MAITTAIRE, MICHAEL, a learned English writer, was born in 1668. Dr South, canon of Christchurch, made him a student of that house, where he took the degree of M. A. March 23. 1696. From 1695 till 1699 he was second master of Westminster school; which was afterwards indebted to him for Grecce Linguae Dialecti, in usum Scholarum Westmonasteriensium, 1706, 8vo; and for "The English Grammar, applied to, and exemplified in, the English Tongue, 1712," 8vo. In 1711, he published "Remarks on Mr Whiston's Account of the Convocation's proceedings with relation to himself, in a Letter to the right reverend Father in God George Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells," 8vo; also "An Essay against Arianism, and some other Heresies; or a Reply to Mr William Whiston's Historical Preface and Appendix to his Primitive Christianity revived," 8vo. In 1709 he gave the first specimen of his great skill in typographical antiquities, by publishing Stephanorum Historia, vitae ipsorum ac libros complectens, 8vo; which was followed in 1717 by Historia Typographorum aliquot Parisiensium, vitae et libros complectens, 8vo. In 1719, Annales Typographici ab artis inventae origine ad annum MD, 4to. The second volume, divided into two parts, and continued to the year 1536, was published at the Hague in 1702; introduced by a letter of John Toland, under the title of Conjectura verisimilis de prima Typographiae Inventione. The third volume, from the same press, in two parts, continued to 1557, and (by an Appendix) to 1664, in 1725. In 1733 was published at Amsterdam what is usually considered as the fourth volume, under the title of Annales Typographici ab artis inventae origine, ad annum MDCLXII, opera Mich. Maittaire, A. M. editio nova, auctor et emendator; tom
Maittaire, tome primi pars posterior (A). In 1741 the work was closed at London, by Annalium Typographicorum Tomus quintus et ultimus, indicens in tomis quatuor præcunctis completis; divided, like the two preceding volumes, into two parts. In the intermediate years, Mr Maittaire was diligently employed on various works of value. In 1713 he published by subscription Opera et Fragmenta Veterum Poetarum, 1713, two volumes in folio: the title of some copies is dated 1721. In 1714, he was the editor of a Greek Testament, in 2 vols. The Latin writers, which he published separately, most of them with good indexes, came out in the following order: In 1713, Christus Patiens; Iustin; Lucretius; Phædrus; Sallust; Terence. In 1715, Catullus; Tibullus; Propertius; Cornelius Nepos; Florus; Horace; Juvenal; Ovid, 3 vols.; Virgil. In 1711, Cæsar's Commentaries; Martial; Quintus Curtius. In 1718 and 1725, Velleius Paterculus, In 1719, Lucan. In 1720, Bouffon's Carmina. In 1721 he published, Batrachomyomachia, Græcæ, ad veterum exemplarum fidem recusa; glossa Græca, variantibus lectionibus, versionibus Latinis, commentariis et indicibus, illustrato, 8vo. In 1722, Miscellanea Græcorum aliquot Scriptorum Carmina, cum versione Latina et notis, 4to. In 1724 he compiled, at the request of Dr John Freind (at whose expence it was printed), an index to the works of Aræteus, to accompany the splendid folio edition of that author in 1723. In 1725 he published an excellent edition of Anacreon in 4to, of which no more than 100 copies were printed, and the few errata in each copy corrected by his own hand. A second edition of the like number was printed in 1741, with six copies on fine writing paper. In 1726 he published Petri Petiti Medici Parisiensi in tres priores Arætei Cappadocis Libros Commentarii, nunc primum editi, 4to. This learned commentary was found among the papers of Græcæ. From 1728 to 1733 he was employed in publishing Marmorum Arundelianorum, Seldenianorum, aliorumque Academiae Oxoniensis donatorum, una cum Commentariis et Indice, editio secunda, folio; to which an Appendix was printed in 1733. Epistola D. Mich. Maittaire ad D. P. Des Maizeaux, in qua Indicis in Annates Typographicos methodus explicatur, &c. is printed in "The Present State of the Republic of Letters," August 1733, p. 142. The life of Robert Stephens in Latin, revised and corrected by the author, with a new and complete list of his works, is prefixed to the improved edition of R. Stephens's Theſaurus, 4 vols in folio, in 1734. In 1736 appeared Antique Inscriptiones duæ, folio; being a commentary on two large copper tablets discovered near Heraclea, in the bay of Tarentum. In 1738 were printed at the Hague Græcæ Linguae Dialectici in Schola Regie Westmonasteriensis usum recogniti, opera Mich. Maittaire. In 1739 he addressed to the empress of Russia a small Latin poem, under the title of Carmen Eponicium Augustissime Rufforum Imperatricis sacrum. His name not having been printed in the title page,
it is not so generally known that he was editor of Plutarch's Apophthegmata, 1741, 4to. The last publication of Mr Maittaire was a volume of poems in 4to, 1742, under the title of Semilia, five Poetica aliquot in argumentis vorii generis tentamina. Mr Maittaire died in 1747, aged 79. His valuable library, which had been 50 years collecting, was sold by auction by Messrs Cock and Langford, at the close of the same year, and the beginning of the following, taking up in all 44 nights. Mr Maittaire, it may be added, was patronized by the first earl of Oxford, both before and after that gentleman's elevation to the peerage, and continued a favourite with his son the second earl. He was also Latin tutor to Mr Stanhope, the earl of Chesterfield's favourite son.