MONTFAUCON, BERNARD DE, a celebrated French antiquary, was born at Soulagc, in Languedoc, on the 17th of January, 1655. His parents, distinguished among the nobility of those pails, usually resided at the chateau of Roquetaillade, where he lived till the age of six ye,rs. His education was then entrusted to the Peres de la doctrine Chreaenne at Limoux, under whose direction his zeal and assiduity were rewarded by a suitable progress in classical learning. Before leaving the paternal roof, his taste for reading had attracted the notice of Pavillon, Bishop of Aleth, who predicted the young man's future eminence; and in this new seminary, the perusal of Plutarch is said still farther to have ex cited his enthusiasm. Yet the promises of that early age at first seemed likely to be disappointed. Montfaucon adopted the profession of arms, and the contemplation of classical antiquity was exchanged for active service in the wars of Germany, under Marshal Turenne. But the character originally impressed upon Montfaucon's genius, though obscured, was not obliterated: the death of his parents, the loss of his superior officer, inspired disgust at the military life ; he quitted the regiment of Perpignan in 1675, after serving two campaigns (in which it does not appear that his conduct was marked by any thing but the fighting of a duel), and entered the congregation of St. Maur, where, having spent the ne cesssary period of probation, he assumed the habit of a Benedictine.
In that tranquil scene, his love of study revived in proportion to the abatement of melancholy ; and his the ological pursuits were mingled with the investigation of antiquity. The fruit of these researches was manifest ed in 1688, by the publication of his first original work, La verite de Histoire de Judith, which involved an ac count of the Median and Assyrian empires, and a critical dissertation concerning that history of the latter, which is commonly attributed to Herodotus.
The reputation for learning which this treatise ac quired, enhanced by several compilations, and parti cularly by his edition of St. Athanasms' works, pub fished ten years afterwards, procured him a favourable reception in the various parts of Italy, to which his love of antiquarian studies led him, in 1698. At Rome, he officiated as procurator of his order; the Pope and Car dinals were lavish in their attentions; and Montfaucon, during the intervals of his ecclesiastical functions, gave frequent and unequivocal proofs of the learning which he possessed, and was anxious to augment. It is related, that Zacagni, then sub-librarian of the Vatican, feeling his vanity wounded by the praise bestowed on this ac complished foreigner, laid several schemes to lower him in the public estimation. One day, whilst Montfaucon, among a crowd of distinguished persons, happened to be sauntering in the library, Zacagni, with affected po liteness, requested the antiquary to favour him with the date of a Greek manuscript, which he spread out before him. Montfaucon replied, that apparently it was written
about 700 years ago ; his antagonist, with a triumphant sneer, desired him to observe the name of Basil, the Macedonian, written at the top ; the Frenchman asked if it was not Basil Perphyrogenitus, later by 150 years; and as this, upon examination, proved to be the case, Zacagni retired with his manuscript, and thenceforth left the stranger at peace.
On his return from Italy, in 17G2, Montfaucon pub lished the Diarium Italicum, which, besides a learned ac count of the antiquities he had visited, was farther en riched by some ancient Greek and Latin treatises, now printed for the first time. It deserves to be remarked, that this work was translated into English about twenty years afterwards, by the noted Orator H .tley, whose gilt tub,' and whose labours in it, as 6 the Preacher and the Zany of his age,' have been immortalized in the Dunciad of Pope.
After the period of his return from Italy, Monlfau con's life was marked by nothing but the successive appearance of his writings. The Paleographia Grreca, exhibiting rules to determine the age of Greek manu scripts. appeared in 1708 ; and his great work, L'An tiquite Expliquee, in 10 vols. folio, Latin and French, was published in 1719, and followed by a supplement of 5 vols. in 1724. The book (of which this edition is still reckoned the best) contains above 1200 plates ; and though many of them are only copies of inaccurate originals, and though the whole seems to bear evident marks of haste, it was regarded as a very extraordinary effort, and continues yet to he a mine from which other less laborious inquirers draw their information. After the .71Ionum•ns de la Monarchic Franfoise, 5 vols. folio, came out in 1729. Montfaucon spent the rest of his life chiefly in revising his forcyning productions. Except the pub lication of his Bibliotheca Bibliothecarum, it was marked by no incident worth recording ; and two years after that event, he died suddenly at Germain-des-Pres, on the 21st of December, 1741.
Montfaucon was celebrated for the mildness and be nignity of his character. Neither the favours which he had received from an emperor, nor the honours with which he was decorated by two successive popes, could at all abate his humility ; and strangers who conversed with him, returned not more surprised at the amazing extent of his information, than at the unpretending sim plicity of his manners. Of an author who has left 44 vols. folio, it may be expected that elegance will not be a characteristic ; and, accordingly, Montfancon's wri tings are blamed for their cumbrous style and defective arrangement ; but his erudition, a quality more befitting such pursuits, has never been called in question; and his works are still looked up to, as guides through that obscure and intricate department of knowledge which he devoted his life to study. er. e.)