Cantemir, Antiochus

, son of the above, was born in 1710. The most skilled at Petersburg in mathematics, physics, history, morality, and polite literature, were employed to continue those lectures, which his father had begun to give him. The academy of Petersburg opened their gates to him, and the ministry initiated him into affairs of state. Successively ambassador to London and Paris, he was equally admired as a minister and man of letters. On his return to Russia, he conducted himself with most consummate wisdom and prudence, during the different revolutions which agitated that country. This accomplished person died in 1744. The Russians before him had nothing in verse but some barbarous songs: he was the first who introduced any civilized poetry among them. Besides a translation of Anacreon and the epistles of. Horace, he gave them of his own, satires, odes, and fables. He made several foreign works known to them; as, 1. The Plurality of worlds. 2. The Persian letters. 3. The dialogues of Algarotti upon light, &c. aqd he printed | “Concordance to the Psalms” in the Russian language. The abbe* de Guasco, who translated his Satires, has written his life. ¹