, or in Latin, Jodocus Badius Ascensius, an eminent French printer, was born in 1462,
, or in Latin, Jodocus Badius Ascensius, an
eminent French printer, was born in
1462, at Assche, a village in the territory of Brussels, from
which he derived the name Ascensius. He first studied at
Ghent, then at Brussels, and lastly at Ferrara in Italy. He
made great progress in the languages, and principally in
the Greek, which he learned at Lyons and at Paris. He
printed a great many books, and usually in the frontispiece
had a printing press as his mark. He is also the author of
some books, among which are <c Sylva moralis contra vitia“” Psalterium B. Mariae versibus“” Epigrammatum
Lib. I“* f Navicula stultarum mulierum
” “VitaThomce
a Kempis
” “De Grammatica
” “De conscribendis
Epistolis.
” He wrote also commentaries on Horace, Virgil,
Juvenal, Lucan, Sallust, Valerius Maximus, Quintilian,
Aulus Gellius, and soiue parts of Cicero’s works. At Paris
he taught Greek, and' explained the poets at Lyons. His
high reputation in these studies induced Treschel, the famous printer, to engage him as corrector of his press,
not only secured his valuable services by taking him as a
partner in the business, but also gave him his daughter
Thalia in marriage, who was also a learned lady. After
the death of his father-in-law, in 1500, he was engaged by
Gagnin, the royal librarian, to visit Paris, where he removed with his family, and established an excellent printing office, by the name of Praelum Ascensianum, from which
many good editions issued, although his type was not so
much admired as that of the Stephens’s. He died in 1535.
His son Conrad Badius settled at Geneva, having embraced
Calvinism, and was both a printer and an author. Two of
his daughters were married to eminent printers, one to
Michel Yascosan, and the other to Robert Stephens.