WOBO: Search for words and phrases in the texts here...

Enter either the ID of an entry, or one or more words to find. The first match in each paragraph is shown; click on the line of text to see the full paragraph.

Currently only Chalmers’ Biographical Dictionary is indexed, terms are not stemmed, and diacritical marks are retained.

another learned protestant, of the same family as the preceding, but

, another learned protestant, of the same family as the preceding, but of opposite character, may be introduced here as the precursor of the celebrated Martin Madan, in supporting the doctrine of polygamy. Lyserus is said to have been so infatuated with the ambition of founding a sect of polygamists, that he sacrificed his life and fortune to prove that polygamy is not only permitted, but even commanded in certain cases; and travelled about Europe, endeavouring to find some countries that would adopt his opinion. At length, after many fruitless journeys, Lyserus took the singular resolution of visiting France, with a view to repair his fortune by chess, a game he was perfectly master of, and accordingly settled at Versailles. Here, however, he likewise failed, and having, when sick, set out to walk from Versailles to Paris, he encreased his disorder so much, that he died at a house on the road, in 1684. He left numerous pieces, under fictitious names, in favour of polygamy, the most considerable of which is entitled “Polygamia triumphatrix,1682, 4to. Brunsmanus, a minister of Copenhagen, has refuted this in a book entitled “Polygamia triumphata,1689, 8vo; and again in another work, “Monogamia victrix,1689, 8vo. This poor man’s attachment to a plurality of wives appears the more wonderful, Bayle observes, because he had been much embarrassed by one. Id less than a century he was succeeded in his opinions by the rev. M. Madan, of whom hereafter.