Whiston’s Account of the Convocation’s Proceedings with relation to himself, in a Letter to the Bishop of Bath and Wells” (Hooper). (3.) “An Essay against Arianism and some other heresies, or a Reply to Mr. Whiston’s Historical Preface and Appendix to his Primitive Christianity Revived.” In 1718 he published his last contribution to theology. “An Essay on the Doxology of the Church of England,” occasioned by “Whiston’s Account of Primitive Doxologies.” He sent it to his early and constant friend Robert Harley, Earl of Oxford, with this epistle:—
“I chanced lately to mention to you in our discourse something concerning the famous Whiston’s impudent letters to the Bishop of London, wherein he opposed our doxology; you will pardon me, my Lord, if I trouble your Lordship with this little pamphlet, which my zeal in the cause of religion moved me to write. Neither my studies nor calling have been turned to Divinity farther than a Christian ought who has some little knowledge of the original text of his Bible. I know your Lordship to be no less quick-sighted in those things, than in others which are more particularly the object of men in your high station. What I now offer to your reading must needs discover much of my imperfections and ignorance; but your goodness will, I hope, excuse its faults for the sake of its honest meaning. I have my aim, if I can confirm still the good opinion your Lordship has entertained of my steadfast and immoveable adherence to the Orthodox Church of England, as well as to the true loyal interest of a country to which (after I was driven from my own) I owe everything which I enjoy in the world. Aug. 2, 1719.”[1]
In 1712 was published “The English Grammar, or an Essay on the Art ot Grammar, applied to and exemplified in the English Tongue, by Michael Maittaire.” It was written under the conviction of the hardship of youths being “hurried into Latin before they are well able to read English;” “the ignorance of English can never be a good foundation or ingredient towards disposing of youth for the learned languages; the knowledge of it must serve as an introduction to them.” Accordingly for comparative grammar he makes English the familiar one, and the basis of observation as to differences and variations in the grammatical rules of languages. With this view he attempts to modify the English practice as to the first personal pronoun, suggesting to us that there is a want of modesty in the Englishman’s peculiarity of assuming the capital I. To give an idea how the change would look, I quote Maittaire’s prefatory note as to Elocution (p. 238), where after recommending Quinctilian, Book xi., Chapter Third, “which to translate would be worth some learned man’s while, who were an exact master of English and Latin,” he adds —
“I am indeed too sensible of my want of ability to undertake that task; and therefore i have only gathered some few general notions and rules, that i may not wholly be silent upon so necessary a part of a grammarian, orator and poet. In the perusal of it i found it very difficult to choose what to take and what to leave. I beg the learned reader to excuse my choice if it has failed in judgment; for i frankly own i have omitted some things which i wished to have inserted here, had i been able to give them that turn in English which they have in the Latin Original.”
It would be endless to enumerate and describe all his editions of the classics.[2] I may mention two folio volumes published in 1713, “Opera et fragmenta veterum poetarum Latinorum — profanorum et ecclesiastoricum.” In 1722 he published by subscription, “Miscellanea Gra;corum aliquot Scriptorum carmina;” among the subscribers were Mr. Peter Chrestien, Mr. Peter Dunoyer, and Mr. Thomas Pellet.
In 1717 he produced “Historia typographorum aliquot Parisiensium,” dedicated to Philip, Duke of Orleans, Regent of France. The Parisian printers whom he memorialized were Simon de Colines, Michel de Vascosan, Guillaume Morel, Adrien Turnèbe alias Tournebeuf, Frederic Morel, Jean Bienné [Bene-natus], Frederic Morel secundus, Claude Morel, Claude Morel secundus, Charles Morel, and Gilles Morel.
Next, he began a series of quarto volumes of Annals of the art of printing and achievements of the printing-press from its invention onwards (Annales Typographici ab artis inventae origine). Volume I., published in 17 19 contained the period from 1461 to 1500; dedicated to Thomas, Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery. Volume
- ↑ Nichols’ “Literary Anecdotes,” vol. i., p. 201.
- ↑ Such was his fame as an editor of Latin and Greek classics, that his name was sometimes used in titles of books not edited by him. These he publicly disclaimed, though in most polite language, in a memorandum written in the latter part of his life:— “As the Editor of several classics some years ago printed in l2mo at Messrs Tonson and Watts’ press, thinks it sufficient to be answerable for the imperfections of those editions, without being charged with the odium of claiming what has been put out by editors much abler than himself — he therefore would acquaint the publick that he has no hand in publishing the following books which in some newspapers have been advertized under his name, viz.: Sophoclis Tragaediae, Homeri Ilias, Musarum Anglicanarum Analecta, Livii Historia, Plinii Epistolae et Panegyrieus, Conciones et Orationes ex Historicis Latinis. M. M.” Nichols (as above), vol. iv., p. 558.
