Lederlin, John Henry

, an eminent Hebrew and Greek scholar and critic, was the son of a poor mechanic at Strasburgh, where he was born July 18, 1672. His parents were so unable to give him education, that he must have been obliged to work at his father’s trade, had he not found an early patron in Froereisen, a learned townsman, who placed him at ten years old in the public school, at his own expence. Lederlin’s extraordinary proficiency rewarded this generous friend, whom, however, he had the misfortune to lose by death in 1690. This would have been irreparable, if his talents had not already recommended him to other patrons, and his school education being finished, he was enabled to pursue his studies at the university with great reputation. He received his master’s degree in 1692, and at the persuasion of Boeder the medical professor, Obrecht, and others, he opened a school for the Hebrew and Greek, of which languages, he was in 1703, constituted professor, and was for many years one of the greatest ornaments of the university of Strasburgh. He died Sept. 3, 1737, leaving various monuments of learning and critical skill. Among those, we may enumerate, i. his edition of Julius Pollux’s “Onomasticon,” 1706, 2 vols. fol. 2. His “Homer’s Iliad,” Amst. 1707, | 8 vols. 12mo, Gr. & Lat. Lederlin edited only a part of this edition, which on his death, Mr. Dibdin says, was completed by Bergler. But in this case there must have been an edition posterior to 1737, when Lederlin died. 3. “Vigerus de praecipuis Grsecae dictionis idiotismis,” Strasburgb, 1709, 8vo. 4. “Brissonii de regio Persarum principatu,” ibid. 1710. 5. “Æliani varise historiae,” ibid. 1713, 8vo, which Harles says is superior to Scheffer*s edition, but must yield to that of Perizonius. He published also some critical dissertations on parts of the Greek Testament, on which he was accustomed to lecture. ¹