DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.68873#0255
MABILLON.
John Mabillon, born on the 23d of November,
1632, at Saint-Pierremont, in Champagne, devoted him-
self, at an early age, to a monastic life, in the congrega-
tion, of St. Maur.
Among the numerous works which this celebrated
character produced, that on Diplomacy is in the most
general use. The facility with which he criticised the
most ancient manuscripts, led him to. establish certain
principles, by which the surreptitious titles might be dis-
tinguished from the true. The matter, the form of the
characters, the style, the manner of dating, and the seals,
in fact, in use in different ages, are made subject, in this
production, to the rules of criticism ; and, whatever, may
be the observations that have been added to those of
Mabillon, his book has ever been considered an elemen-
tary work on this science. From this evidence of his
talents, we may form some judgment how frequently this
learned man was consulted on affairs of the utmost im-
portance.
During his residence in Germany, he discovered, by
elaborate research, various materials that were buried in
libraries, illustrative of the history of France ; and under-
took, from the same motive, by order of the king, a journey
into Italy. In less than a year, he enriched the national
library with more than three thousand scarce volumes,
either printed or in MS. It is to this journey we are in-
debted for his collection, entitled Museum Italicum.
100
John Mabillon, born on the 23d of November,
1632, at Saint-Pierremont, in Champagne, devoted him-
self, at an early age, to a monastic life, in the congrega-
tion, of St. Maur.
Among the numerous works which this celebrated
character produced, that on Diplomacy is in the most
general use. The facility with which he criticised the
most ancient manuscripts, led him to. establish certain
principles, by which the surreptitious titles might be dis-
tinguished from the true. The matter, the form of the
characters, the style, the manner of dating, and the seals,
in fact, in use in different ages, are made subject, in this
production, to the rules of criticism ; and, whatever, may
be the observations that have been added to those of
Mabillon, his book has ever been considered an elemen-
tary work on this science. From this evidence of his
talents, we may form some judgment how frequently this
learned man was consulted on affairs of the utmost im-
portance.
During his residence in Germany, he discovered, by
elaborate research, various materials that were buried in
libraries, illustrative of the history of France ; and under-
took, from the same motive, by order of the king, a journey
into Italy. In less than a year, he enriched the national
library with more than three thousand scarce volumes,
either printed or in MS. It is to this journey we are in-
debted for his collection, entitled Museum Italicum.
100