VITRUVIUS (Maitcus Yrrituvius Potuo,) in biography, a celebrated Ito man architect, of whom however nothing is known, but what is to be collected from his ten books " De Architecture," still extant. In the preface to the sixth book, he writes, that he was carefully in structed in the whole circle of arts and sciences ; a circumstance which he speaks of with much gratitude, laying it down as certain, that no man can be a complete architect, without some knowledge and skill in every other branch of knowledge. And in the preface to the first book he informs us, that he was known to Julius Caesar; that he was afterwards recom. mended by Octavia to her brother Au gustus Cesar; and that he was so favoured, and provided for, by this emperor, as to be out of all fear of poverty as long as he might live. It is supposed that Yitruvi us was born either at Rome or Verona ; but it isnot known which. Ills books of ar chitecture are addressed to Augustus Cx sar, and not only show consummate skill in that particular science, but also a very uncommon genius and natural abilities. Cardan ranks Vitruvius as one of the twelve persons, whom he supposes to have excelled all men in the three of ge nius and invention ; and would not have scrupled to have given bins the first place, if it could be imagined that he had delivered nothing but his own discover ies. ,Those twelve persons were, Euclid,
Archimedes, Apollonius Perg2cus, Aris totle, Archytas of Tarentum, Vitruvius, Achindus, Mahomet Ihn Moses, the in ventor or improver of Algebra, Duns Scotus, John Suisset, surnamed the calcu lator, Galen, and Heber of Spain. The best edition of the architecture of Vitru vius is that of Amsterdam in 1649. Per rault gave an excellent French transla tion of the same, and added notes and fi gures: the first edition of which was pub lished at Paris, in 1673, and the second, much improved, in 1684. Mr. William Newton, too, an ingenious architect, pub lished in 1780, &c. curious commentaries on Vitruvius, illustrated with figures ; to which is added a description, with fi gures, of the military machines used by the ancients.