, a native of French Navarre, though he is usually supposed to be
, a native of French Navarre, though
he is usually supposed to be a Spaniard, lived in the seventeenth century. He gained great fame by a work which
he published in Spanish, upon a very curious and interesting subject. The title of it runs thus: “Examen de ingenios para las Sciencias, &c. or, an examination of such
geniuses as are fit for acquiring the sciences, and were
born such: wherein, by marvellous and useful secrets,
drawn from true philosophy both natural and divine, are
shewn the gifts and different abilities found in men, and
ibr what kind of study the genius of every man is adapted,
in such a manner, that whoever shall read this book attentively, will discover the properties of his own genius, and
be able to make choice of that science in which he will
make the greatest improvement.
” This book has been
translated into several languages, and gone through several impressions. It was translated into Italian, and published at Venice in 1582; at least the dedication of that
translation bears this date. It was translated into French
by Gabriel Chappuis in 1580; but there is a better French
version than this, by Savinien d'Alquie, printed at Amsterdam in 1672. He has taken in the additions inserted by
Huarte in the last edition of his book, which are considerable both in quality and quantity. It has been translated
also into Latin, and lastly, into English, by Carew and
Bellamy. This very admired author has been highly extolled for acuteness and subtlety, and undoubtedly had a
great share of these qualities: Bayle, however, thinks, that
“it would not be prudent for any person to rely either on
his maxims or authorities for,
” says he, “he is not to be
trusted on either of these heads, and his hypotheses are
frequently chimerical, especially when he pretends to teach
the formalities to be observed by those who would beget
children of a virtuous turn of mind. There are, in this
part of his book, a great many particulars repugnant to
modesty (a discovery which we are surprized Bayle should have made): and he deserves censure for publishing, as a
genuine and authentic piece, a pretended letter of Lentulus the proconsul from Jerusalem to the Roman senate,
wherein a portrait is given of Jesus Christ, a description of
his shape and stature, the colour of his hair, the qualities
of his beard, &c.
” The work, however, has now altogether
lost its popularity, and deservedly.