A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology
William Smith, Ed.

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Se'rvius Maurus Honora'tus

or SE'RVIUS MA'RIUS HONORA'TUS, as the name is variously written, the arrangement of its constituent parts being, moreover, varied in every possible way, was a celebrated Latin grammarian, contemporary with Macrobius, for we cannot reasonably doubt that he is the Servius introduced among the dramatis personae of the Saturnalia, and who is frequently mentioned with the greatest respect in that work, a warm tribute being paid not only to his learning and his talents, but also to his amiable disposition and unaffected modesty.

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Works

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Commentary on Vergil

Servius' most celebrated production was an elaborate commentary upon Virgil, with commentaries on the Eclogues, Georgics and Aeneid, compiled from the labours of a multitude of earlier annotators. This is, nominally, at least, still extant; but from the widely different forms which it assumes in different MSS., it is clear that it must have been changed and interpolated to such an extent by the transcribers of the middle ages, that it is impossible to determine how much belongs to Servius and how much to the later hands by whom his performance has been overlaid. Even in its present condition, however, it contains so many quotations from lost works, and so much curious information on abstruse points connected with history, antiquities, and mythology, that it is deservedly regarded as the most important and valuable of all the Latin Scholia. It is attached to many of the earlier impressions of the poet, and by comparing a few of these the discrepancies alluded to above will be at once perceived.

Editions

Much was done to improve and purify the text by R. Stephens (Paris, fol. 1532), and by Masvicius (Virgilii Opera, 4to. Leonard. 1717), but it will be found under its best form in the celebrated edition of Virgil by Burmann. The recension by Lion (2 vols. 8vo. Gotting. 1825) is not of any particular value.

We possess also the following treatises which bear the name of Servius Maurus Honoratus.

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2.

In secundam Donati Editionem Interpretatio

printed by Jo. Theodoricus Bellovacus, in his Grammatici illustres XII. fol. Paris, 1516; by Adamus Petri, in his collection, 8vo. Basel, 1527, and included by Putschius in his " Grammaticae Latinae Auctores Antiqui," 4to. Hannov. 1605, pp. 1779-1799. Some additions will be found in Endlicher, Analecta Grammaotica, p. 512.

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3.

De Ratione ultimarum Syllabarum ad Aquilinum Liber

first printed along with the Centimetrum (see below) by Robertus de Fano and Bernardinus de Bergomo, 4to. Call. 1476, and contained in Putschius, p. 1799-1815. See also Endlicher, p. 491, where we have the title de Finalibus.

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4. Ars de centum Metris s. Centimetrum

Addressed to Albinus, first printed in the " de Schemate et Tropo" of Beda, 4to. Mediol. 1473, contained in Putschius, pp. 1815-1826, and to be found under its best form in Gaisford's " Scriptores Latini Rei Metricae," 8vo. Oxon. 1837, p. 363. (Macr. 1.2, 24, 6.6, 7, 7.11; Heyne, de Antiq. Virg. Interpr. Burmann, Praef.)

[W.R]