tained several of the classical prizes of
the university, and became a fellow and lecturer at Emmanuel College. In
1813 he travelled in Germany and made the acquaintance of some of the
great scholars of Germany. On his return, he published in the _Museum
Criticum_ (No. ii.) an interesting paper on "The Present State of
Classical Literature in Germany." Blomfield is chiefly known by his
translation of Matthiae's _Greek Grammar_ (1819), which was prepared for
the press by his brother. He died on the 9th of October 1816, his early
death depriving Cambridge of one who seemed destined to take a high
place amongst her most brilliant classical scholars.

See "Memoir of Edward Valentine Blomfield," by Bishop Monk, in _Museum
Criticum_, No. vii.

BLONDEL, DAVID (1591-1655), French Protestant clergyman, was born at
Chalons-sur-Marne in 1591, and died on the 6th of April 1655. In 1650 he
succeeded G.J. Vossius in the professorship of history at Amsterdam. His
works were very numerous; in some of them he showed a remarkable
critical faculty, as in his dissertation on Pope Joan (1647, 1657), in
which he came to the conclusion, now universally accepted, that the
whole story is a mere myth. Considerable Protestant indignation was
excited against him on account of this book.

BLONDEL, JACQUES FRANCOIS (1705-1774), French architect, began life as
an architectural engraver, but developed into an architect of
considerable distinction, if of no great originality. As architect to
Louis XV. from 1755 he necessarily did much in the rococo manner,
although it would seem that he conformed to fashion rather than to
artistic conviction. He was among the earliest founders of schools of
architecture in France, and for this he was distinguished by the
Academy; but he is now best remembered by his voluminous work
_L'Architecture francaise_, in which he was the continuator of Marot.
The book is a precious collection of views of famous buildings, many of
which have disappeared or been remodelled.

BLONDIN (1824-1897), French tight-rope walker and acrobat, was born at
St Omer, France, on the 28th of February 1824. His real name was Jean
Francois Gravelet. When five years old he was sent to the Ecole de
Gymnase at Lyons and, after six months' training as an acrobat, made his
first public appearance as "The Little Wonder." His superior skill and
grace as well as the originality of the settings of his acts, made him a
popular favo