Bayer, Theophilus Siegfrid

, grandson of the preceding, was born in 1694. He was first educated at Konigsburgh, where, besides philosophy and theology, he devoted much of his time to the study of the Oriental languages, under some rabbis, and under Dr. Abraham Wolff, professor of theology. In 1713 he began the study of the Chinese language, but his severe and uninterrupted application having injured his health, he was recommended to try change of air. With this view he went to Dantzic, to John Sartorius, professor of rhetoric, who was his maternal great-uncle, and as soon as he was able to return to Konigsburgh, he went through his disputation, and obtained a pension. Soon after, he went to Berlin, where M. Grabe, a privy-counsellor, assisted him with the means of prosecuting his studies, and there he formed an intimacy with de la Croze, Jablonski, des Vignoles, Chauvin, and many other learned men of the time. At Halle, professor Frank introduced him to Solomon Assadi, whose lessons removed many of the difficulties he had encountered in learning the Arabic; and M. Michaelis and Heineccius furnished him with much useful information respecting the Ethiopian and Greek churches. From Halle he went to Leipsic, where, in Feb. 1717, he was admitted to the degree of M. A. Here M. Sieber permitted him the free use of his fine library, and M. Goetze gave him access to the manuscripts of the public library, of which he made a catalogue. At the request of M. Mencke he drew up several curious articles for the Leipsic “Acta eruditorum,” particularly one on the triumphal arch of Trajan, another on the Malabaric new Testament, a third on the Coptic new Testament, &c. with all which Mencke was so well satisfied, as to make him very advantageous offers if he would consent to reside at Leipsic. The magistrates of Konigsburgh wrote to him at the same time, that if he wished to continue his travels, his expences should be defrayed; but the bad state of his health obliged him to return home. Recovering a little, he went to Wirtemberg and Berlin, where M. de la Croze gave him some lessons in the Coptic; and at Stettin he had the happiness to be admitted to inspect the Chinese collections made by Andrew Muller, which are preserved there. About the end of autumn 1717, having returned to Konigsburgh, the magistrates appointed him librarian, and in 1720 and 1721 he was chosen co-rector and pro-rector of the principal college. | About the beginning of 1726, he was invited to Petersburgh to be professor of Greek and Roman antiquities. The same year he delivered some orations in the presence of the empress Catherine, who laid the foundation of the new academy, in honour of the coronation of Peter II. In 1730 the royal academy of Berlin enrolled him among its members. He was about to have retired to Konigsburgh, with his family, when he was attacked by a disorder which proved fatal, Feb. 21, 1738. Besides a number of philological and antiquary dissertations in the literary journals, he published, 1. “Museum Sinicum, in quo Sinicae Linguae et Literaturae ratio explicatur; item grammatica, lexicon, et diatribae Sinicce reperiuntur,” Petrop. 1730, 2 vols. 8vo. The first volume contains the grammar, the characters cut on numerous copperplates. The lexicon, in the second, is also on copperplates, with a Latin translation. This is a work of singular erudition, and the most perfect we have on the Chinese language. 2. “Historia regni Graecorum Bactriani,” ibid. 1738, 4to. 3. “Historia Osrhoena et Edessena ex nummis illustrata, in qua Edessae urbis, Osrhoeni regni, Abgarorum regum, &c. fata explicantur,” ib. 1734, 4to. Many of his academical dissertations were published by Christ. Adolphus Klotz, under the title of <c Opuscula ad historiam antiquam, chronologiam, geographiam, et rem nummariam spectantia," Halle, 1768, 8vo. ¹