the most ancient musical writer, of whose works any tracts are come down to us. He was born at Tarentum, a city in that part of Italy called Magna Graecia, now Calabria. He was the son of a musician, whom some call Musar, others Spintharus. He had his first education at Mantinea, a city of Arcadia, under his father, and Lamprus of Erythrae; he next studied under Xenophon, the Pythagorean; and lastly under Aristotle, in company with Theophrastus. Suidas, from whom these particulars are transcribed, adds, that Aristoxenus enraged at Aristotle having bequeathed his school to Theophrastus, traduced him ever after. But Aristotle the Peripatetic, in Euclidius, exculpates Aristoxenus in this particular, and assures us that he always spoke with great respect of his master Aristotle. From the preceding account it appears that Aristoxenus lived under Alexander the Great and his first successors. His Harmonies in three books, all that are come down to us, together with Ptolemy's Harmonics, were first published by Gogavins, but not very correctly, at Venice, 1562, in 4to, with a Latin version. John Meursius next translated the three books of Aristoxenus into Latin, from the Ms. of Jos. Scaliger; but, according to Melibonius, very negligently. With these he printed at Leyden, 1616, 4to, Nicomachus and Alypius, two other Greek writers on music. After this, Melibonius collected these musical writers together; to which he added Euclid, Bacchius senior, Arditides Quintilianus; and published the whole, with a Latin version and notes, from the elegant press of Elzevir, Amst. 1652. The learned editor dedicates these ancient musical treatises to Christina queen of Sweden. Aristoxenus is said by Suidas to have written 452 different works, among which those on music were the most esteemed; yet his writings on other subjects are very frequently quoted by ancient authors, notwithstanding Cicero and some others say that he was a bad philosopher, and had nothing in his head but music. The titles of several of the lost works of Aristoxenus, quoted by Athenaeus and others, have been collected by Meursius in his notes upon this author, by Tenius and Menage, all which Fabricius has digested into alphabetical order.

ARITHMETIC