ANTHOLOGY (Gr. flower-collection) is the title usually given to a book consisting of an unconnected series of choice thoughts, whether in prose or verse, but generally in the latter. Of the collections of this kind made in ancient times, which consisted mostly of epigrammatic poems, the best known are the first Greek A. was compiled by Meleager of Gadara, in Syria, about 60 B. C. Besides this, there were three or four others belonging to periods consid erably subsequent to the birth of Christ; but all these earlier anthologies are lost. What we now possess are two later collections, one by Constantine Cephalas in the 10th c., who borrowed largely from one of the earlier anthologies; and another by Maximus Planudes, a monk of Constantinople in the 14th c., who, by his tasteless selection from the A. of Cephalas, rather spoiled than increased the already existing store. The A. of Planudes was first issued in print at Florence in 1404 by a learned Greek, John Lascaris, and for a long time was the only one known. It went through successive editions, and received various improvements. The latest edition (with the Latin version of Grotius, a master piece of latinity and rapid execution) was commenced by Bosch in 1795, and finished by Lennep in 1822. Meanwhile, Claude Salmasius had discovered in the Heidelberg library (1606) the only extant manuscript of the older and richer A. of Constantine Cephalas, which he compared with that of Planudes, copying out the poems not found in the lat ter. During the Thirty Years' war, the IIeidelberg manuscript was carried to Rome; but in 1797, after the peace of Tolentiuo, the French contrived to secure possession of it, and brought it to Paris.' In 1816 it was returned to Heidelberg. After the important discovery of Salmasius, the work was often mentioned by the name of the Palatinate manuscript, or the Vaticano-Palatinate. Portions of it were published byJensius, Leich, Reiske, and Klotz. The entire collection, augmented by fragments of the older poets, and by epigrams found on monuments and in other works, was edited by Brunck at Strasburg in 1776, under the title Arucleeta Veterum Poetarum Grcecorurn (Selections from the Old Greek Poets), and later by Jacob, under the title of Anthologia Graca, sire Poeta rum Grecco•arn Lustig ea Re,censione &email, (Greek A., or Fugitive Pieces of the Greek Poets, from the corrected Text of Brunck), 1794-1814, at Leipsic Since then, it has been published variously, in whole or part. It is impossible not to admire these gems. No
where is there to be found a richer variety of poetic life, greater delicacy of sentiment, a more joyous serenity, a greater abundance of wise, true, humane thoughts, than sparkle in the pages of the Greek A. To the poet, it presents the most graceful images and the most exquisite conceptions; to the philosopher, maxims adorned with all the graces of style; to the historian, monumental inscriptions; to the philologist. the most varied forms of an imperishable language; to all, a charming revelation oeantiquity.
Latin 1573, Scaliger published at Leyden, in imitation of the Greek A., a Latin A., under the title Catalecta Veterum Poetarum (Gatherings from the Old poets), and Pitthous one at Paris, 1590. A larger collection was issued at Amsterdam (1759 and 1773) by Peter Burman the younger, under the title Anthologia Veterum Latin oeurn Epigrammatum et Poematum (A. of Old Latin Epigrams and Poems), a more correct and better arranged edition of which was published by Meyer in 1835.
Asiatic literature is extremely rich in anthologies, which consist sometimes of extracts from the best poets, arranged according to the subject, and sometimes of "beauties" of their best poets, with biographical notices, which are either placed in chronological • order, or according to the countries in which the authors lived.
1. Arabic Anthologies.—Abu-Temam published selections from the old Arabic songs previous to the time of Mohammed, arranged them in ten books, and named the entire collection after the first book, which consisted of war-songs, Hamiisa. Another famous A. is the Divan of the Hudhailites (an Arabic tribe), an edition of which was published by Kosegarten. Abu'l-Faraj of Ispahan (died 966) gathered together in his KWh al aghlini (Book of Songs), all the ancient Arabic songs clown to the first centuries of the ealifate. It was published by Kosegarten in 1840. Abu'l-Faraj accompanied the work with a minute commentary, which makes it one of the most interesting of the old Arabic literature. But the richest and most complete. A. of the later Arabic poesy is nailed al-dahr (the Pearl of the World), by Taalebi, in which the writers are arranged according to the provinces in which they lived. It has been continued and enlarged since the period of the original compiler. Besides these and similar national anthologies, collec tions have been made in almost every province where the Arabic culture and speech prevailed. Such, for example, are the numerous Arabico-Spanish ones, though these are but little known.