Andreas, Valerius

, a biographer, to whom works of this description are highly indebted, was born Nov. 25, 15.88, at Desschel, a small town in Brabant, from which he has been sometimes called Desselius. He studied polite literature, first in his own country, under Valerius Hontius, a very able teacher, and afterwards for three years at Antwerp, under Andreas Schottus, a learned Jesuit, who taught him Greek; and he was taught Hebrew at the same time by John Hay, a native of Scotland, and likewise one of the society of Jesuits. After having attended a course of philosophy at Douay, he was appointed Hebrew professor at Louvain in 1612. In 1621 he was created LL. D. In 1628 he was appointed regius professor of civil law, and, in 1638, keeper of the newly-founded university library. His life appears to have been principally devoted to the composition of his numerous works, and the care of the press in publishing other works of celebrity. He died at Louvain, 1656, leaving behind him the character of a man of amiable manners and extensive learning.

His principal works are, 1. “Orthographiae ratio, et de ratione interpungendi ac distinctionum notis,Douay, 1610, 12mo. 2. “Clarorum Catalogus Hispaniae Scriptorum,” Mentz, 1607, 4to. 3. “Imagines doctorum virorum e variis gentibus, elogiis brevibus illustratae,Antwerp, 1611, 12mo. These two last he appears to have undervalued, as he did not insert them in the list of his writings in the Bibl. Belgica. 4. “De initiis ac progressu Collegii Trilinguis Buslidiani, deque vita et scriptis professorum ejusdem collegii,1614, 4to. 5. “De Linguae Hebraicae laudibus, antiquitate, &c.” ibid. 6. “Dissertatic de Toga et Sago, sive de litterata armataque militia,” Cologn, 1618, 8vo. 7. “Topographia Belgica.” 8. “Fasti Academici Studii Generalis Lovaniehsis,1635, 4to, am in 1648, an improved edition; but afterwards a much more correct edition was published under the title of “Historia Universitatis Lovaniensis.” 9. “Bibliothecae Lovaniensis primordia,1636, and in 1638, with a catalogue of the library. His other works were on the subject of the canon law, and some editions of the canonists with improvements; | but that which entitles him chiefly to a place here is his “Bibliotheca Belgica,” containing the lives of the eminent men of the Netherlands, and lists of their works. This was first published in 1623, 8vo. This edition excited a literary war between the author and Francis Swertz, who in 1628 published his “Athenae Belgicae, sive Nomenclator Scriptorum inferioris Germanic,” fol. In this he accuses Andreas of having interfered with his design, and violated the rules of friendship, &c. Andreas, who had continued to improve his work, and published it a second time at Lovain in 1643, 4to, answered these accusations very modestly in his preface, and asserted the priority of his design. This last edition is preceded by the “Topographia Belgica” above-mentioned. The best edition of the Bibliotheca, however, is that published by Foppen in 1739, 2 vols. 4to, elegantly printed, and illustrated by a series of engravings, which, owing to the robberies of portrait-dealers and collectors, is now seldom found complete. It has been objected that Foppen omitted many particulars recorded by Andreas, but after a careful inspection, we have been able to discover very little omitted that is of importance. 1

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Foppen’s Bibl. Belff,