Jacques Philippe D'Orville (1696-1751), classical scholar, was born at Amsterdam of a French Protestant family, and educated at the University of Leyden. From 1723 to 1729 he travelled in France, England, Italy and Germany, with the object of acquainting himself with the remains of classical literature and art and with the best living scholars. He was at Oxford 18-26 August 1718, 28 July-3 September 1725, and 13-15, 18-19 June 1751. From 1730 to 1742 he was Professor of History, Eloquence and Greek at Amsterdam, being succeeded by Petrus Burmannus the younger, with whom he edited the Miscellaneae Observationes in auctores veteres et recteiores, 1732-9. From 1740 to 1751 D'Orville edited alone Miscellaneae Observationes creticae novae . Both series contain many references to the D'Orville manuscripts, which had been gradually acquired. D'Orville's other chief works were an edition of Charito (1750, 1783) and his Sicula, a history of Sicily (1762-4, posthumously printed).
From the guide to the D'Orville Manuscripts, 18th century, (Bodleian Library, University of Oxford)
