Henri Estienne

Henri Estienne , born with Paris in 1528 and died in Lyon in 1598, is the son of the printer Robert Estienne. It was itself printer, humanistic philologist and French, and a hellenist except par.

Biography

Origin and education

He announced his childhood of happy provisions for the literature. His/her father, not being able, as it would have wished, to take care of its education, entrusted it to a professor to teach the elements of grammar to him. This professor then explained to his pupils the Médée of Euripide. Henri, having heard déclamer this part by his comrades if was struck softness and of harmony of the Greek language, that it solved to learn it. He tested some obstacle with his intention, on behalf of the professor, who thought that the study of Latin must always precede that by the Greek; corn, fortunately for him, his/her father did not share this opinion, and it was allowed to him to follow its taste. Its progress was faster than it was hoped for; a few days were enough for him to acquire the intelligence of grammar; one put then Euripide to him between the hands, and as he did not weary himself to read it, he by heart knew it before including/understanding it perfectly.

Studies

Henri Estienne continued his training of the Greek language with Pierre Danès, professor with the Collège of the royal readers, which showed him a particular affection; he followed also the lessons of Tusan, Adrien Turnèbe, and became, by their care, in relatively little time a very skilful hellenist. Henri had shown distance for Latin only because one wanted to force it to learn it. The notes which it published on Horace, at the twenty years age prove that it had not delayed to associate the study of this language has that of the Greek. He had also the arithmetic one, the geometry, and even had studied some time legal astrology, science then extremely with the mode, but of which he had recognized soon futility.

Italy

Henri made several voyages in Italy, undoubtedly three, starting from 1547. The voyage in Italy was for the French one moment of training. He says in the postface of the edition of Eschyle of 1557 qu ' he worked in many libraries, where he collated manuscripts of the ancient authors. He wanted to perfect also there his knowledge in Typographie while learning the languages and in “ driving out ”, as he said, the best manuscripts of the old authors. It is believed that it made several voyages there, since it says itself to have remained three years with Florence, Rome, Naples and Venice. It was with Rome towards the end of the year 1554; it went then to Naples to try to obtain information which the ambassador of France requested to him (Odet de Serves), and it escaped a death ashamed only by its facility to speak Italian; from there it came to Venice, where it was occupied has to collate excellent manuscripts of Xénophon and Diogène Laërce. It is undoubtedly at the time of its last voyage that it met in Florence humanistic the Piero Vettori, which entrusted to him the manuscript of the tragedies of Eschyle. Eschyle belonged to its first Genevese editions in 1557

Voyages in Europe

It brought back copies of invaluable works of them, such as the Hypotyposes of Sextus Empiricus, some parts of the history of Appien, the Odes of Anacréon, etc has its return of Italy, it visited the England and then the Netherlands. II the Spanish in Flanders learned as he had learned Italian with Florence, and returned to Paris, in 1551, at the moment when his/her father prepared himself to withdraw himself in Geneva. It appears that Henri accompanied it in this city and was like him calvinist, but it was of return to Paris in 1554.

The printer

It presented request to the Sorbonne for the establishment of a printing works, and united with its request the privilege granted to his father by François I {{er}}. Robert Estienne, after being named printer of the king, had started from establish in Geneva for religious reasons. Henri Estienne will begin his career of printer in Geneva, where it prints in 1557 his the first seven books. Previously, he had worked in Paris with his uncle Charles Estienne, itself printer, at which he concluded the Odes of Anacréon ( Anacreonta ) with notes, the Imitations of Horace, and a Latin translation, in of the same worms measures than those of the Greek poet.

The protection of Fugger

It was at the beginning of the year 1557 that it published some of the works that it had gotten with so many sorrows and care. The considerable expenditure that it had made in its voyages had exhausted its resources, and it could not have supported its printing works a long time, if Ulrich Fugger did not have him advanced the sums which it needed. Henri, by recognition, took the title of printer of Fugger , which it preserved as much as its famous guard lived. The death of his/her father, arrived in 1559, caused him a sharp sorrow, which it could not dissipate even while being delivered to the study.

The marriage

It tested a secret languor, a weariness of the life, disease little known then, and that it complains not to have found described in the authors of medicine. His/her friends advised to him to marry, and it was determined to follow their opinion. It rents, in several places, the softness and other beautiful qualities of his wife, that Michael Maittaire believes of the family of the Scrimger. Its health is restored, and it resumed its work with a new activity. His/her father, while dying, had named it the executor of his wills, and had recommended to him to take care of his/her brothers. It was a load added to all the others, and concerns that it felt deprived it of the rest which would have been necessary to him.

The public profession that it made of the principles of the reform was still for him a source of sorrows, since at every moment it was seen obliged to give up its business and to leave Paris. In 1566, it published a new edition of the Latin translation of Hérodote by Valla, corrected carefully, and made it precede by an apology for this historian, to justify it reproach of credulity; informed that one proposed to translate this part, it took the resolution to put it itself in French; but he added to this translation a crowd of anecdotes which he had learned in Italy, of satirical features, epigrams against the priests and the monks, which would have exposed it to a continual danger, if he had been known for the author.

Greek language dictionary

It is known that Robert Estienne had had the project to publish a Greek language dictionary. Henri had collected principal materials of them, and since it had not ceased gathering of them others for this great work. Lastly, after twelve years of care and research, it made appear this treasure of scholarship and criticism, which only would be enough to ensure its author one durable reputation. He employed twelve years to prepare and print large a Greek Dictionary language , appeared in Paris in 1572 under the title of Thésaurus graeca lingua

The scientists gave to this work the most splendid praises, but the sale was delayed by it by the price to which Henri had been obliged to carry it to compensate itself for his expenses. During this time, Scapula published of it a summary which completed to paralyze the flow of the dictionary, and ruins it of Henri was consumed.

Germany

He went on then a journey in Germany, either to seek some distractions with his sorrows, or to get resources which he could not obtain in his fatherland. The little of recognition of its fellow-citizens did not deteriorate the feelings that it carried to them, and it supported by its speeches and its writings the honor of France in the foreign countries. This control deserved to him the benevolence of Henri III.

The French language

Set on Greek and Latin, he was also a burning defender of the French language. He brought almost French to the level of the Greek and Latin. and in 1569 a Traité published conformity of the François language with the Greek . Its Projet of the book of the preeminence of the French language met in 1579 a broad success. Henri III granted a gratification of 3.000 books for his work of the Précellence of the French language , and a pension of books to him to encourage it with the research of the manuscripts; he invited it moreover to remain at his court, admitted it several times in its councils, and made him deliver ordinances for considerable sums; but these sums were badly paid or were not it at all, at a rate of the disorder of finances; so that Estienne took the resolution to give up the court to deal more usefully with its family.

A wandering end-of-life

It started again soon to carry out a wandering life, continued by its creditors; one sees it in turn with Orleans, in Paris, with Frankfurt, in Geneva, with Lyon, fleeing his fatherland, regretting it, and completing, by his uncertainties, to exhaust the little of resources which remained to him. Into a last voyage which it made in Lyon, it there fell sick, and was transported to the hospital, where it died alienated, at the hospital of Lyon, in March 1598.

Henri Estienne had been married twice. He had three children of its first marriage, Paul, printer in Geneva, and two girls, of which one, named Florence, married Isaac Casaubon.

Printing works

The unhappy circumstances in which it was did not enable him to give the same care as his/her father to the beauty of the typographical execution of the works which left its presses; but it published of it a much greater number, which do not yield of anything for the correction to them. It almost always joined to the authors whom it printed of erudite forewords and the short and judicious notes. These editions all are almost become the base of the text received in those which were published since. Some scientists of the 19th century, especially among the Germans, ont' tackled his bona fide, by claiming that it had introduced into the texts of the vicious lessons, without being there authorized by the manuscripts but it was justified this regard by Mr. Wyttembach, in its foreword on works morals of Plutarque.

Poetry

Henri composed of the Latin worms with the greatest facility, often while walking, or has horse, in his voyages or even while conversing with his friends. He was dependant with all the scientists of Europe; he was however of a character scoffer, did not like to be contradicted, and allowed corrosive epigrams against those which did not share its opinion.

Old authors

Estienne published almost all the Greek works, prosateurs and poets, inter alia the princeps editions of Anacréon, with a verse translation Latin, and editions of Appien and Maxime de Tyr. One still finds Diodore, Xénophon, Thucydide, Hérodote, Sophocle, Eschyle, Diogène Laërce, Plutarque, Apollonius of Rhodos, Callimaque, Plato, Hérodien and Appien; Horace, Virgile, Pline the young person, Aulu-Cold, Macrobe, historians Latin in a collection, etc, but its taste carried it towards the Greek literature.

It also translated into Latin Anacréon, Plato, Bion and Moschus, Théocrite, Pindare and Sextus Empiricus.

It translated the tragedies of Sophocle and Euripide; the Sentences of the comic Greeks; a choice of epigrams of the anthology; several of the Lives of Plutarque, the poem of Denys of Alexandria, Of situ orbis , the Geography of Dicéarque, etc, and its versions can be looked like models in this kind.

Works

Ciceronianum Lexicon grœco-latinum, id is, Lexicon ex variis grœcorum scriptorum locis has Cicérone interpretatis collectum , 1557, Paris, in-8°, reprinted with Turin, 1745, in-8°.
In Ciceronis quamplurimos locos castigationes , Paris, 1557, in-8°.
Admonitio of abusu litiguœ grcecœ in quibusdam vocibus quaslatina usurpat , H. Steph., 1565, in-8°.
Split up poetarumveterum latinorum, quorum operated not extant , H. Steph. 1564, in-8°; rare.
Dictionarium medicum vel Expositiones vocum medicinalium AD verbum excerptae ex Hippocrates, Aretaeo, Galeno, Oribasio, Rufo Ephesio, Aetio, Alex. Tralliano, Paulo Aegineta, Actuario, Corn appeared in Geneva in 1564.
Introduction to the Treaty of the conformity of the old wonders with modern, or the Treated prèparatif one with the apology for Hérodote , Geneva, 1566, in November, small in-8° 572 pages.
Artis medicse principles , 1567;
Treated conformity of the French language with the Greek , without date, in-8°, first edition, very required, at a rate of the suppressions which the following one tested, Paris, 1569, in-8°;
Artis typographicœ querimonia of illitteratis quibusdam typpgraphis , 1569, in-4°.
Epistola qua AD militated multorum amicorum respondet of suœ typography statu, nominatimque desuo Thesauro linguœ grœcœ , 1569, in-8°;
Comicorum grœcorum sententiœ, idest, gnomœ versibtis latinis redditœ , H. Steph., in-24;
Epigrammata grœca selected ex Anthologia interpretata AD verbum and dyes with carmine , H. Steph., 1570, in-8°;
Thesaurus grœcce linguœ , H, Steph., 1572, 4 vol. in-fol. One joined there: Glossaria duet E situ vetustalis eruta, utriusque AD linguce cognitionem and locupletationem perutilia , H. Steph., in-fol.
Virtutum encomia, sive gnomes of virtutibus, etc H. Steph., 1575, in-12;
Francofordiense emporium, sive francofordienses nundinœ , 1574, in-8°.
marvellous Speech of the life and departments of the queen Catherine de Médicis , 1575, in-8°.
Of latinitate falso suspecta escpostulatio, necnon of Plauti latinitate dissertatio , H. Steph., 1576, in-8°.
Pseudo-Cicero , dialogus, in quo of multis AD Ciceronis sermonem pertinentibus, delectu editionum ejus and guarantee in eo legendo , 1577, in-8°;
Schediasmatum variorum, id is, observationum, emendationum, expositiomim, disquisitionum, libri very , 1578, in-8°.
Nizolio-Didascalus sive monitor Ciceronianorum Nizolianorum dialogus , 1578, in-8°;
Two dialogs of new Italianized French and differently disguised between the courtiers of this time , in-8°. ;
Draft entitled book of the preeminence of the French language , Paris, 1579, in-8°. ;
Paralipomena grammaticarum grœcœ lings institutionum , H. Steph., 1581, in-8°;
Hypomneses of gallica lingua, peregrinis eam discentibus necessaria; quœdam vero ipsis Gallis multum will profutura , 1582, in-8°.
Of criticis veteribus grœcis and latinis, eorumque variis apud poetas potissimum reprehensionibus dissertatio , H. Steph., 1587, in-4°;
first steps, or the first book of the epigrammatized proverbs, or the proverbial epigrams lines in commonplaces , 1595, in-8°;
De Lipsii latinitate will palœstra ; Frankfurt, 1595, in-8°.

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