Leunclavius, John

, a native of Amelbrun in Westphalia, descended from a noble family, was born about 1533. He visited almost all the European courts, and, during his stay in Turkey, collected such excellent materials for an Ottoman history, that the public are indebted to him for their best information respecting that empire. His knowledge of law, as well as of the learned languages, enabled him also to succeed in translating the “Abridgment of the Basilica,” 1596, 2 vols folio. He was indeed one of the most celebrated translator* which Germany has produced. He died June 1593, at Vienna, aged sixty. His works are, “The Mussulman History,” 1591, folio, Latin; “Annals of the Ottoman Sultans,” folio, which he translated into Latin, from the translation made of it, by John Gaudier, otherwise Spiegel, from Turkish into German. The supplement to these Annals he continued to 1588, under the title of

Pandects Turcice.“These two works may be found at the end of Chalcondyles, printed at the Louvre. He wrote | also” Commentatio de Moscorum bellis adversus finitimos gestisj" in the collection of Polish historians by Pistorius, Basil, 1581, 3 vols. folio; and Latin translations of Xenophon, Zozimus, Constantine Manasses, Michael Glycas, &c. ¹