Star.
London, England, 1820-03-04 00:00:00

ImpoitTA:ser LITER ITU' DISCOVERY.

The following letter, dated December SS, 1819,
from the principal Librarian of the Vatican to the
Pope. givin an account of the discovery of Cicero's
treatise de Republica, has excited great expectation,
and, though the writer may be too sanguine as to the
possibility of deciphering the *hole, there can be
hale doabt than what is actually gaiued will be a
valuable addition to classical literature.
(corr.)
" Most Blessed Father, first kissing your sacred
foot, I have the honour and satisfriction to inform
your Beatitude, that my studies in the Vatican Li-
brary, in which I preside through -your sovereign
clemency, have beenencouraged by signal -success.—
In two te-written • Codices of the Vatican,. I have
lately found some lost works of the first Latin Claw
sits, In the first of these MSS. Il'ave discovered the'
lost books de Republica :f Cicero, written iii excellent;
letters of the best time, in atop hundred pages, each'
in two columns, and all fortunately legible. The 1,
titles of the above noble :..übject, and of the books,
appear in the margin; and the name of Cicero, as
author of the work, is distinctly legible. 'A com-
position-of the Middle ages having been again written
upon this MS. the original pages have been mis-
placed, and even mutilated ; notwithstanding this, a
great part remains. The ti:oi al and NA):
great
the legislator, the historian, the antiquary,
and the lover of pure lutioity, wiW naturally-expect,
withimpatience, the publication of thisimportant
work of Cicero, so ling lamented as. lost. I shall
lose no time in preparing it for the press, ard.in sub-
mitting it to your llolineas inspection. The ether'
re-written Codex presents various afssi equally
precious works. It is singular. that this MS. contains
some of the same works which I cliscrirered and pub-
lished at Milan, and I have here found what was
there wanting. 1 perceived this at first sight,-not
wily from comparing the subject, but also from the
hand-writing, which is precisely the same as that of
the Milan MS.
The contents are—l. The correspondence be-
tween pronto and Marcus Aurelius, before and
after he was Empeior. This is an instructive'' af-
fectionate, and very interesting collection: the first
and second books, containing Epistles to M. Aure-
lius, were published from the Milan MS.; that now
found in the Vatican contains the. third, fourth, and-
fifth books, as well as the supplement to the second,
and some other works by pronto, in ;atilt and Greek.
2. The tine commentary of the ancient incdited
scholiast on Cicero, begun to be publi,..hed by me at
Atila4 and now to be increased by tire other ora-
tions, with the supplements to those already printed
at Milan. $. A tragment of an oration, by Q. Au--
relius Symmadrus, 4 with the
isstrailnts of two,
by, the same author, already by use.
supplements to the homily, or Cicithico-Ulphaaa'
commentary, a portion of which was also foUnd
Milan, together w ith an Essay. of Ulphilas. These I
sosac.sfrhe moat valueble ancient fas, have been mad,
ia.moro modern dines, for culler writings; the object being to
toe the parciriner.t but the old letters are generally faill visible
below the snore recent tharactrn;, thourh the deciphering of
them is necessarily attended with cons,idtrablo diffisulty.
Proato was the yreceptor of Lucius Vents and Marcus
..strelitriv the. utter of whom erecu:,i a statue to him; his do—,
Vence his been compared to. (.`feu O'F.
I Qr A. Symnsacbus, Consul of Item!, A.D. 591, is eelebra •
ted for bltrisettions In failsise of:Paganism. _ lie fousd a paws.
orfoi.a.slvaisary ht y,AinbrOse. and was hanialted. arm.
by Thzodovi'as the C:aat. boot's of his Episticiall
etzal.t.