CRI 



CRO 



celebrated as an dvent of the greatest im- 

 portance, and gave occasion to the most 

 enthusiastic exultation. The difficulty of 

 perusal, however, which was experienced 

 in some instunces.called into exercise the 

 skill of the most practised scholars; and 

 the real or supposed corruptions of the 

 text, in most of the codices, which were at 

 this period brought to light, afforded a 

 copious subject for the acumen of the 

 ablest critics. The letters of Ambrogio 

 Traversari, of Leonardo Aretivo, and of 

 Poggio Bracciolini, abundantly prove, 

 that emendation was one of the first du- 

 ties of the fortunate man of letters, who 

 had rescued a classic author from oblivi- 

 on. There is too much fear that this du- 

 ty was not in every instance discharged 

 with the requisite ability and discretion ; 

 but, however this may be, the copies, 

 which were multiplied by the hands or 

 under the inspection of the revivers of li- 

 terature, are at this day almost the sole 

 authority, to which the learned can refer, 

 in settling the text ofthe compositions of 

 the most distinguished writers of Greece 

 and Rome. 



The invention ofthe art of printing was, 

 as might naturally be expected, soon em- 

 ployed in multiplying copies ofthe ancient 

 classics, the impressions of which were 

 carefully superintended by the great lu- 

 minaries, of the age. Among these shine, 

 with pre-eminent lustre,Politian,Landino, 

 and Marcus Musurus, who, by the colla- 

 tion of MSS. and the application of tem- 

 perate conjecture, endeavoured to exhi- 

 bit the works of the classic writers in 

 their purity. But of all these friends 

 and promoters of good literature, the 

 place of most distinguished honour is 

 due to Aldus Manutius. This illustrious 

 scholar, by his fame, and by his munifi- 

 cence, attracted to Venice, the place of 

 his residence, the ornaments of the lite- 

 rary world, by whose assistance, in the 

 examination of MSS. and in the other du- 

 ties of an editor, he was enabled to pub- 

 lish copious editions of almost every 

 Greek and Latin classic, which may be 

 yet regarded as unrivalled in elegance 

 and correctness. From this time, to the 

 present day, may be traced a succession 

 of scholars, who have endeavoured, with 

 various success, to evince their learning 

 and their acumen by their emendations 

 of the text of the ancient classics ; and 

 whosoever has studied with due atten- 

 tion the lucubrations of a Heyne, or a 

 Porson, will readily acknowledge, that 

 even at this late period, a rich harvest 



may be gathered in the field of verbal 

 criticism. 



It is much to be lamented, however, 

 that the art of verbal criticism has been 

 brought into discredit by the rashness of 

 certain editors of the ancient classics, 

 who, inspired with the rage of innovation, 

 have despised the authority of manu- 

 scripts, and have deformed the finest 

 models of antiquity, by the introduction 

 of their own crude fancies, under the 

 form of conjectural emendations. It has 

 been well observed, that, by such critics 

 as these, " authors have been taken in 

 hand, like anatomical subjects, only to 

 display the skill and abilities of the ar- 

 tist; so that the end of many an edition 

 seems often to have been no more, than 

 to exhibit the great sagacity and erudition 

 of an editor. The joy of the task was 

 the honour of amending, while corrup- 

 tions were sought with a more than com- 

 mon attention, as each of those afforded 

 a testimony to the editor and his art." 

 The gross impropriety of this pruriency 

 of alteration is well displayed in the Vir- 

 gilius Restauratus, which is usually print- 

 ed with the works of Pope, and which, 

 though expressly intended to ridicule 

 the proud presumption of Bently, may 

 be regarded as an anticipated speci- 

 men of the lucubrations of certain cri- 

 tics, who have flourished in more mo- 

 dern times. 



Nearly allied to verbal criticism is 

 Illustrative Criticism, or the art of ex- 

 plaining the ancient classic authors. This 

 art gave rise to the tribe of scholiasts 

 and commentators. Of these, some re- 

 stricted themselves to the illustration of 

 particular authors, and others exercised 

 their talents upon a selection of passages 

 from a variety of writers. Among the 

 former may be mentioned Didymus and 

 Eustathius, who bestowed their labours 

 upon Homer ; and among the latter may 

 be classed Politian, whose miscellanea 

 contains a copious fund of erudition. The 

 modern writers of these two classes, un- 

 der the denomination of editors, commen- 

 tators, and translators, are in a manner 

 innumerable. 



CROCODILE. See LACERTA. 



CHOCODILE, fossil, one of the greatest 

 curiosities in the fossil world which the 

 late ages have produced. It is the skele- 

 ton of a large crocodile, almost entire, 

 found at a great depth under ground, 

 bedded in stone. This was in the pos- 

 session of Linkius, who wrote many 

 pieces in natural history, and particu- 



