(in Latin Decius, or rather Decimus, Magnus Ausonius), one of the best poets of the fourth century, was the son of an eminent physician, and born at Bourdeaux. Great care was taken of his education, the whole family interesting themselves in it, either because his genius was very promising, or that the scheme of his nativity, which had been cast by his grandfather on the mother's side, made them imagine that he would rise to great honour. He made an uncommon progress in classical learning, and at the age of 30 was chosen to teach grammar at Bourdeaux. He was promoted some time after to be professor of rhetoric; in which office... office he acquired so great a reputation, that he was sent for to court to be preceptor to Gratian the emperor Valentinian's son. The rewards and honours conferred on him for the faithful discharge of his office prove the truth of Juvenal's maxim, that when fortune pleases she can raise a man from a rhetorician to the dignity of a consul. He was actually appointed consul by the emperor Gratian, in the year 379, after having filled other considerable posts; for besides the dignity of quaestor, to which he had been nominated by Valentinian, he was made prefect of the Praetorium in Italy and Gaul after that prince's death. His speech returning thanks to Gratian on his promotion to the consulship is highly commended. The time of his death is uncertain; he was still living in 382, and lived to a great age. The emperor Theodosius had a great esteem for Ausonius, and pressed him to publish his poems. There is a great inequality in his works; and in his manners and his style there is a harshness which was perhaps rather the defect of the times he lived in, than of his genius. Had he lived in Augustus's reign, his verses, according to good judges, would have equalled the most finished of that age. He is generally supposed to have been a Christian: some ingenious authors indeed think otherwise, but, according to Mr Bayle, without just reason. The best edition of his poems is that of Amsterdam in 1671.