Marcus Terentius, a very learned and very miscellaneous writer, was born at Rome about the year 116 before the Christian era. He received what was then considered as the best education that could be obtained. Having studied at Rome under Stilo, he proceeded to Athens and became the disciple of Antiochus, an Academic philosopher. Returning to his native city, he began to take some share in the business of the forum, but he does not appear to have acquired much reputation as an orator. He successively filled the office of triumvir, and tribune of the people. When he was about forty-nine years of age Pompey entrusted him with the command of a Greek fleet employed in the war against the pirates. In a naval engagement which took place near the coast of Cilicia, he acquitted himself with so much courage, that he was the first that boarded one of the enemy's ships; and in honour of this exploit, Pompey presented him with a rostral crown. For some time he acted as governor of Cilicia, appeared by virtue of an extraordinary appointment.

During the civil war which ensued, Varro adhered to Pompey, and was employed as his lieutenant in Spain. He was however advanced in years, and, according to Caesar's account, was disposed to follow the turn of fortune. The affairs of his own party having assumed a more promising aspect, he pursued measures of great decision; and having embodied two legions, with irregular cohorts, he made vigorous preparations for defending the province, but the speedy approach of Cassius rendered all his plans abortive. One of his legions revolted, and the inhabitants evinced no disposition to make the quarrel their own. Varro now adopted the resolution of marching towards Italy; but finding that this attempt was impracticable, he offered to deliver the remaining legionary any one whom the victorious general should nominate. Having accordingly delivered it to Sextus Caesar, he presented himself to Julius Caesar at Corduba, and made surrender of all his treasure, ships, and stores. After the unfortunate termination of his military services, he appeared to have devoted himself with great ardour and perseverance to the pursuits of literature; and, as his life was extended beyond the usual term, he produced a great number of works, and on a great variety of subjects. He cultivated a particular intimacy with Cicero, who inscribed to him Academica, as he inscribed to Cicero a portion of his treatise "De Lingua Latina."

When Caesar returned to Rome after having subdued all his enemies, Varro entertained some apprehension for his personal safety, and thought it prudent to withdraw from the city; but his fears were soon removed, and the hostility was at length converted into friendship. Caesar committed to him the charge of forming and superintending a public library; a charge for which he was eminently qualified by his very extensive and variegated learning. After the death of this ruler of the world, he was exposed to danger; he was included in the same proscription which proved fatal to his friend Cicero; but, even on occasion, his good fortune did not desert him. His works as well as his political connexions, must have contributed to mark him for destruction. He was sheltered and concealed by Calenus, and his name was at length erased from the list of the proscribed. He was the possessor of several villas; and in the mean time one of these had been stolen and plundered by Antony. The loss of his valuable library, including some of his own writings, was one of the contingencies to which he was exposed at this unhappy crisis. He however survived for many years, and continued his studies with unabated ardour. At the age of seventy-eight, as we learn from Anulus Gellius, he had composed 490 books. According to Pliny, he still continued to live at the age of eighty-eight. His death is referred to the year 27 B.C.; and, according to the computation from date and the supposed date of his birth, he must have attained the age of eighty-nine. It is not however Varro has very frequently been described as the most learned of the Romans; and it has already been stated that he wrote on an immense variety of subjects. His works were partly in prose, and partly in verse. One of these, a Menippean satire, consisted of an intermixture of verse with prose, of Greek with Latin. Some of them related to grammar and rhetoric, others to history and philosophy, others again to politics and theology. He seems indeed to have embraced almost every topic of human speculation. But of all these treasures of ancient learning, it is deeply to be regretted that only a very inconsiderable remnant has escaped the ravages of time. Of his twenty-four books "De Lingua Latina," the first three have all perished except a few inconsiderable fragments. The fourth, fifth and sixth, relating to the origin of Latin words, and inscribed to Cicero, and the seventh, eighth, and ninth, relating to the analogy of the language, are however preserved, though not without some mutilations. Of the other books scarcely a vestige remains. Even in this mutilated state the work is both curious and valuable. His editor Seger has however shewn that his etymologies are not unfrequently erroneous; and another very learned critic, Salmonius, has remarked that his reluctance to admit Greek derivations often leads him very far astray.

The three books "De Re Rustica," have reached us in a better condition. It appears from the exordium, that he undertook the composition of this work at the age of eighty; and that his wife Fundania, to whom it is addressed, had purchased a demesne which she wished him to manage in the most advantageous manner. Some inconsiderable fragments of his other works, in prose and verse, have been preserved, and have been collected with due care.

Of the work "De Lingua Latina," an edition, considered as the first, is in quarto, without place or date, but supposed to have been printed at Rome by G. Lauer, about the year 1471. The editor was Pomponius Lactus. There are three very early editions, likewise without dates, but conjectured to have been printed, the first at Venice about 1472, the second in the same city in 1474, and the third at Rome about the same time. The first two are in quarto, the third is in folio. After this period, the work was included in various collections of the Latin grammarians. Several editions of it bear the name of Michael Bentinus. One of them is that of Paris, 1530, 8vo. This edition likewise contains the spurious "Origines" ascribed to Cato. Another was published by Antonius Augustinus, afterwards archbishop of Tarragona, Romae, 1554, 8vo. The same edition, which contains marginal emendations, but no commentary, is generally to be found with the date of 1557, and then includes several additions; at the beginning of the volume, "Dubia et Varia," "Doctorum Virorum Nomina qui hujus libri emendatione operam dederunt," and more than two pages of "Emendata;" and at the end, seventy-two numbered leaves, occupied with various indices. This edition of Varro was reprinted among the works of the editor Augustini Opera, tom. vii. p. 425-524. The next edition was that of Vertranius Maurnus, Lugd. 1563, 8vo. It was followed by the very elaborate and valuable edition of Joseph Scaliger, Paris, 1565, 8vo. And soon afterwards appeared "Adriani Turnebi Commentarii et Emendationes in libros Varronis de Lingua Latina," Paris, 1566, 8vo. This was a posthumous work, and laboured under the usual disadvantages of such publications. Here we must not overlook another learned labour, "Ad M. Ter. Varronis Assertionum Analogiae Sermonis Latini, Appendix Henrici Stephanii." Exc. H. Stephanus, 1591, 8vo. An edition of Varro's work was published by Scipioius, Ingolstadtii, 1605, 8vo. Another separate edition appeared after a very long interval, Biponti, 1788, 2 tom. 8vo. This very useful edition, which also includes the fragments of Varro's works, is illustrated with the notes of Augustinus, Turnebus, Scaliger, and Popma. It was followed by the critical edition of L. Spengel, Berolini, 1826, 8vo. And last of all appeared "M. Terentii Varronis de Lingua Latina librorum quae supersunt, emendata et annotata a Carolo Odofredo Muelleri," Lipsiae, 1833, 8vo. This is an edition of no small value; and we add, with much regret, that the editor has been prematurely arrested in the midst of a very distinguished career. He died at Athens on the first of August 1840.

Varro's treatise "De Re Rustica" has been printed in the numerous editions of the "Scriptores Rei Rusticae." The earliest edition of this collection is supposed to be that printed by Jenson, Venet. 1472, fol. Two editions issued from the Aldine press in 1514 and 1533. A critical edition was published by Victorinus, Lugd. 1541-2. It consists of four parts; of which the first three contain the text of the different writers, and the fourth, dated in 1542, bears the title of "Petri Victori Explicationes surarum in Catonem, Varronem, Columellam Castigationum." This part, consisting of 144 pages, is sometimes to be found as a separate publication. And here we must likewise notice a learned work of Fulvius Ursinus, "Notae ad M. Catonem, M. Varronem, L. Columellam de Re Rustica," Romae, 1587, 8vo. For a very elaborate and valuable edition of the "Scriptores Rei Rusticae," we are indebted to Gesner, Lipsiae, 1735, 2 tom. 4to. Lips. 1773-4, 2 tom. 4to. And another edition, described as the best, was more recently published by Schneider, Lips. 1794-7, 4 tom. 8vo. Of Varro's treatise on agriculture, an English translation was published by the Rev. T. Owen, Lond. 1800, 8vo.

Of both works of Varro there are several editions, and the earliest is that of Scaliger. Exc. H. Stephanus, 1569, 8vo. It was reprinted at Paris in 1573, 1581, and 1585. A collective edition of these two works, and the fragments of his other works, was published by Ausonius Popma, Lugd. Bat. 1601, 8vo. The same editor had previously made a collection of the Fragmenta, Francqueriae, 1589, 8vo. Another edition of all his works was published not long afterwards, Durdrechti, 1619, 8vo. Some copies of the same edition exhibit the imprint of Amsterdam, 1623.