COMMKLINUS. ISAAC, born at Amsterdam in 1598, wrote several 

 historical works in the Dutch language; among others 'Hollandsch 

 Placaat lioek. or Collection of the Acts of the Government of Holland,' 

 2 vola. fuL, Amsterdam, 1644; also a 'History of the Dutch East 

 India Company,' 4to, 1646 ; the ' Lives of the Stadthouders William I. 

 and Maurice of Nassau,' foL 1651 ; and the ' Life of Frederic Henry 

 of Nassau,' which was translated into French ; ' Histoire de la Tie et 

 Actcs Memorable* de Frederic Henri de Nassau, Prince d'Orange,' fol., 

 Amsterdam, 1CSG, which i< an interesting historical work. He also 

 collected the materials for a description of Amsterdam, which was pub- 

 lished by his son, Caspar Commelyn, 1693, 2 vola. foL, ' Beschry vinge 

 van Amsterdam, tot den jaare 1691,' foL, 1691, with plates; a second 

 and enlarged edition of which appeared in 1726. It is considered a 

 very good account of that important city. He died in 1676. 



JAXU CosmiLTX, hi* brother, collected many curious and scarce 

 historical document* concerning Holland, and wrote in Frrncb, 

 L'Histoire drs Troubles, Divisions, et deplorable* Calamito* dcs 

 Guerre* Civile* turvenues dans les 17 Provinces depuis le Commence- 

 ment du Kegne de Philippe II., jusqa' a la Mort do Quillaumo, Prince 

 d'Orange,' which remain* unedited, a* well as hi* 'Actes et Privileges 

 des Ville* de Delft et Lryden, ct de leurs banlicue*,' 3 vols. foL 



JOB* COMMELTV, son of Isaac, and a senator of Amsterdam (born 

 1629, died 1692), published several works on descriptive botany. One 

 of the most important of hi* writings, which however did not appear 

 till after bis death, in 1697, was a work in folio, with very fine plates, 

 of the new plant* then growing in the Medical Garden of that city. 



CASPAR CUMMELTK (born 1667', died 1761), the nephew of John, gave 

 to the world a second volume in 1702, after which he became the 

 author of two volume* in quarto upon similar subject*. At that time 

 the Dutch held in their band* the commerce of the east, and the 

 Commelyns were among the first who mad* known in Europe the 

 curious plant* of the Cape of Good Hope. 



CO'MMODOS, LUCIUS ^LIUS AURELIU8, son of Marcus 

 Aureliu* and of hi* wife Faustina, was bom A.D. 161. At the age of 

 sixteen h* accompanied his father in bis journey to Syria, which had 

 been disturbed by the revolt of Avidius Cassiu*. On bis return to 

 Home, Commodus obtained hi* first consulship. He next accom- 

 panied hi* father in hi* last expedition against the Quadi and the 

 Marcomaonl, during which Aureliu* died at Vindebona (Vienna), and 

 Commodu* became bis successor A i>. ltd. Hiving made pence with 



the northern tribe* h* returned to Rome, where be enjoyed a triumph. 

 For a short time he appear* to have governed with moderation, while 

 several experienced officers Albinus, Pesoenniu* Niger, Severn*, 

 Pertinax, and others made the name of Rome respected on the 

 frontier* of the empire. Commodus however, having dismissed the 

 counsellors and friend* of hi* fnther, gave himself up to the society of 

 fr--edinen, gladiators, and profligate women, with whom be spent his 

 time in debauchery. His elder sister Lucilla conspiring against him 

 with Pompeiaaus, Quadratus, and other senators, th. y were all seized 

 and executed. Having put to death hi* own wifa Crispin*, Commodus 

 took for his concubine Marcia, a mistroa of Quadratus, who seems to 

 have maintained some tort of influence over him till his death. Rut 

 a succession of unworthy favourites engrossed all political power, and 

 committed every kind of injustice and cruelty. Conspiracy after con- 

 spiracy was discovered or invented by them, and a number of the 

 principal senators were put to death and their property confiscate I. 

 The favourite* themselves destroyed each other in succession. One of 

 them, Pereunis, was put to death with all his family, and was replaced 

 by Oleander, a Phrygian freedman, who put up to sale all the honours 

 and offices of the empire as well as the lives of the citizens. Mean- 

 time the legions in Britain mutinied, and Commodus sent Pertinax, 

 who bad been exiled by Perennis, to appease the mutiny. In Gaul 

 also a soldier called Maternus collected a numerous baud of deserters, 

 but Pescenuius Niger being sent against him, Materuus found means 

 to escape with several of hU follower', and came secretly to Home 

 with the intention of killing the emperor, but he was discovered and 

 put to death. A dreadful pestilence afflicted Rome about the same 

 time, which lasted three years, according to Dion. Commodus, to 

 avoid the contagion, retired for a time to Laureutum, where he con- 

 tinued his usual disaolute mod* of life. At last a revolt broke out at 

 Rome against the favourite Cleander ; the people repulsed the Praeto- 

 rian cavalry sent against them, and Commodus, to appease the btorm, 

 ordered the favourite to be put to death. Iu the year 191, under the 

 consulate of Apronmnus and Bradua, the Temple of Peace, one of the 

 most nplendid buildings of Home, took fire, and vast treasures, ns well 

 as collections of books, which were deposited iu it, were consumed. 

 The fire spread to the temple of Vesta, from whence the Vestals ran 

 away to the imperial palace, carrying the Palladium with them. The 

 flames extended to the imperial palace also, and consumed part of it. 

 In tho following year Commodus was consul, for the seventh time, 

 with Pertinax, whom he had recalled to Rome. Having had repeated 

 information of Severus aspiring to the empire, Commodus wrote to 

 Albinus iu Britain offering him the title of Ctesar, which was refused. 

 [CLAUDIUS ALBINOS.] At the close of bis career, Commodus set no 

 bounds to his extravagances : be disregarded common decency, exhi- 

 bited himself in the circus and in the amphitheatre with the gladiator*, 

 dressed himself as Hercules, whose name he assumed, and on one 

 occasion danced naked before the spectators, (lleroduu., i. 15.) Being 

 dissuaded by Marcia and some of his officers from degrading himself 

 in public in the company of gladiators, it is said that he wrote down 

 their mines for execution, and that the scroll being found by Marcia 

 led to a plot against his life. However this may be, poison was 

 administered to hiua and while suffering under it* effect', a powerful 

 athleta was sent in, who strangled him (A.D. 192), in his thirty-second 

 year and the thirteenth of his reign. Pertiuax, who succeeded him, 

 had his body buried privately, but it was afterwards transferred to the 

 Mausoleum of Hadrian. (Dion, lib. 12, Lampridius, and Herodianus, 

 L 6-16.) 



Commodus had the advantage of a good education and the example 

 of a virtuous father; he found the empire prosperous after a succession 

 of wise reigns for nearly a century, with a number of able officers, 

 civil and military. He left it a prey to confusion, sedition, ill-repres-ed 

 irruptions of barbarians, the army demoralised, and rival generals dis- 

 puting for the supreme power. The visible and rapid decline of the 

 Roman empire may be said to date from his reign. The plea of 

 iu-anity, which is put forth for Caligula's short career of frenzy, can- 

 not be extended to Commodus: his was decidedly a vicious and 

 depraved disposition, which bad a full opportunity of displaying itself 

 in the possession of unlimited power. 



Coin of Commodu*. 

 Iiritlnh Muwum. Actual l. jlronir. Weight 332 grains. 



COMNKNI FAMILY. fALExis CoMStso*.] 



COMTK, AUGUSTE, a French philosopher, whose peculiar yitem 



