, a learned Maronite of the seventeenth century, was professor of
, a learned Maronite of
the seventeenth century, was professor of Syriac and Arabic in the royal college at Paris, to which city he had been
invited from Rome by M. le Jay, that he might supply the
place of Gabriel Sionita, another Maronite, whom he had
employed in his edition of the Polyglot Bible. Gabriel
Sionita complained to the parliament, abused his countryman, and involved him in difficulties, which made much
noise. The abilities of Ecchellensis were also attacked by
M. de Flavigny, a learned doctor of the house and society
of the Sorbonne, and they wrote with much unbecoming
warmth against each other. There is, however, no doubt
but that Ecchellensis was well acquainted with the Arabic
and Syriac languages. The congregation de propaganda
JFidti associated him, 1636, with those whom they employed to translate the Bible into Arabic; and, recalling him
from Paris, appointed him professor of Oriental languages
at Rome. It was at that time that the grand duke, Ferdinand II. engaged Ecchellensis to translate the 5th, 6th,
and 7th books of the Conies of Apollonius from Arabic
into Latin, in which he was assisted by the celebrated John
Alphonso Borelli, who added commentaries to them. The
whole is printed with Archimedes “De Assumptis,
” Florence, Euthychius vindicatus,
”
against Selden and Hottinger, Rome, Remarks on the Catalogue of Chaldee Writers composed by
Ebed-jesu, and published at Rome,
” Chronicoa
Orientale,
” printed at the Louvre, Institutio* ling. Syriacae,
” Rome,
Synopsis Philosophise Orientalium,
” Paris,
Versio Durrhamani de medicis virtutibus
Animaiium, Plantarum, et Gemmarum,
”' Paris,