is the name of a family well known among the
eminent French printers, although we are not sure that
they were all closely related. The first, William, an excellent scholar in the early part of the sixteenth century,
was corrector of the press of Louis Tilletan, and then succeeded Turnebus as director of the royal printing-office,
in 1555. He employed his attention principally on Greek
authors, and his editions are much esteemed. He also
wrote critical commentaries on “Cicero de finibus,
” Paris, 1545, 4to; and compiled a Greek- Latin- and French
dictionary. He died in 1564. He appears to have injured his property by the expences of his undertakings,
as we find Turnebus addressing a letter to Charles IX.
king of France, recommending his widow and children to
his majesty’s bounty. The next we meet with, Frederic
the elder, a native of Champagne, was king’s printer at
Paris, and interpreter to his majesty for the Greek and
Latin languages; he composed several works, and died at
Paris in 1583, at about the age of 60, leaving a son, known
as Frederic Morel the younger, the most celebrated of
the family, who succeeded his father, in 1581, as -king’s
printer in the Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and French tongues.
He was well versed in these languages, and translated from
the Greek, and published, from the manuscripts in the king’s
library, a number of authors, particularly the fathers, with
annotations of his own. He sacrificed every thing to study,
and being informed that his wife was in the act of expiring, he refused to quit his pen till he had finished what he
was about, and by that time news was brought him that
she was dead; to which he coolly replied, “I am sorry for
it she was a good woman.
” He died in 1638, at the age
of 78. He had a brother Claude, who was nominated
king’s printer in 1602, and published valuable editions of
several Greek fathers, and other authors, to which he prefixed learned prefaces of his own composition. He died
in 1626, while he was engaged in an edition of St.
Athanasius and Libanius, which was completed by his son
Claude, who succeeded to the business. Charles, another son of Frederic, exercised the same office with
credit, which he resigned, in 1639, to his brother Giles.
The latter printed an edition of Aristotle, Greek and Latin,
in four volumes folio, and the great Bibliotheca Patrum,
in 17 volumes.