M-AGLIABECHI, ANTONIO DA MARCO, an Italian scholar of extraordium7 attainments, and court librarian, b. at Florence in 1633, of a respectable but indigent family. From his earliest years he displayed an inordinate passion for the acquisition of book-knowl edge. Having speedily mastered the Greek, Latin, and Hebrew languaaes, he literally entombed himself among books, of which disorderly piles encumbered every- portion of Lis dwelling, and lay in a heterogeneous litter around his feet. In his daily habits 3Iagliabechi grew regardless of the requirements of social and sanitary life; and such was his avidity of study that he finally denied himself even the requisite intervals of repose. His memory was prodigious, and not only enabled him minutely to retain the contents of his multitudinous books, but also to supply, on occasion, the most exact reference to any particular page or paragraph, the place of each book being indicated with precision in the midst of their apparent inextricable masses. Magliabechi was
pegarded as the literary prodigy of his times. He was appointed court-librarian by the grand dukes of Florence; and the niany tributes of respect tendered by royal and dis tinguished personages to his wonderful erudition, fostered in an inordinate degree his love of fame and praise,swhich rendered him intolerant of literary merit in others, and involved him in several bitter literary squabbles. He died at Florence on July 12, 1714, in the 81st year of his age, leaving no written record of his immense encyclopmdie knowl edge. His valuable library of 30,000 vols. he bequeathed to his native city of Florence, with funds for its future care and extension; it is now a free library, and'bears the name of its collector.