150 
Capperonnier. Capperonnier not only 
allowed him to have the ufe of books 
from the King’s Library in private at his 
own lodgings, but procured him fimilar 
indulgence from the Benediétines. His 
application and readings were ravenous 
and indefatigable. Some manvicripts he 
tranicribed entirely ; from others he made 
extracts : others he compared with the 
printed editions, and noted the variations. 
As the catalogues had not been always 
made out from a thorough examination of 
the manufcripts which their titles refpec- 
tively deicribed, he was often led aide 
from the particular purpofe with which 
he opened any one of theie, by finding, un- 
der the titie, perhaps, of fome Father of 
the Church, befide him, portions of Plato, 
Ariffotle, Xenophon, and others of the 
bett authors. Thefe he found commonly 
inferted without any difcontinuity of the 
manuicript, or any mark to indicate that 
the copyiit there pafled from one work to 
another. Among cther objects of curio- 
fity which were fhewna te him ai this ltbra- 
ry, was the fludy eccupied by Cataubon 
when he was keeper of it; an apartment 
which Ruhnken naturally furveyed with 
awiul veneration. 
Ina whole year’s refidence at Paris he 
made a greater number of tranicripts and 
collations ef different editions than were 
ever known to have been executed by one 
perion within the fame ipace of time.— 
‘The Parifians, who witnetled his indufiy, 
named him, on account of it, Hercules 
Mulagetes. Nor did he, in the mean 
time, neglei to mingle in the amufements 
and the jociety of Paris. He vilited the 
theatres, galleries of paintings, {chools of 
medic ne, cabinets of medals, with the 
workfhops of eminent artifis and artizans, 
2nd all that was moit mterefting in that 
feat of learning, fcience. pleafure, bufi- 
nefs, taft-, and vanity. He became ac. 
guain‘ed there with two learncd Englith- 
men, in who’e converfation he tock great 
delight; Mr. Samuel Mufgrave, who was 
then ltudying medicine ; and Mr.Thomas 
‘Tyrwhit, a man of fortune and of piea- 
fure, but fond of elegant erudition, and 
who lived afterwards to diftinguith him- 
felt by his learned publications in his own 
couniry. 
From Paris he was recalled by the 
friendly carecf Hemfterhuis. Both Hem- 
ftahuis and Cudendorp were new old and 
infirm ; and Ruhnken’s geod patron with- 
ed him to he in the way, to fucceed to the 
chair of the one or the other of them.— 
Tilia vacancy fhould occur, Ruhnken 
Memoir of Profeffor David Rhunken. 
[March 1 
was appointed as Greek reader to affift 
Hemiterhuis. 
He entered upon the duties of this ap- 
pointment in the month of O&ober 17575 
by reading an inaugural Differtation on 
the Right of Greece to the Character of 
the Parent Country of the Arts and Sci- 
ences. This oration was heard with ex- 
traordinary applaufe, on account both of 
the ingenuity and refearch with which 
its general propofition was proyed and il- 
Juftrated, and of the purity and elegance 
of its Latinity, excelling any thing that 
had for many years been produced on any 
{uch occafion at Leyden. The duties of 
his fituation as reader or leSturer engaged 
him to interpret the books of the New 
Teitament, {uch as the Gofpel of St. 
Luke, and the A&s of the Apoftles, and 
after thefe the profane clalics, Homer, 
Xenophon, &c. This tafk he performed 
with great ability, explaining thofe books 
one portion after another,- and teaching 
his pupils alfo to read and explain them 5 
after which he ufualiy dictated obferva- 
tions upon the difficult paflages, to be 
written down, and_ privately fitudied by 
them. neti 
When Gefner of Gottingen was afters 
wards preparing to pubiith hisedition of the 
Hymns ot Orpheus, Rhunken having bes. 
fiowed much pains in the critical fludy of 
thofe pieces, communicated his notes to 
that learned profeflor. But Gefner was not 
willing to give to another a right to fhare 
in the praile of his Jabour; and he there 
fore declined to ufe what Rhunken had 
fent. Yet the advice af *Ernelti at laf 
prevailed upon him to infert thofe hitherto 
unpubhified fragments of Orpheus, which 
Rhunken had copied from the manus 
icripts in the King of Frange’s library, 
and the various readings which he had 
noted in collating three of thofe manu- 
fcripis. Gefner received thefe from Er. 
nefti, and but-for his earneft perfuafion 
would not have made ufe of them. } 
Soon after this, upon a vacancy in the 
proiefiorfhip of civil-law at Leyden, 
Ruhnken, by the influence of Hemfters 
huis, was enabled to evince his gratitude 
to his old friend Ritter, by procuring him 
to be nominated to fill the vacant chair. 
Ritter, however, after fignifying his ac- 
ceptance of the appointment, fuffered 
himielf to be over-perfuaded ‘by his wife, — 
who was, afraid of finding her death in 
Holland, and {tayed where he was. 
Four years after his appointment to the 
office of reader in Greek, Rhunken fuc- 
ceeded, on the death of Oudendorp, - ta 
x ~ : é« : ‘ e the 
® 
