Pacius, Juuus

, an eminent lawyer and philosopher, called Pacius de Beriga, from the name of a country seat belonging to his father’s family, near Vicenza, was born at the latter city in 1550. His parents bestowed every pains on his education, and he is said to have made such progress in his first studies as to have composed a treatise on arithmetic at the age of thirteen. For farther proficiency he was sent to Padua, with his brother Fabius, who afterwards became a physician of eminence, and is mentioned with great honour by the medical biographers. Julius, after taking his degree of doctor in law, returned to his own country, where, in the course of his extensive reading, he became acquainted with the sentiments of the reformers, and concealed his attachment to them with so little care, that he was menaced by the horrors of the inquisition, from which he escaped to Geneva. This step being attended with the Joss of his property, he gained a livelihood for some lime by teaching youth, until his character becoming known, he was encouraged to give lectures on civil Jaw, which he did for ten years with great success and reputation. At Geneva also he married a lady whose family had fled from Lncca for the cause of religion, and had a family of ten children by her.

In 1585 he accepted the offer of the law professorship at Heidelberg, which he held lor ten years, and then removed to Sedan, where he taught logic for some time; but the war which took place induced him to return again to Geneva, and thence to Nismes, where he was appointed principal of the college. His next settlement, which he hoped would have been final, was at Montpellier, where he was made regius professor of law, and where he certainly acquired a high reputation, and brought together from all parts a numerous concourse of students, among whom was the celebrated Peiresc, who induced him to return to the Roman catholic religion. After various changes of place, however, he fixed at last at Valence in Dauphinl, where he died in 1635, at the age of eightyfive. His principal works were, 1. “Corpus Juris Civilis,” Geneva, 1580, fol. 2. “Consuetudines Feudorum,” ibid. 1580, fol. 3. “Justiniani Imperatoris institutionum Libri quatuor,” &c. ibid. fol. 4. “Aristotelis Organum, hoc est libri omnes ad logicam pertimntes, Gr. et Lat.” Morgiis, 1584, 8vo, reprinted in 1592, and at Francfort in 1598, which is the best edition of what is reckoned a very | valuable translation of the Aristotelian logic. 5. “Sapientissimi Curopalatae de officialibus Palatii Constantinopolitani, et officiis magnae ecclesiae libellus, Or et Lat.” Htidelberg, 1588, 8vo. This was published by Codinus. Pacius only supplied the ms. from his library 6. “Aristotelis naturalis auscultationis libri octo.” Gr. and Lat. Francfort, 1596, 8vo. 7. “Aristotelis de anima libri tres, Gr. et Lat.” ibid. 1596, 8vo. 8. “Aristotelis de Ccelo libri quatuor,” &c. Gr. et Lat. ibid. 1601, 8vo. 9. “Doctrina Peripatetica tomi tres,” Aureliae Allobrogum (Geneva) 1606, 4to. Niceron enumerates various other works which he published, some of a temporary kind, and some compiled for the use of students; but the above appear to have contributed most to the reputation he enjoyed. ¹