HERBELOT, BARTHE'LEMI D', was born at Paris, on the 14th of December 1625. Ho commenced the study of the Oriental languages in early life, and acquired an accurate knowledge of the Arabic, Hebrew, Syriac, Persian, and Turkish languages. During his residence in Italy, whither he went with the hope of obtaining instruction from natives of the east, be enjoyed the friendship and patronage of the cardinals Barberini and Grimaldi; • and on his return to France he received a pension from Fouquet of 1500 livres, which he afterwards lost on the disgrace of that minister. He was eubse qnently appointed Oriental secretary and interpreter to the king. During a second visit which he made to Italy he was received in the most distinguished manner by Ferdinand IL, grand-duke of Tuscany, who presented him with a great number of valuable Oriental manu scripts, and wished to retain him at his court. But D'IIerbelot was prevailed upon by the solicitations of the minister Colbert to return to Paris, where he was appointed professor of Syriac on the death of Auvergne. He also received a pension from the king. He died on the 8th of December 1695.
The work by which D'Herbelot is known to posterity is entitled 'Bibliotheque Orientate, ou Dictionuaire Universe], contenant Ondrale meat tout ce qui regarde la connoissance des peuples de l'Orient,' fol., Paris, 1697. This work, which he commenced in Italy, and upon which be employed the labour of many years, was published after his death by Ostend. The 'Bibliotheque Orientate' was founded upou the Arabic dictionary of Haji Khalfa, and has been deservedly considered by scholars as a most extraordinary work for the time in which it appeared. D'Herbelat also drew his materials from numerous other
works in Arabic, Persian, and Turkish, which are enumerated by Galand in his preface to the Bibliotheque.' On many subjects connected with Oriental history and antiquities the Bibliotheque Orientate' supplies the only information which is available at the present day to a person unacquainted with the Oriental languages. But its statements must be received with great caution; for while the learned author appears to have had a most extensive knowledge on all subjects connected with the east, ho certainly did not pay sufficient attention to accuracy. It should however be recollected that he did not live to complete the work, and that his plau embraced too great a number of subjects to allow any one individual to do justice to them all.
The 'Bibliotheque Orientate' was reprinted at Maestricht, fol., 1776, and also at the Hague, 4 vols. 4to, 1777-99. The latter edition con tains many valuable additions by Schultens and and also a supplement by Visdelou and Galand. An abridgemeut of the original work was published at Paris, 6 vols. 8vo, 1782, by Nam:mart& A German translation of the 'Bibliotheque Orientate' was published at Halle, by Schulz, 4 vols. 8vo, 1785-90.
D'Herbelot also wrote several other works, which have never been published. Amongst these Galand mentions a Turkish and Persian Dictionary, in 3 vols. folio.