Muller, Andrew

, a German divine, whose surname was Greiffenhagen, was a native of Pomerania, and born in 1630. He studied at Rostocb, and at the age of sixteen was distinguished for his compositions in the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin poetry. After this he pursued his studies with great success at Gripswald, Konigsberg, and Wittemberg, and became so completely master of the Oriental languages, that, according to Moreri, he was invited to England by Walton and Castell to assist in his famous Polyglott bible; but in what department his services were employed is not mentioned in the usual histories of that undertaking. Moreri says he lived ten years in CastellV house, where his application was so intense that when Charles II. made his triumphal entry into London, he would not go to the window to look at it. After his return to Germany, he became inspector at Bernau, and provost at Berlin. He found the duties of these offices incompatible with his oriental studies, resigned them in a short time, and devoted himself wholly to his favourite pursuits. At Stettin, whither he retired, he published, with observations, specimens of the Lord’s Prayer, in sixty-six alphabets. He was intimately acquainted with the Chinese, and promised to draw up a * Clavis Sinica,“which he thought would enable a person of ordinary capacity to read Chinese and Japanese books in the course of a few months; but this work never appeared. He died in 1694, and by his last will bequeathed his Chinese printing materials to the library at Berlin. He was author of many very learned works particularly” Abdallae Beidavei Historia Sinensis Persice et Latine cum notis“” Monumentum Sinicum cum Commentario“”Hebdomas Observationum de rebus Sinicis,“in 1674, Col. Brand, 4to.” Æconomia Bibliothecae Sinicse “Symbola Syriaca, cum duabus Dissertationibus,” Syr. Lat. Berol. 4to. Some of his works were collected together and published in 1695, with the title of “Mulleri Opuscula nonnulla Orientalia.” ¹