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Aelius Donatus
(320 - 380)
Roman philologist, grammarian and teacher who wrote Ars maior, which dealt with the elements of grammar, the eight parts of speech, and errors and beauties of language. For young students, he wrote a smaller work, Ars minor which, in question and answer form, covered the eight parts of speech.
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Science Quotes by Aelius Donatus (1 quote)
Pereant qui ante nos nostra dixerunt.
— Aelius Donatus
Can be variously translated as, “May they perish, who said first what we were going to say!” Or, could be used as “To the devil with those who published before us.” It is attributed to Donatus, because his pupil, St. Jerome, wrote about it (Ecclesiasten commentarius) as what “my master used to say”. Discussed in Notes and Queries (18 Jul 1868), No. 289, 27.
In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion.
(1987) -- 
