MAFFJEUS, 
S(j 
his “Traftato degli Anfitcatii,” publifhed four years be¬ 
fore ; a noble ancient amphitheatre being one of the prin¬ 
cipal ornaments of Verona. This performance, in four 
parts, is replete with curious information relative to the 
hiftoiy and antiquities, not only of that city, but of the 
north of Italy in general; and ranks among the ableft and 
molt interefting of topographical works. In the fame 
year, the fifty-feventh of his age, he undertook a tour into 
foreign countries, with the advantage of mature experience, 
and "a reputation fully eftablifhed throughout Europe. 
One of his principal objeCts was the collection of ancient 
inscriptions, with adefign to unite them, together with all 
thofe collections by Gruter and others, into one body. He 
pa fled through Geneva to the fouth of Fiance, all the prin¬ 
cipal towns of which he viflted, every where examining the 
relics of antiquity and the cabinets of the curious. Soon 
after his arrival at Paris in 1733, he printed an account of 
what he had furveyed under the title of “ Gallirc Antiqui- 
tates qusedam SeleCtse,” in the form of letters to his learned 
friends. In that capital he was received with the greateft 
diftinCtion, and excited general admiration by his vivacity, 
gaiety, and focial quali ies, joined to the virtues of a man 
of worth, and the information of an univerfal fcholar. He 
was eleCfed by acclamation foreign member of the Academy 
of Infcriptions, although there was no vacancy; and was 
a frequent attendant on its meetings. The difputes con¬ 
cerning the bull Unigenitus, which at that time divided all 
Paris, intereffed him fo warmly, that he fat down toffudy 
the doCtrines of grace, free-will, and predeltination, with 
as much application as if he had been in a folitude ; and 
compoled a work on the fubjeCt hereafter to be mentioned. 
He fpent near three years and a half in that capital, for the 
mod part in retirement ; and then paid a vifit to England. 
There he was diftinguifhed by the notice of the royal fa¬ 
mily, of feveral of the nobility, and by the molt eminent 
men oi letters. He viflted both univerflties, and was ho¬ 
noured at Oxford with the degreeot doCtorof laws. The 
panegyrical oration in which this was conferred might be 
heard by him (lays his Italian eulogilt) without a breach 
of modeity, fince Latin pronounced in the Englifh man¬ 
ner would certainly be as unintelligible to him as the faliar 
verfes ot Nutria 1 He law Pope, and had the pleafure (it 
is faid) ot finding him occupied in tranflating his Merope. 
As no futh tranflation has appeared, and dramatic poetry 
was in no other inftance cultivated by Pope, it may be 
fufpeCted that a little complimentary fineffe was praCtifed 
on the occafion. From England he went to Holland and 
Flanders, and proceeded through Germany to Vienna, 
where he had a molt gracious reception from the emperor 
Charles VI. to whom he was well known. He returned 
to Verona before the ciofe of 1736. In that year he be¬ 
gan the “ Offervazioni Litterarie,” intended as a conti¬ 
nuation of the Italian literary journal. Several pieces of 
his compofition relative tohiftory and antiquities appeared 
in the fucceiiive tomes of this work. In 1742 he publifhed 
the refult of his long theological liudies in an elaborate 
folio volume entitled “ Iltoria teologica della Dottrine e 
rielle Opinioni corle ne’ cinque primi Secoli della Chiefa 
in Propolito della Divina Gr zia, del Libero Arbitrio, 
e della Predeftinazione.” In this work he appeared as 
the champion ot the Molinifts againlt the Janlenills, 
and the defender of the bull Unigenitus; and lo con¬ 
formable were his fentiments to thole ot the Jeluits, that 
it was luppofed they were its real authors, and particu¬ 
larly that father Tournemine's polthumous papers were 
its foundation; but, as it is certain that the marqu ; s was 
very converiant in theological ltudies,and had (pent much 
time on this performance, it can lcarcely be doubted 
that it was his own, aflilted, perhaps, by the counlel of 
lome learned men ot that lociety. To tins volume were 
fubjoined a number of ecclelialtical trails by the fame au¬ 
thor; iome new, others republilhed. It was not to be 
expected that the author of luch a work fhould el’cape with¬ 
out fome controverfial attacks. Several pieces appeared 
on both Tides, which it cannot be of importance to enu¬ 
merate.. The rigoriflsof the Roman-eatholle church hav¬ 
ing maintained, in oppofition to the lax morality of the 
Jefuits, that taking intereft of money to any degree waV 
the crime of ufury, Maffei oppofed this doctrine in his 
book “Dell’ Impiego del Danaro,” 1744, 4to. which was 
a learned and rational differtation on the employment of 
money in ancient times, and the true principles of mora¬ 
lity and policy on this head. As, however, he was obliged 
to make free with the authority of the fathers, he brought 
a charge of herefy upon himfelf, which was urged fo warmly,, 
that he was forbidden to remain in the city, and was con¬ 
fined to his country feat. The ftorm at length pafled over* 
and he returned in triuniph. The enlightened pontiff Be¬ 
nedict XIV. difcouraged further attacks upon him, and 
iffued an enciclic letter, which was expreffed with Inch a 
happy ambiguity, that both parties might interpret it in 
their own favour. The praSiice of lending upon intereft 
feems to have been not at all afteCted by this difpute. 
The compofition of another comedy on the prevailing 
affeftation of italianizing French words; the metrical ver- 
fion of the two firft books of the Iliad, and of fome pieces 
of Hebrew poetry ; a learned treatife on the Greek lapidary 
figla, or abbreviations; and fome inquiries into the gene¬ 
ration of lightning and other phyfical phenomena, ferved 
to diflipate the chagrin which his polemical writings had 
occalioned, and to difplay the unabated vigour and ver- 
fatility of his mind. Ever actuated by zeal tor the cre¬ 
dit and advantage of his native city, in which he had al¬ 
ready promoted liberal Itudies by tranlplanting a colony 
of learned teachers from the Arcadi at Rome, and eftablifh- 
ing a literary affembly in his own-houle, lie exerted him¬ 
felf in the foundation of a muleuin of antiquities and other 
curiofities, which became very confulerable, and was an¬ 
nounced to the public by a catalogue entitled “Mufeo Ve- 
ronefe.” His fervices in this and other matters were fo 
acceptable to his fellow-citizens, that a bult of him was 
placed in the hall of the Philharmonic Academy, with this 
infeription ; Scipioni Nlajfcio adkuc vivenii Accademia Filar- 
monica are & decreto Publico. But, fond as the marquis was 
of glory, he would not fuffer this mark of honour to re¬ 
main, and preferred the greater glory of removing it. 
Being no lefs an enemy to fuperltition than a triend to 
true religion, he endeavoured to correCt the popular no¬ 
tions concerning magic and witchcraft, and for that pur- 
pofe wrote his “ Arte magica dileguata,” 1749, 4 to> But, 
although he had been careful not to call in queition the 
accounts of paft diabolical agency which were lanctioned 
by the church, fo jealous were many of his contemporaries 
of any limitation of the powers ot the devil, that no fewer 
than fourteen antagonilts (farted up to refute his reafon- 
ings. He was nor, however, deterred by the charge of 
herefy brought againlt him on this occafion, but purfued 
his argument in his “ Arte magica diftrutta,” publifhed i& 
J750, under the name of Ant. Fiorio 5 and his “Arte ma- 
gica annichilata,” publifhed in 1754. Another warfare 
he had to maintain was againft the fentenc.e of fome ri- 
gorilts, that all theatrical fpeCtacles were unlawful to a 
Chriftian. This he oppofed in a treatife “Dc’ Teatri an¬ 
tichi e moderni,” 1753, in which he attempted to prove 
the fuperior morality of the modern ftage above the ancr- 
ent. A variety of other literary plans were in his con¬ 
templation ; for his thirft of knowledge, and ardent defire 
of faint in every department of fcience and letters, coun¬ 
teracted the natural inactivity of age. But his conftitu- 
tion began to break in the ipring ot 1754, and the fevere 
enluing winter brought him to a dying condition early in 
the next year. When his danger was known, the council 
of the city ordered public prayers to be put up tor him 
during three days. Pie viewed his approaching cud with 
tranquillity ; and on February nth, 1735, in the feventy- 
ninth year ot his age, placidly expired. He w,.s magnifi¬ 
cently interred amidlt a great toncourle or lamenting fel¬ 
low-citizens : and his fiatue was creCted in me principal 
lquare by the fide of thofe of Fracaltoro and otlurs who had 
conferred honour on Verona. Gen, Biog, 
MAF'FAH, 
