ERNEST', JOHN AUGUSTUS, was born at Tennstadt, in the Thiiringer Wald, on the 9th of August 1707. He was educated at Wittenberg and Leipzig, and in 1731 hecanie conrector of the school of St. Thomas, Leipzig. He succeeded J. M. Gessner as rector in 1734. While engaged in this situation he acquired so great a reputation as a classical scholar that, in 1742, the Cuiversity of Leipzig violated its own rule of never electing to any professorship the master of a school, and appointed him professor extraordinary of ancient literature. He was made professor of eloquence in 1756, and professor of theology, with the degree of Doctor, in 1758: he held the two last-named pro feseiorahips together till 1770, when he gave up the former to his nephew, Augustus William. He died on the lIth September 1781. Ernesti was a man of considerable abilities, and especially of a very methodical mind, to which are due the great improvements in the system of teaching introduced by him. He was well acquainted with classics, and no mean proficient in theological learning. His Latin
style is little inferior indeed to that of Rulniken, and fully equal to that of Wyttenbach ; his knowledge of Greek, though less accurate, was very respectable. The work for which be is beat known is his edition of Cicero, which has been made the basis of all subsequent ones. The third and last edition of this author published by him was printed at Halle in 1775. His 'Clavis Ciceroniana; or Index of words and subjects to Cicero 'a works, is still in general use. Besides his Cicero, Ernesti'e luitia Doctrinm Solidioris ' and Institntio Inter pretia Novi Testarnenti' are much esteemed by students at the present day ; the latter has been translated into English. His edition of Callimachne, which appeared in 1761, is suspected to have owed a good deal of what is valuable in it to the contributions of Ruhnken. An account of it is given in the Museum Criticurn,' vol. ii. p. 151. Erneati's editions of Homer, Polybins, Tacitns, and Suetonius, have been long superseded by more recent and superior ones.