length, to Rome, he spent his last years in literary leisure. He died in the 727th year of the city. His prose writings were exceedingly numerous, and treated of various topics in antiquities, chronology, geography, natural and civil history, philosophy, and criticism. He was, besides, a poet of some distinction, and wrote in almost every kind of verse. He is said to have been eighty when he wrote his three books "De Re Rustica," which are still extant. Five of his books "De Lingua Latina," which he addressed to Cicero, are also extant, and some fragments of his works, particularly of his "Menippean Satires," which are medley's of prose and verse. Scaliger has likewise collected some of his epigrams from among the "Catalecta Virgilii. The first edition of Varro "De Lingua Latina" is a quarto, without date or place, but supposed to be Rome, 1471. There is a second, at Venice, 1474, 4to, and a third at Rome, 1474, fol. His whole works, with the notes of Scaliger, Turnebus, &c. were printed by Henry Stephens, 1573, 8vo, reprinted 1581; but the former edition is in greatest request among the curious, on account of a note of Scaliger's, p. 212, of the second part, which was omitted in the subsequent editions. Varro "De Re Rustica" is inserted among the "Auctores de Re Rustica." The use which Virgil makes of this work in his Georgics entitles it to some respect; and it is amusing as giving us a notion of the agriculture of his time, and the method of laying out gardens, and providing the luxuries of the table, in which the Romans were particularly extravagant. It contains

many absurdities, bowever, and many of those remarks and pieces of information which would now be thought a disgrace to the meanest writer on agriculture. The rev. T. Owen, of Queen's college, Oxford, and rector of Upper Scudamore, in Wiltshire, published a good translation of this work in 1800, 8vo.1

VARRO (ATACINUS), was born about ten years after the preceding, at a small town near Narbonne. Though infinitely below the Roman in learning, he was at least as good, if not a better poet; which perhaps has made Lilius Gyraldus, and other critics, confound them. He composed many works in verse; some fragments of which were collected, and published with those of other ancient poets at Lyons, 1603. His chief works were, "A poem on the war with

1 Vossius de P. et. Lat.-Fabric Bibl. Lat.-Brucker.-Saxii Ouomast.

the Sequani, a people of Gaul ;" and the "Astronomics," which went under the name of Planciades the Grammarian. But the "Argonautics," in four books, was what gained him the greatest reputation; and though indeed nothing but a translation of "Apollonius Rhodius," yet it has been liberally commended by Quintilian. Seneca also observes, that Virgil had so good an opinion of this author, that he sometimes inserted his verses into his works. '

VASARI (GEORGE), an artist, though better known as the biographer of his profession, was born at Arezzo, in 1512, and was taught the rudiments of drawing by his father, and the first principles of painting by William of Marseilles, a Frenchman, and a painter on glass; but being taken to Florence by cardinal da Cortona, he improved himself under Michael Angelo, Andrea del Sarto, and other eminent masters. By the cardinal he was introduced into the Medici family, but in 1527, when they were driven from Florence, he returned to his native city. Finding an epidemic disease prevailing there, he spent his time in the surrounding country, improving himself by painting subjects of devotion for the farmers. His father unfortunately died of the contagion, and left a young family unprovided for. Vasari, to contribute more effectually to their support, quitted the uncertain profession of a painter, and applied himself to the more lucrative trade of a goldsmith. In 1529, the civil war, which then existed at Florence, obliged the goldsmiths' company to remove to Pisa: and there, receiving commissions to paint some pictures both in oil and in fresco, he was induced to resume his former profession, and afterwards through life met with encouragement, that left him neither motive nor desire to change. The dukes of Florence and other distinguished persons were his liberal patrons, and he was constantly employed in works both profitable and honourable to himself.

In 1544, by the friendship of Paul Jovius, he was recommended to make designs and paint a hall for the cardinal Farnese, in Rome. While he was executing this work, he attended the cardinal's evening parties, which were frequented by men of genius. At one of these parties, Jovius, speaking of his own museum, arranged and embellished with inscriptions and portraits of illustrious men, said, "that it had always been his desire to add to it, and

1 Gesner Bibl.-Vossius.-Moreri.

make his book of eulogiums more complete, by a treatise on the celebrated artists, from Cimabue down to his own time;" and enlarged upon the subject with much general information. The cardinal then turned to Vasari, and asked him "if he did not think that subject would make a fine work?" Vasari concurred with his eminence, but added, that "it would require the assistance of an artist to collate the materials, and arrange them in their proper order: for although Jovius displayed great knowledge in his observations, yet he had not been equally accurate in the arrangement of his facts." "You can then," replied the cardinal, "give him assistance, which will be doing an essential service to the arts." To pay a proper deference to so flattering an opinion, he collected such materials as he thought necessary to the plan then suggested: and the information he contributed was drawn up so much to Jovius's satisfaction, that he recommended him to enlarge upon it, and make a more complete work, alleging his own want of leisure and capacity to do justice to such an undertaking. Vasari, with reluctance, consented; and with his own industry, and some assistance from others, he fulfilled his task; and, in 1550, published his work in 2 vols. entitled " Vite de piu eccellenti Pittori, Scultori, e Architetti." In 1571 he reprinted it in 3 vols. 4to, with portraits cut in wood, and with the addition of his own life to the fifty-fifth year of his age. The subsequent editions are, that of Bottari, Rome, 1759— 60, 3 vols. 4to, and those printed at Leghorn, 1767-72, 7 vols. 4to; at Sienna, 1791-98, 11 vols. 8vo. There is likewise one printed at Bologna in 1647, 3 vols. 4to, but not esteemed a good one.

Vasari died in 1574, and in 1588 his nephew published a work to commemorate and honour his uncle's abilities, entitled, "Ragionamenti del Sig. Cavaliere Georgio Vasari pittore ed architetto sopra le invenzioni de lui depinta in Fiorenza nel palazzo di Loro Altezze Serenissime, &c." It is not however to painting that Vasari is indebted for his present fame, but to his miscellaneous work; which, though crude and incorrect, affords the most ample source of our information concerning the painters of Italy before his time, or contemporary with himself. As an artist he had little originality, and the extravagances of genius mark the most predominant feature of his style. '

Duppa's Life of Michel Angelo, Preface.-Tiraboschii.

VATABLUS, or GASTLEBLED, (FRANCIS,) an eminent Hebrew scholar, was born at Gamache in Picardy, in the early part of the sixteenth century. In 1531 he was appointed regius professor of Hebrew in the university of Paris, one of the royal professorships at that time founded by Francis I. and in this office gained the highest reputation. Among his hearers were many learned Jews, who much admired his lectures, which were all delivered extempore, nor does he appear to have committed any of them to writing. Some of his scholars, however, having taken notes of his observations on the Old Testament, Robert Stephens made a collection of them, which he added to Leo Juda's version of the Bible, printed at Paris in 1545. Of their accuracy no doubts have been entertained, although Stephens probably might correct what he thought the errors of the transcribers. Yet as a protestant translation was joined to them, the doctors of divinity of the faculty of Paris condemned them, while those of Salamanca, with more liberality, caused Vatablus's Bible, for such it was called, to be reprinted in Spain with approbation. Stephens wrote a defence of it against the censures of the Parisian divines, who, Dupin allows, were at that time not sufficiently acquainted with the Hebrew language.

Vatablus was an excellent Greek scholar, and translated some parts of Aristotle's works. He also assisted Clement Marot in his poetical translation of the Psalms, by giving him a literal version from the Hebrew. He had the credit of being the restorer of the study of the Hebrew language in France, and taught many able scholars, particularly Brentius and Mercerus (see MERCIER), who both succeeded him in his professorship. He died March 16, 1547.1

VATTEL, or WATTEL, (EMER DE,) an eminent publicist, was the son of a clergyman of Neufchatel, where he was born April 25, 1714. After completing his studies, he went to Berlin, where he became acquainted with some of the literati of that city, and thence to Dresden, and was introduced to the king of Poland and the elector of Saxony, who received him with great kindness, and some years after he was appointed privy-councillor to the elector. He was residing at Dresden in 1765 when his health began to decline, which obliged him to try the air of his native country; but this proved ineffectual, and he died at Neufchatel in

1 Dupin.-Blount's Censura.-Saxii Onomast.

1767, in the fifty-third year of his age. He owed his literary reputation first to some publications, which, we believe, are not much known in this country, as a 66 Defence of Leibnitz's philosophy against M. de Crousaz," published in 1741, and dedicated to Frederick the Great, king of Prussia; and "Pieces diverses de morale et d'amusement," published at Paris in 1746. But he became known to all Europe by his "Droit des gens, ou Principes de la Loi Naturelle," published at Neufchatel in 1758, and translated into most European languages, and often reprinted. We have at least two editions of it in English, under the title of "The Law of Nations; or, principles of the Law of Nature: applied to the conduct and affairs of nations and sovereigns," 1760, 4to, and 1793, 8vo. What particularly recommended this work to the favour of the English, was their finding the opinions of their countrymen generally adopted, and England brought as a proof of a wise and happy constitution. The opinions of Milton and Harrington are frequently confirmed, while the maxims of Puffendorf and Grotius, who often adapted their opinions to the states in which they lived, are refuted with strength and perspicuity. In general Vattel takes Wolff, the celebrated Saxon philosopher, for his guide; but in many places he differs totally from him, and this produced a controversy between them. The points on which they differ may be seen in a publication by Vattel, which appeared in 1762, entitled "Questions sur le Droit Naturel et Observations sur le Traité du Droit de la Nature de M. le Baron de Wolff." In the mean time Vattel's "Law of Nations" became more and more the favourite of men who study such subjects, and has for many years been quoted as a work of high authority, and as in many respects preferable to Grotius and Puffendorf, being more methodical, more comprehensive, and more simple than either. '.

VAVASSOR, or VAVASSEUR, (FRANCIS,) a Jesuit of France, eminently distinguished for his accomplishments in the belles-lettres, was born in 1605, at Paray, a small town in Charolois, in the diocese of Autun. He entered into the society of the Jesnits in 1621; and, after having finished. the course of his studies, taught polite literature and rhetoric for seven years. Afterwards he was called to Paris, to explain the Holy Scriptures; which province he sustained

! Dict. Hist.