Jacobus Cruquius

Title page of 'Q. Horatii Flacci Carminum, liber quartus', 1565 edition Jacob Cruucke or Jacob van Cruyck, also known by his Latinized name Jacobus Cruquius and in French-language literature as Jacques de Crucque (Mesen, before 1520 - 22 June 1584) was a Flemish humanist, philologist, and scholar of the 16th century. He is mainly known for his publications on the works of the Roman lyric poet Horace based on ancient manuscripts kept in the library of a local monastery, since lost to fire.

Life Little is known about his early life and training. He enrolled in the Old University of Leuven on 29 August 1532 and graduated with the degree of magister artium on 18 February 1535. He afterwards studied law at the same university and obtained a licentiatus degree in canon law. While studying law, he also took courses with renowned humanists Conrad Goclenius and Petrus Nannius at the Collegium Trilingue, a college where Latin, Greek and Hebrew were taught.

Cruucke died in Bruges.

Work Cruucke is primarily known from his editions of the lyric poet Horace assembled from four ancient manuscripts in the library of the Benedictine monastery of St. Peter's Abbey, Ghent, which was located on top of a hill in the center of Ghent called the Blandijnberg. The monastery was colloquially called the " Blandijnklooster" and the manuscripts were thus referred to as the "Blandinian manuscripts". All four manuscripts were destroyed in 1566 in a fire at the monastery, leaving his edition as the sole surviving record of a number of commentaries not otherwise known, such as those made by the so-called "Commentator Cruquianus".

Cruucke published several separate volumes of this work from 1565 to 1578—the first with Hubert Goltzius then all the remainder with Christophe Plantin—and then one complete edition in 1578, and ultimately a standalone edition of Commentator Cruquianus's scholia. Q. Horatii Flacci Epodôn liber, with comments and notes, Christ. Plantin, Antwerp, 1567. Q. Horatii Flacci Satyrarum libri duo, with comments and corrections, Christ. Plantin, Antwerp, 1573. M. Tullii Ciceronis oratio pro Milone, with translation, Christ. Plantin, Antwerp, 1583.