, was a celebrated grammarian of antiquity, who abridged a work of
, was a celebrated grammarian of
antiquity, who abridged a work of “Verrius Flaccus de
signih'catione verborum,
” as is supposed, in the fourth
century. Flaccus’s work had been greatly commended by
Pliny, Aulus Gellius, Priscian, and other ancient writers,
but Festus in his abridgment took unwarrantable liberties;
for he was not content with striking out a vast number of
words, but pretended to criticize the rest, in a manner, as
Vossius has observed, not favourable to the reputation of
Flaccus. Another writer, however, in the eighth century,
afterwards revenged this treatment of Flaccus, by abridging Festus in the same way. This was Paul the deacon,
who so maimed and disfigured Festus, that it was scarce
possible to know his work, which lay in this miserable
state till, a considerable fragment being found in the library
of cardinal Farnese, some pains were taken to put it again
into a little order. The first, or princeps editio, is without
a date, but supposed to have been printed in 1470, which,
was followed by one with the date of 1471. Since that time
there have been various editions by Scaliger, Fulvius Ursinus, Aldus Minucius, and others; but the most complete
is the Delphin edition of Paris, 1681, in 4to, published by
Dacier, or perhaps the reprint of it by Le Clero, Amst.
1699. It is also among the “Auctores Latinae Linguae,
”
collected by Gothofredus in