MEMOIR OF PEINV. 
81 
“ The friendly acceptance whicli T. Livius of Padua 
(also translated by Dr Holland) hath found in this 
Ilealme since time hee shewed himselfe in English 
weed vnto her sacred Majestie, hath trained ouer 
vnto him his neighbour Plinius Secundus from Ve- 
rona, whome being now arraied in the same habit, 
yet fearefull to set foote forward in this forreiiie 
ground without the countenance of some worthie 
personage, who might both giue him his hand at his 
first entrance, in token of welcome, and also grace him 
afterwards with a favourable regard to win acquaint- 
ance, I humbly present vnto your honor.” On the 
continent various editions and translations of Pliny 
have appeared in succession. From the beginning of 
the sixteenth century there was scarcely a celebrated 
city that had not ])rofessors, supported at tlie pub- 
lic expense, for lecturing and commenting upon his 
Natural History. A host of editors and commenta- 
tors followed each other, from the Bishop of Corsica 
in 1470, down to Father Hardouin, who surpassed 
all his itre-'ccessors in erudition, an<l who undertook 
the work by order of Louis XIV., for the use of the 
Dauphin, with the assistance of Bossuet and Huet, 
the two most learned prelates in the kingdom. An- 
other edition was afterwards projected by the well 
known Mens, de Male.sherbes, in 1 750, aided by some 
of the most distinguished savans and academicians 
in France, and published at Paris in 1771 in twelve 
volumes quarto. That of Franzius was publislied 
at Leipsic in 1778-91, in ten volumes, and being in 
VGL. IX. 
F 
