Lynar, Rochus Frederic Count

, a Danish statesman and scholar, was descended from an ancient family, a branch of the counts of Guerini, in the dukedom of Tuscany, which had settled in Germany. He was born in 1703, at the castle of Lubbenau, and educated at Jena and Halle, at both which places he applied with the utmost assiduity to the Greek and Latin languages, and even to theology. After travelling in various parts of Europe, and visiting England in 1732, he obtained an appointment at the court of Denmark; but, being ambitious of a more public station, he volunteered his services in the home and foreign department, and displayed so much activity that he was dispatched by Christian VI. to East Friezland, to settle the affairs of the dowager princess, Sophia Caroline, sister to the queen. This mission he discharged to the satisfaction of his sovereign; and was appointed in 1735 ambassador extraordinary to the court of Stockholm, where | he resided until 1740. On his return to Denmark the king conferred on him an office in Holstein, and a few years after he was sent as ambassador extraordinary to Petersburgh. On his return in 1752 he was appointed governor of the counties of Oldenburg and Delmanhorsr, to which he retired with his family, and where he spent his time in the composition of literary works, the first of which, a translation of “Seneca de Beneficiis,” with excellent notes, was printed in 1753. Having renewed the study of the Greek language while at Oldenburgh, he made so much progress, that by comparing the best commentators he was enabled to write a good paraphrase on “The Epistles of St. Paul,” &c. which was afterwards published. He wrote also several moral essays.

In 1757 he had an opportunity again of rendering himself conspicuous in a political capacity, by the part which he took in the famous convention of Closter-seven, entered into between the duke of Richelieu, commander of the French forces, and the duke of Cumberland, who was then at the head of the allied army. In this, however, he met with many difficulties, as the history of that convention shows; and the king of France and his Britannic majesty at last refused their ratification. In March 1763 he was invested with the order of the elephant by Frederic V. the highest honour his sovereign could bestow; but some complaints being made against him on account of his administration, which were not altogether groundless, he resigned in Oct. 1765. The remainder of his life he passed in retirement at Lubennau, where he died of a dropsy of the breast, Nov. 1781, in the seventy-third year of his age. He was a man of considerable learning, elegant address, and various accomplishments. His works are, I. A translation of “Seneca de Beneficiis,” Hamburgh, 1753, 8vo. 2. A translation of Seneca on “The Shortness of Life,” 1754. 3. “Der Sonderling,” or “The Singular Man,” Hanover, 1761, 8vo, and in French, Copenhagen, 1777, 8vo, a work which, according to his biographer Busching, is well worth a perusal. 4. “Historical, Political, and Moral Miscellanies,” in four parts, 1775 1777, 8vo. 5 Paraphrases on “The Epistles,” printed at various times, 1754 1770. 6. “The real state of Europe in the year 1737,” and several other articles in Busching’s Magazine for History and Geography. ¹