Apaczai, John

, a man of singular character and learning of the seventeenth century, was born in Transylvania, in the village of Apatza, and was sent at the expense of the government of his country to Utrecht, where he studied the Oriental languages, | theology, and philosophy, with such distinguished success as to be offered the rank of professor. But this he refused out of regard to his country, to which he returned in 1653. He was then appointed to teach geography, natural philosophy, and astronomy, in the college of Weissenburgh, but having declared in favour of the philosophy of Descartes, and many of the opinions of the reformed church, his enemies were so inveterate as to sentence him to be thrown from the top of a high tower. By powerful intercession, however, they were induced to change his sentence to banishment. He now went to Clausenburgh, and taught for some time, but a fresh persecution arose, in which he would probably have been sacrificed, had he not died a natural death in 1659. He wrote “Dissertatio continens introductionem ad philosophiam sacram,” Utrecht, 1650. 2. “Magyar Encyclopedia!, &c.” an Encyclopedia in the Hungarian language, Utrecht, 1653. 3. “A system of Logic,” in the same, Weissenburgh, 1636. 4. “Oratio tie studio sapientiae,” Utrecht, 1655. 5. “Dissertatio de politia ecclesiastica,” Clausenburgh, 1658.¹