Mazochi, Alexius Symmachus

, an Italian philologer and antiquary, was born in 1684, at Santa Maria, a village near Capua. He was ordained priest in 1709, and became professor of the Greek and Hebrew languages in the archiepiscopal seminary at Naples. In 1711 he was made a canon of Capua: and successively theological professor at Naples, and royal interpreter of the Holy Scriptures. He is said through humility to have refused the archbishopric of Rossano, which was offered to him by the | king. He died in 1771. Mazoclu wrote many works, particularly on the subjects of ancient inscriptions, and of medals. He published, 1. “Commentarium in mutilum Campanioe Atnphitheatri titulum, aliasque nonnullas Inscriptiones,” Neapoli, 1727, 4to. This was afterwards inserted into Poleni’s New Thesaurus of Greek and Roman antiquities. 2. “Ad Bernardum Tanuccium Epistola de dedicatione sub ascia,” Neap. 1739, 8vo. 3. “Commentarium in vetus marmoreuin S. Neap. Eccles. Calendarium,” Neap. 1744, 4to, and several other detached dissertations of this kind; besides one in Italian, on the origin of the Tyrrhenians, published in the third volume of the academy of Cortona. Also, 4. “Notes on the New Testament.” 5. “Dissertations on the Poetry of the Hebrews.” 6. “Antiquities of the Campagna of Rome.” He left besides in manuscript, a book on the origin of the city of Capua. ¹