Swert, Francis

, a Flemish historian and antiquary, was born at Antwerp in 1567. We have no particulars of his literary progress, but a general character that he was a man of science and learning, of an amiable disposition, and occasionally a wit, a poet, and a man of business. He devoted much of his time to study, and published a great many works which brought him considerable reputation. Saxius says he does not know whother he married or lived single, nor, he acids, “is it of much importance. This, I know, that he does not speak very respectfully of the ladies and their company. He says of Janus Dousa, the father, that when he returned home, he married that necessary evil, a icife” Whatever reason Swert had for using this expression, Saxius might have known from Valerius Andreas, or from Foppen, that he married Susanna Van Erp, and had a family of six children. He died at Antwerp in 1629, aged sixty- two.

His principal works are, 1. “Narrationes Histories in Deorum Dearumque capita, ab Ortelio vulgata,” Antwerp, 1602, 4to. 2. “Belgii totius sive XVII provinciarum Germanise inferioris brevis descriptio,” 1603. 3. “La­<Tiinx in funere Ab. Ortelii, cum Ortelii vita,” 1601, 8vo. 4, “Meditationes J. Cardinalis de Turrecremata in vitarn < liristi, cum vita Card. &c.” Cologn, 1607, 12mo 5-. | “Selectee orbis Christianas Delicise,” a collection of epitaphs, inscriptions, &c. ibid. 1608, and 1625, 8vo. 6. “Monumenta Sepulchralia Brabantise,” Ant. 1613, 8vo. 7. “Notae in Hieronymi Magii de Tintinnabulis libellum posthumum,” 1608, and 1664, 8vo. 8. “Musae errantes Justi Lipsii,” Antw. 1609, 4to. 9. “Flores Lipsiani,” Cologn, 1614, and 1620. 10. “Athenæ Belgicse,” Antw. 1628, folio, a work on the plan, and much of it borrowed from, Valerius Andreas. To these Saxius adds “Rerum Belgicarum Annales, Chronici et historici antiqui et recentiores,” Francfort, 1620, 2 vols. folio. ¹