AULUS GELLIUS, (called by some Agellius,) a Roman author of considerable ingenuity and various learning, (vir clegantissimi eloquii, ac mitr et fit cuudce seientite; Augustin. de C'iv. Dei, ix. v.) was horn at Rome, and flourished there, as is supposed, in the time of Adrian and the Antonines.
Of his life and circumstances the commentators have been able to collect few memorials. Having acquired the elementary branches of education in his native city, under the direction of Sulpitius polli naris, Titus Castritius, and Antonius Julianus, he re paired to Athens, for the purpose of prosecuting his philosophical studies; and during his residence at that celebrated seat of learning and the arts, he enjoyed the advantage of a frequent and familiar intercourse with several of the most eminent literary characters of the age. In the philological and ethical sciences he made considerable progress ; and, it is believed, he embraced the principles of his contemporary Pha vorinus. After travelling through the states of Greece, he returned to Rome, and devoted himself to the profession of the law ; in which he appears to have attained to respectability and eminence, and was appointed to the situation of a judge extraordinary. (Noct. Att. xii. 13.) The precise period of his death is uncertain.
The only work of Aulus Genius now extant, is his Nodes Attica., which he began to write during Isis residence at Athens, with the view, as lie informs us in his preface, of providing a proper species of enter tainment for himself and his children. It is a learned and amusing miscellany, consisting of a variety of li terary and philosophical anecdotes, historical and biographical notices, critical and philological remarks, &c. and is of considerable value, on account of the literary incidents and observations which it contains, and the passages of ancient authors which it has pre served and illustrated. It is valuable also in respect
of the occasional information which it conveys, on the subject of ancient manners, customs, and opinions.
The style of Genius has been the subject of much controversy among the commentators and critics, who are by no means agreed, whether he ought to be ranked among the writers of the silver or the brazen age. Without pretending to enter into the merits of this learned controversy, or to detract from the epi thets luculentus, nitidu.c, elegantissimus, latinissinzus, bestowed upon this author by many eminent and ju dicious critics, we shall only observe, that the reader of the Nodes Atticce will occasionally remark some of those peculiarities which characterise the style of •the later Roman writers. Those who are desirous of obtaining farther information upon this subject, may consult the preface to Mr Beloe's translation, and the authorities therein referred to ; particularly, Falsterus, De Vita et Rebus A. Gellii, and Fabricius, Biblioth. Lat. vol. i. and ii.
The Nodes were first printed at Rome, by Conrad Sweinheim,• and Arnold Pannartz, in 1469. The editor was John Andreas, the learned bishop of Aleria. The most valuable of the subsequent edi tions are. 1. The edition of Jenson ; Venice, 1472. 2. The edition of Aldus ; ibid. 1515. 3. The edi tion of Henry Stephen ; Paris, 1585. 4. The El zivir edition ; Amsterdam, 1651. 5. Cam notis va riorum; Le den, 1666. 6. In usunz Delphini ; 1681.
7. The edition of the Gronovii; Leyden, 1706.
8. Of Conradus; Leipsick, 1762..
Mr Beloe's translation, with critical and explana tory notes, was published in 1795 ; and will be of essential service to the student, besides being valuable to such as are deprived of the advantage of being able to peruse the original. (z)