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hare been invited thither fur that purpose,) who undertook to print the Polyglott* Pialter, of Augustin Justinian, bishop of Nebbio, in the island of Corsica. The title of his work was, PtalteriuM, Hehraicwm, Gntcum, Arabicum, et Chaldntm, cum tribui Latinit Inierpretatiimibus el GlottU. It is in folio. A preface is prefixed, dated Genoa, Cal. Aug. 1516, addressed by Justinian to Leo X. It is divided into eight columns, of which, the 1st contains the Hebrew; the 2nd, Justinian's Latin translation, answer- ing word for word to the Hebrew ; the 3rd, the L^in Vulgate; the 4th, the Greek; the dth, the Arabic; the 6th, the Chaldee Paraphrase in Hebrew characters; the 7th, Justinian's Latin translation of the Chaldee Paraphrase ; the 8th, Latin scholio, or notes.
On the 19th Psalm, v. 4, " Their words are gone to the end of the world," Justinian has inserted, by way of commentary, a curious sketch of the life of Columbus, and an account of his discovery of America, with a very singular de- scription of the inhabitants, particularlv of the female native Americans; and in which he af- firms, that Columbus frequently boasted himself to be the person appointed by 6od, to fulfil this prophetic exclamation of David. But the ac- count of Columbus, by Justinian, seems to have displeased the family of that great navigator, for in the life of Columbus, written by his son, (see Churchill's Collection of Vouaga, ^c. vol. ii. p. 560,) he is accused of falsenood and contradic- tion; and it is even added, "that considering the many mistakes and falsehoods found in his History and Psalter, the senate of Genoa has laid a penalty upon any person that shall read or keep U,\ and has caused it to be carefully soogfat out in all places it has been sent to, that it may by public decree be destroyed, and utterly extinguished." After all, the mistakes of Jus- tinian most probably arose, not from design, but from incorrect information. The Arabic in this Psalter was the second^ that ever was printed ; and the Psalter itself, the first part of the Bible that ever appeared in so many languages.
Justinian undertook this work with the expec- tation of considerable gain, hoping thereby to assist his indigent relatives, but was miserably disappointed. His original intention, he informs us, in the account of himself prefixed to his An- nals of Genoa, was to give to the public a similar Polyglott edition of die whole Bible. " I had always imagined," sap he, " that my work would be eagerly sought aUer, and that the wealthy prelates and princes would readily have aSbrded me every assistance necessary for printing the rest of the Bible, in such a diversity of lan- guages. But I was mistaken, every one ap- plauded the work, but suffered it to rest and sleep ; for scarcely was a fourth part sold, of the
• PolTglott is derived from two Greek words, tigaitjing Buijr Uuiguai^es.
t Oio. The HUtorji or Putlter t
X The tf at book printed in Antne cliancter w*s entitled tefittm harm canoniem, and executed at Fano, an andent town of Italy, in the year IS14. Frintins was introduced tato Fano in iSM.
two thousand copies which I had printed, exclu- sive of fifty more copies printed upon vellum, which I had presented to all the kings in the world, whether Christian or Pagan." He, never- theless, completed the manuscript of the New Teitament, a great part of which he wrote with his own hand ; Sixtus Senensis says he had seen the Polyglott manuscripts of the Four Goipelt thus written, and also decorated bv himself. Af- ter completing the manuscript of the whole of the NeiD Testament, he engaged in a similar compilation of the text and versions of the Old Tatamenti conceiving, as he said, "that his time could not be better employed, than in the study of the holy scriptures.
Aug^tin Justinian, or according to his Italian name, Agostino Giustiniani, was born at Genoa, 1470. He entered at an early age into the order of St. Dominic, and enjoyed the advantages of good masters, and an excellent library. For many years he devoted himself entirely to study, except what time was occupied in the duties of instruction, from which he obtained permission to retire, in 1514, that he might apply solely to the preparing of the Pentaglott Btble for the press, and to the studies necessarily connected with so important a design.
Leo X. promised him greater promotion than the bishopric of Nebbio, to which he had been raised, hut never fulfilled the engagement. Hap- pily, about the same time Francis I. king of France, to whom the bishop of Paris had recom- mended Justinian, as a man of learning and merit, invited him to Paris, and bestowed on him a pension of 300 crowns, with the titles of counsellor, and almoner. He remained five years at the court of Francis, and during that period published variqjis works ; and he after- wards visited England and Flanders, returning by way of Lorraine, where he was received, and liberaUy entertained, by the reigning duke, and his brother the cardinal. This learned scholar perished in a storm at sea, together with the vessel which was conveying him from Genoa to Nebbio, in the year 1536. -
I5I6. It appears by an act of this date, that the bible was called BihUotheta, that is per emphatim, the librarv. The word library was limited in its signification than to the biblical writings ; no other books, compared with the holy writings, appear to have been worthy to rank with them, or constitute what we oul a library. As the bible, in many parts, consists merely of historical translations, and as too many exhibited a detail of offensive ones, it has often occurred to the fathers of femilies, as well as to the popes, to prohibit its general reading. Areh- bishop Tillotson formed a design of purifying the historical parts. Those who have given us a Family Snaktpeare,* in the same spirit may present us with a Family Bible.
- The Famiiit Skaktpeare, m tekick notking it added to
tke arimal tewt t iut thou wordt and exprmiOM are omit- ted wluch caiaot with pnprietf be read aloud m a fawiUt. By Thomas Bowdlei, Esq. F. R. 8. ft S. A. 8 voU. 8to. third edition. London, Longman ft Co.
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