PRISCIAN, prish'i-an (Latin, PRISCIANUS CESARIENSIS, prish-i-anfis se-zi-ri-en'sis), Latin grammarian of the 6th century A.D. From his surname "Cmsariensis)" it is supposed that he may have been born at Czsarea, and it is believed that he lived about 500 A.D , as he is mentionel by Paulus Diaconus as contemporary of Cassiodorus (468-562). Almost all that is known of the facts of his life is that he taught Latin at Constantinople, probably to the im perial court of Justinian, as he is known to have received a salary from the government. His qnstitutiones Grammaticx,> in 18 books, a most thorough and comprehensive work, has chiefly preserved his fame. A transcript completed at Constantinople by one of his pupils in 527 was reproduced in 1,000 manuscripts in the Middle Ages. Priscian borrowed largely from the first 12 of the 20 chapters of the 3d century 'De compendiosa doctrina) of Nonius Mar cellus (q.v.), who was especially indebted to Verrius Flaccus and Aulus Gelling, and a re vised and annotated edition of whose work was brought out by Julius Tryphonianus Sabinus in the 5th century. Priscian's 'Institutes) and
the grammar composed by Mitts Donates in the 4th century dominated the schools of the Middle Ages and formed the type and source of the Latin and Greek school grammars of modern Europe. The first 16 books treat of the eight parts of speech recognized by the ancient grammarians. The last two are on syn tax and are preserved separately in one manu script, these bearing the title We Construe done.) The whole work, successively abridged, formed the basis of instruction in Latin up to the 15th century. The old phrase, "to break the heart of Priscian,' means to violate grossly the rules of grammar. The first edition of his complete works appeared at Venice in 1470, and what has been considered the best, by Krebel, at Leipzig (2 vols., 1819-20). See LANGUAGE,