OLIVIER, CLAUDE MATTHEO, advocate of the
parliament of Aix, was born at Marseilles in 1701, and
appeared at the bar with eclat. He had a chief hand
in the establishment of the academy of Marseilles, and
was one of its original members. He possessed a quick
and lively genius. A few hours retirement from society
and from his pleasures were frequently sufficient to en-
able him to speak and write, even on important causes;
but his works commonly bore marks of haste. Given
to excess in every thing, he would employ a fortnight
in studying the Code and the Digest, or in storing his
mind with the beauties of Demosthenes, Homer, Cic-
ero, or Bossuet; and then abandon himself for another
fortnight, frequently a whole month, to a life of frivolity
and dissipation. He died in 1736, at the age of
35. He published, 1. L'Histoire de Philippe roi de Ma-
cedoine, et pere d'Alexandre le Grand, 2 vols 12mo.
No writer has so ably handled the history of the age of
Philip, the interests of the different nations of Greece,
and their manners and customs: but the conduct of
the work is extremely defective. The digressions are too
frequent, and often tedious. The style is in no respect
suitable to a history. It is in general dry, unconnected,
and like the style of a dissertation. Sometimes, how-
ever, we find in it passages full of fire and beauty, and
turns of expression truly original. A disease of the
brain, with which he was attacked, and under which
he laboured several years, prevented him from putting
his last hand to the work. 2. Mémoire sur les secours
donnés aux Romains par les Marseillois pendant la 2de
Guerre Punique. 3. Mémoire sur les secours donnés aux
Romains par les Marseillois durant la Guerre contre les
Gaulois.