CRI 
ligent research. In the fifteenth and six- 
teenth centuries, the discovery ot an an- 
cient Gi-eek or Latin manuscript was cele- 
brated as an event of the greatest impor- 
tance, and gave occasion to the most en- 
thusiastic exultation. The difficulty of pe- 
rusal, however, which was experienced in 
some instances, 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 pe- 
riod brought to light, afforded a copious 
subject for the acumen of the ablest cri- 
tics. The letters of Ambrogio Traversari, 
of Leonardo Aretivo, and of Poggio Brac- 
ciolini, abundantly prove, that einendation 
was one of the first duties of the fortunate 
man of letters, who had rescued a classic au- 
thor from oblivion. There is too much fear 
that this duty was not in every instance dis- 
charged with tlie requisite ability and dis- 
cretion — but, however this may be, the co- 
pies which were multiplied by the hands or 
under the inspection of the revivers of li- 
terature, are at this day almost tlie sole au- 
thority, to which the learned can refer, in 
settling the text of the compositions of the 
most distinguished writers of Greece and 
Rome. 
The invention of tlie art of printing was, 
as might naturally be expected, soon em- 
ployed in multiplying copies of the ancient 
classics, the impressions of which were care- 
fully superintended by the great luminaries 
of the age. Among these shine with pre- 
eminent lustre Politian, Landino, and Mar- 
cus Musurus, who, by the collation of MSS. 
and the application of temperate conjec- 
ture, endeavoured to exliibit the works of 
the classic writers in their purity. But of 
all these friends and promoters of good lite- 
rature, the place of most distinguished ho- 
nour, is due to Aldus Manutius. This il- 
lustrious scholar, by his fame, and by his 
munificence, attiacted to Venice, the place 
of his residence, the ornaments of tlie lite- 
rary world, by whose assistance, in the exa- 
mination of MSS. and in the other duties of 
an editor, he was enabled to publish copi- 
ous editions of almost every Greek and La- 
tin classic, which may be yet regarded as 
unrivalled in elegance and correctness. 
From his time to the present day, may be 
traced a succession of scholars, who have en- 
deavoured, with various success, to evince 
their learning and their acumen by their 
emendations of the text of the ancient clas- 
sics j and whosoever has studied with due 
attention the lucubrations of a Heyue or a 
CRO 
Person, will readily acknowledge, that 
even at this late period, a rich harvest may 
be gathered in the field of verbal cri- 
ticism. 
It is much to be lamented, however, that 
tlie 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 manuscripts, and have de- 
formed the finest models of antiquity by 
the introduction of their own crude fancies, 
under the form of conjectural emendation. 
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 artist ; 
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 edi- 
tor. The joy of the task, was the honour of 
amending, while corruptions were sought 
with a more than common attention, as 
each of those afforded a testimony to the 
editor and his art.” The gross impropriety 
of this pruriency of alteration is well dis- 
played in tlie Virgilius Restauratus, which 
is usually printed with the works of Pope, 
and which, though expressly intended to 
ridicule the proud presumption of Bentley, 
may be regarded as an anticipated speci- 
men of the lucubrations of certain critics, 
who have flourished in more modern times. 
Nearly allied to verbal criticism is. Illus- 
trative Criticism, or the art of explaining 
the ancient classic authors. This art gave 
rise to the tribe of scholiasts and commen- 
tators. Of these, some restricted them- 
selves to the illustration of particular au- 
thors, and others exercised their talents up- 
on a selection of passages from a variety of 
writers. Among the former may be men- 
tioned Didymus and Eustathius, who be- 
stowed 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, under the denomination of edi- 
tors, commentators, and translators, are in 
a manner innumerable. 
CROCODILE. See Lacerta. 
Crocodile, fossil, one of the greatest 
curiosities in the fossil world which the 
late ages have produced. It is the skeleton 
of a large crocodile, almost entire, found at 
a great depth under ground bedded in 
stone. This was in the possession of Lin- 
kius, who wrote many pieces in natural liis- 
tory, and particularly an accurate descrip- 
