MEMOIR OF ARISTOTLE. 
71 
ruption from the conjectural emendations of subse- 
quent commentators. 
What became of Aristotle’s original manuscripts 
we are not informed ; but tbe copy remained at 
Athens until the spoliation of that city by the Ro- 
mans under Sylla. The library of Apellicon was a 
tempting object of plunder to the conquerors, who 
were then awakened to the value of literature ; and 
accordingly, the whole of this philosophical trea- 
sure, with other rich booty, were transmitted to 
Rome. There the works of the Stagirite expe- 
rienced a better fortune, owing to their having at- 
tracted the attention of Tyrannio, the famous gram- 
marian, a native of Amysus in Pontus, who had been 
taken prisoner by Lucullus in the Mithridatic war, 
but was afterwards manumitted, in consideration of 
his learning and merits. By paying court to Sylla’s 
librarian, he obtained leave, after much solicitation, to 
take copies of the manuscripts, which were commu- 
nicated to Audronicus of Rhodes, who flourished as 
a philosopher at Rome in the time of Cicero and 
Pompey. Having undertaken tire task of arranging 
and correcting those long-injured writings, the Rho- 
dian performed the duty of a skilful editor, by giving 
them to the world in a more perfect shape than they 
had hitherto appeared. Though considerably amend- 
ed and illustrated, the severe ordeal through which 
they passed had, in the lapse of nearly 300 years, 
greatly abridged their number. Out of the 400 
books recorded by Laertius (and some have made 
