JE S O P. " Adverfaria : " There are many fuch things (fays this au- " thor) in the learned monk, who fome yeavs ago publifhed " a life of Alexander the Great, full of the mofl extra^rant " fictions ; yet this romance had formerly To much credit, 46 that it is quoted as an authority even by the beft writers. te Whether this extraordinary hiftory was ever publifhed, I t{ know not; I have it in manufcript, but I hardly think it tc worth}' of a place in my library. Jt is the fame author sc that Francifcus Juretus mentions under the name of " ./Efop." Thus far Barthius [A], Freinfhemius tells us, that this work was publifhed in German at Strafburor, in 1486. A] Julius Valerias Lat'nam fecit Ciraldn?, qui non dubitavit ejus cellionis hi(loria;n fabolofam de Alexandra, quas aucloritate ut-i. An ca egrctia hiftoria ab aliis /Efopo, ab aliis Call.'fiherii ad- euita unquam fit nefcio, nos in charta fcriptafuit. Unde fahuias fuas certatim fcriptum haSemus fed tanti vix aefrima- haulerunt Antonius, Vincentius, Urfper- inus, ut in bibliothtcam recipiamus : eft genfis, alii. Pietium videbatur adiicri. ide;n auclor quern /"Efopum vocat, et in- here hoc loco jucicium Barthii ex Q^ X. terpretatum a Julio Valeric Francifcus Advftrfaiiorum. Talia nmlta in non in- Juretus aJ Symmach?, lib. i, eoifh 54, erudito monjrcho ft-nt, qui vitam Alex- eo'itiune quidem priore. Ego vero ne- andrimagni prodi^iofis mendaciis farclain que de auctote nenue de interprets credo edidit ante aliquam molta faecula quae Ronsani Grsecive hominis elle, maxima fabula tantum o!im fidei habuit; ut a enim in eo Graeci fermonis ignoriintia, prudentibus etiani fcriptjribus fit tefti- nee ulla Romani notitia eft. Haftenus jrjvinio citata, qualis fane ante plufqwarn Barthius, Freinfiiemtiis's Preface to his ouatuor fecula fuit in An^lia Silveftcr Commentary on Q^intus Curtius. (CLODIUS), a celebrated a<Stor, who flouriflied about the 6yoth year of Rome. He and Rofcius were co- temporaries, and the bed performers who ever appeared upon the Roman ftape ; the former excelling in tragedy, the latter Plutarch, in in comedy. Cicero put himfelf under their direction to per- Cicer. Vita, fcg ^; s aG >i cn . ^ fop lived in a moft expenfive manner, and at one entertainment is faid to have had a d;fh which coft above eight hundred pounds: this difh we are told was rilled with Tinging and fpeaking birds, feme of which coft near fifty pounds. Pliny (according to Mr. Bayle) feems to re- fine too much, when he fuppofes that JEi'op found no other delight in eating thefe birds, but as they were imitators of mankind : and fay?, that /Efop himfelf being an actor was but a copier of man ; and therefore he {hould not have been lavifh in deilrovmg thofe birds, which, like himfelf, copied mankind [A]. The delight which ^Sifop took in this fort of A] Maxime infignis eft in hac me- emptas ; nulla alia indufius fuavitate jnoria Clodii ,/Elppi trapici hiflrionis nifi ut in his imitationem hominis man- patina fefiertium centum taxata : in qua deret, ne quzftus quiiiem luos reveritns pofuit avts cantu aliquo aut hurr.ano illos optinios et voce meritos. Plin, lib, /trmpne rocalcs fsilertia fcx fingulas co- y. cay, 51, p^g, 1x1.443. birds
