Maittaire.
Michel Maittaire was born in France on 29th November 1667[1] of Huguenot parents. His father brought him to England at the time of the flight of the Protestants from the dragennades. Among the naturalizations of 8th March 1682 are “Michael Mataire and Michael, his son” (see List iv.). Young Michael was sent to Westminster School, where he was a pupil of Dr. Busby. He has an honourable place among the Alumni Westmonasterienses, which list (edition 1852) contains a biographical notice of him. From Westminster “Mikell Mattair” proceeded to Oxford. It was usual to select some of the head boys for election to Christ Church, Oxford, or Trinity College, Cambridge. Maittaire found a patron in Dr. South, “by whom he was preferred to a studentship of Christ Church, in recompence for having drawn up for that dignitary a list of all the Greek words in Dr. Sherlock’s books which were falsely accented.” After a most creditable University career, he in 1695 accepted the post of Second Master of St Peter’s College, Westminster (commonly called Westminster School), but resigned in 1699, in order to devote himself to literature. He took the degree of M.A. at Oxford in 1696, and was incorporated M.A. at Cambridge in 1708.
He devoted himself principally to bibliographical and philological researches, and to the editing of the classics with notes and indexes (among others, the Greek Text of Anacreon, with translations into Latin verse and prose). His native country was proud of his fame, and gave him a passport to prosecute his researches in Paris. For this favour he was deeply grateful, having, like most of the refugees, a warm affection for France and the French. He corresponded with all the savans of Europe, by whom he was respected, not only for his erudition, but also for his character, especially for his excellent temper and love of truth. “Maittaire’s character presents a remarkable union of great abilities and profound learning with the most unassuming modesty.”
His earliest project (undertaken during the period of his mastership) was to prepare a catalogue of the Westminster Public Library. His work, to the extent of 230 copies, was printed in 1694; but the whole stock was destroyed in an accidental fire, except one copy. Although his name was not to be thus publicly associated with the library, yet he interested himself in it all his life. In the Chapter-Book of Westminster Abbey there is a vote dated 25th December 1730, “Mr. Mattaire to have twenty-five guineas for the pains he has taken to regulate the public library.”
In 1706 he published a book on the Greek Dialects, “in usum Scholar Westmonasteriensis,” affectionately dedicated to the school. His work long attracted attention. An edition was published at the Hague in 1738; he himself brought out a new edition in 1742, and it was reprinted at Leipsic in 1807 under the editorship of J. F. Reitz.
In 1709 he published his “Stephanorum Historia,” being an account of the lives and publications of the celebrated printers who bore the name of Estienne, aliàs Stephen, aliàs Stephanus; this book was printed at London by Benjamin Motte. This and his other great works being in Latin, I cannot extract anything to excite interest. But an Etonian printer in 1762, Mr Joseph Pote, in his preface to the first edition of Morell’s “Greek Gradus,” gives the following hints:—
“A material article in Printing is the correction of the press. And it is worthy of remark and well known among the learned, that the most correct impressions were made in the infancy of printing, when literature was a general concern, and the correction of the press was thought not below the attention of the learned. Relative to this, it may be gathered from the History of the Stephens’s (by Maittaire) that their printing-office was the common resort of the literati; and the reading of the sheets of their numerous productions as they came from the Press, became the constant amusement of the learned at those meetings. This happy circumstance, joined to their own learning and laudable industry, greatly contributed to the correctness of their impressions. And it is to be wished the like attention to literature in some measure yet remained.”
In 1711 the heresies of Mr. Whiston drew out from him no less than three pamphlets, proving him to be a learned theologian, and an ardent Christian. (1.) “The Present Case of Mr. William Whiston, humbly represented in a Letter to the Reverend the Clergy now assembled in Convocation.” (2.) “Remarks on Mr.
- ↑ The year has hitherto been stated as 1668 (no month or day being mentioned); but the reason seems to have been that his age at his death (7th September 1747) was seventy-nine. But his birthday was 29th November, and therefore 1667 seems best to accord with the dates both of his naturalisation and of his death.
