BOISSONADE DE FONTARABIE, JEAN FRAN C OIS French classical scholar, was born at Paris Aug. 12 He was in the public service 1792-95, and was restored by Lucien Bonaparte, during whose time of office he served as secretary to the prefecture of the Upper Marne. He then devoted himself to the study of Greek. From 18og-28 he was professor of Greek at the faculty of letters at Paris. In 1828 he succeeded to the chair of Greek at the College de France. He was librarian of the Bibliotheque du Roi, and perpetual secretary of the Academie des Inscriptions. He died Sept. 8 1857.
He produced editions of many later Greek authors, of which the chief were: Philostratus, Heroica (1806) and Epistolae (1842) ; Marinus, Vita procli (1814) ; Tiberius Rhetor, De Fig uris (1815) ; Nicetas Eugenianus, Drosilla et Charicles Wig); Herodian, Partitiones Wig); Aristaenetus, Epistolae (18 2 2) ; Eunapius, Vitae Sophistarum (1822) ; Babrius, Fables Tzetzes, Allegoriae Iliados (I 851) ; and a Collection of Greek Poets. The Anecdota Graeca (182g-33) and Anecdota Nova (1844) are important for Byzantine history and the Greek grammarians.
A selection of his papers was published by F. Colincamp, Critique littera.re sous le premier Empire (1863), vol. i. of which contains a complete list of his works, and a "Notice Historique sur Monsieur B.," by Naudet.