ied Jan. 22, 1657, aged forty-five years, and left several critical and philosophical works, written in Latin. The principal are: 1. “A treatise on Subterraneous Fires.”
, brother of the above, was librarian and professor in the University of Sora, in Denmark,
where he died Jan. 22, 1657, aged forty-five years, and
left several critical and philosophical works, written in
Latin. The principal are: 1. “A treatise on Subterraneous Fires.
” 2. “Dissertation on Tacitus.
” 3. “Observations on Ammianus Marcellinus.
” And 4. “A disputation on the Style of the New Testament,
” Sora, 4to,
St. Matthew, and commentaries on some parts of the Old and New Testament, particularly a commentary in Latin upon the whole epistle to the Romans, in four folio volumes,
Bishop Abbot’s works are: 1. “The mirror of Popish
Subtleties,
” Lond. 4to, The exaltation of the
kingdom and priesthood of Christ,
” sermons on the first
seven verses of the 110th Psalm, 4to, Lond. 1601. 3. “Antichristi demonstratio, contra fabulas Pontificias, et ineptam Rob. Bellarmini de Antichristo disputationem,
”
Lond. 4to, Defence of the reformed Catholic of Mr.
W. Perkins, against the bastard counter-Catholic of Dr.
William Bishop, seminary priest,
” in three parts, 4to,
The Old Way; a sermon at St.
Mary’s, Oxon.
” 4to, Lond. The true ancient Roman
Catholic; being an apology against Dr. Bishop’s reproof
of the defence of the reformed Catholic,
” 4to, Antilogia; adversus apologiam
Andreae Eudaemon-Johannis, Jesuitse, pro Henrico Garnetto Jesuita proditore;
” Lond. 4to. De gratia
et perseverantia Sanctorum, Exercitationes habitse in Academiae Oxon.
” Lond. 4to, In Ricardi Thomsoni Angli-Belgici diatribam, da
amissione et intercessione justificationis et gratiae, animadversio brevis.
” Lond. 4to, De Suprema
Potestate Regia, exercitationes habitse in Academia Oxoniensi, contra Rob. BellarminunV et Franciscum Suarez,
”
Lond. 4 to, 1619, also a posthumous publication. He left
behind him various sermons in manuscript, lectures on St.
Matthew, and commentaries on some parts of the Old and
New Testament, particularly a commentary in Latin upon
the whole epistle to the Romans, in four folio volumes,
which was given to the Bodleian library by Dr. Edward
Corbet, rector of Haseley in Oxfordshire, his grandson by
his only daughter the wife of sir Nathaniel Brent .
ranslated into Greek or Latin: Fabricius has proved from internal evidence that it was first written in Latin, but that the author borrowed from various ancient memoirs,
, a name admitted into various biographical
collections, without much propriety. It has usually been
said that Abdias was an impostor, who pretended that he
had seen our Saviour, that he was one of the seventy-two
disciples, had been an eye-witness of the lives and martyrdom of several of the apostles, and had followed St. Simon
and St. Jude into Persia, where he was made the first
bishop of Babylon. From what he saw, he compiled a
work entitled “Historia certaminis Apostolici.
” This
work Wolfgang Lazius, a physician of Vienna, and historiographer to the emperor Ferdinand I. (hereafter noticed)
found in manuscript in a cave of Carinthia, and believing
it to be genuine, originally written in Hebrew, translated
into Greek by one Europius, a disciple of Abdias, and
into Latin by Afrieanus, published it at Basil in 1551,
after which it was several times reprinted, but, on examination both by Papist and Protestant writers, was soon discovered to be a gross imposture, from the many anachronisms which occur. Melancthon, who saw it in manuscript, was one of the first to detect it; and the greater
part of the learned men in Europe, at the time of publication, were of opinion that Abdias was a fictitious personage, and that it was neither written in Hebrew, nor translated into Greek or Latin: Fabricius has proved from internal evidence that it was first written in Latin, but that
the author borrowed from various ancient memoirs, which
were originally in Greek. As to the age of the writer,
some have placed him in the fifth and some in the sixth
century, or later. The object of the work is to recommend chastity and celibacy .
f Europe, but particularly of France, from 1628 to 1636, Francfort, 1628—1636, 8vo. The Mercurius is in Latin, but the Theatre in German. The second volume of the latter
, a historian, born at Strasburgh, and who died about 1646, is perhaps better known
by the name of John Louis Gottfried, or Gothofredus,
which he used in most of his numerous works. Under his
proper name, he published only the first volume of the
“Theatre of Europe,
” which contains the history of Europe from Mercurius Gallo-Belgicus,
” begun
by Gothard Arthus, and containing the annals of Europe,
but particularly of France, from 1628 to 1636, Francfort,
1628—1636, 8vo. The Mercurius is in Latin, but the Theatre in German. The second volume of the latter bears
the name of Avelin; but Christian Gryphius, in his account
of the historians of the seventeenth century, attributes it
to John George Schleder, who also compiled some of the
subsequent volumes. The best edition of the “Theatre of
Europe
” is that published at Francfort, from
.” Paris, 1623, 8vo. These notes were from the pen of our author. He published also a Hebrew grammar in Latin verse, and translated into French Bartoli’s Italian pieces,
His works are 1. “Commentaries on Virgil’s Æneid,
”
printed at Pont-a-Mousson, Commentary on the third volume of Cicero’s Orations,
” Paris, Pharus
Veteris Testament!, sive sacrarum questionum libri XV.
”
Paris, 1648, fol. This is the most esteemed of his works.
4. “Nonni Neopolitani paraphrasis sancti secundum Joannem Evangelii. Accesserunt notse P. N. A. soc. Jes.
”
Paris, The Life of Vinant Caraffa;
” “The Man of Letters,
” and
“Contented Poverty.
” As an original writer he is uncommonly prolix, but displays much learning and acuteness.
Bayle gives most praise to his commentary on Cicero, by
which Osorius and Olivet profited much; but others prefer
his Pharus. It may be necessary to add what is meant by his
taking the fourth vow. In addition to the vows of poverty,
chastity, and obedience, the fourth is, that the person taking
it shall labour to promote the salvation of others, by instructing youth, preaching, administering the sacraments, and by
becoming missionaries among heretics and idolaters.
While attending a general chapter of his order at Naples in 1515, he made an oration in Latin in praise of the city of Naples, which he afterwards published.
While attending a general chapter of his order at Naples
in 1515, he made an oration in Latin in praise of the city
of Naples, which he afterwards published. He also translated into Latin, Eusebius of Caesarea, Olympiodorus, and
Theodoret, and is supposed to have been the translator of
the greater part of the works of Justin Martyr. Among
his remaining works is an oration in praise of the city of
Rome, printed in 4to, without place, printer, or date; but
the dedication to the cardinal Julio de Medici is dated 26
May 1518. In 1495 he published Politian’s Greek epigrams, which were recommended to his care by the author
in his last moments. He translated also into Latin verse
the Greek address of Marcus Musurus to Leo X. prefixed
to the first edition of Plato. Giraldi, in his first dialogue
“De Poetis nostrorum temporum,
” admits him among the
good poets of his age; and others have bestowed great applause on his verses, a specimen of which may be seen in
the work first quoted below.
rinted with some prose pieces, under the title “Rime e Prose,” Venice, 1651, 12mo, He published also in Latin “Decas Epistolarum ad Jacobum Gaufridum,” Parma, 1635,
, grandson of the preceding, and
son of. Clearchus Achillini and Poly xena Buoi, was born at
Bologna in 1574. After studying grammar, the belles
lettres, and philosophy, he entered on the study of the
law, and prosecuted it with so much success, that he was
honoured with a doctor’s degree at the age of twenty,
Dec. 16, 1594, and became a professor of that science at
Bologna, Ferrara, and Parma, where he acquired great
reputation. His learning was so much admired that an
inscription to his honour was put up in the public schools,
and both popes and cardinals gave him hopes, which were
never realized, of making his fortune. Towards the end
of his life he lived principally in a country house called Il
Sasso, and died there Oct. 1, 1640. His body was carried to Bologna, and interred in the tomb of his ancestors
in the church of St. Martin. He is principally known now
by his poetry, in which he was an imitator of Marino, and
with much of the bad taste of his age. It has been asserted
that he received a gold chain worth a thousand crowns
from the court of France, for a poem on the conquests of
Louis XIII.; but this reward was sent him by the Cardinal
Richelieu, in consequence of some verses he wrote on the
birth of the dauphin. His poems were printed at Bologna,
1632, 4to, and were reprinted with some prose pieces,
under the title “Rime e Prose,
” Venice, Decas Epistolarum ad Jacobum Gaufridum,
” Parma,
ock, in the march of Brandenburgh, in 1567. In his seventeenth year he composed some poetical pieces in Latin, which are not very highly esteemed. In 1589, he went
, a young man of great erudition, whom Baillet has enrolled among his “Enfans celebres,
” and who would have proved one of the ablest critics
of his time, had he enjoyed a longer life, was born at
Wistock, in the march of Brandenburgh, in 1567. In his
seventeenth year he composed some poetical pieces in
Latin, which are not very highly esteemed. In 1589, he
went to Helmstadt to pursue his studies, and there published some of his poems, which were reprinted after his
death, at Leibnitz, in 1605, with those of Janus Lernutius and Janus Gulielmus. They are also inserted in the
first volume of the “Delicise Poetarum Germanorum;
”
and several of his pieces are in the second volume of Caspar Dornavius’ “Amphitheatrum sapientiae Socraticae Jocoseriue,
” Hanau, Animadversiones in Quintum
Curtium,
” 8vo; which have been adopted in the Francfort
edition of that author, 1597, and Snakenburg’s edition,
Leyden, 1724, 4to. His sudden death, May 25, 1595,
at the age of 28, put a stop to his useful labours. At that
time his observations on Plautus were in the press, and
were published the following year at Francfort, 8vo, and
again in 1607; and they are inserted in J. Gruter’s
“Lampas Critica.
” They conferred upon him a wellearned reptitation; and Barthius and Lipsius, with others,
bore testimony to his growing merit as a critic. His remarks on the Ancient Panegyrics and on Tacitus were
published in 1607, and the former were added to J. Gruter’s edition, Francfort, 1607, 12mo. They are, likewise,
examined and compared with those of other scholars, in
the fine edition of the Panegyrics published at Utrecht by
Arntzenius, in 1790, 4to. His notes on Tacitus are in
the edition of that author printed at Paris, 1608, fol.
(where he is by mistake called Acidalus); in that of Gronovius, Amsterdam, 1635, 4to, and 1673, 2 vols. 8vo.
We also owe to Acidalius, some notes on Ausonius, given
in Tollius’ edition of that author, Amsterdam, 1671, 8vo.
and notes on Quintilian’s dialogue de Oratoribus, added
to Gronovius’ edition of Tacitus, Utrecht, 1721, 4to. It
appears by his letters, that he had written observations on
Apuleius and Aulus Gellius, but these have not been
printed. His letters were published at Hanau, 1606, 8vo r
by his brother Christian, under the title of “Epistolarum
centuria una, cui accessemnt apologetica ad clariss. virum
Jac. Monavium, et Oratio de vera carminis elegiaci natura
et constitutione.
” In the preface, his brother vindicates
his character against the misrepresentations circulated in
consequence of his embracing the Roman Catholic religion, particularly with regard to the manner of his death.
Spme asserted that he became suddenly mad, and others
that he laid violent hands on himself. It appears, however, that he died of a fever, brought on by excess i&f
study. It still remains to be noticed, that he is said to
have been the author of a pamphlet, published in 1595,
entitled, “Mulieres non esse homines,
” “Women are not
men; i. e. not thinking and reasonable beings;
” but he
had no other hand in this work than in conveying it to his
bookseller, who was prosecuted for publishing it. It was,
in fact, a satire on the Socinian mode of interpreting the
Scriptures; and a French translation of it appeared in
1744, 12mo.
rning in his monasteries, for he was himself a man of great learning; and instructed the people both in Latin and French: and after his second return from Germany to
, or Adelard, born about the year 753,
was son of count Bernard, grandson of Charles Martel,
and cousin-german of Charlemagne. He had been invited to the court in his youth, but, fearing the infection
of such a mode of life, had retired; and, at the age of 20
years, became a monk of Corbie in Picardy, and was at
length chosen abbot of the monastery. His imperial relation, however, forced him again to attend the court, where
he still preserved the dispositions of a recluse, and took
every opportunity, which business allowed, for private
prayer and meditation. After the death of Charlemagne,
he was, on unjust suspicions, banished by Lewis the Meek,
to a monastery on die coast of Acquitaine, in the isle of
Here. After a banishment of five years, Lewis, sensible
of his own injustice, recalled Adalard, and heaped on him
the highest honours. The monk was, however, the same
man in prosperity and in adversity, and in the year 823
obtained leave to return to Corbie. Every week he addressed each of the monks in particular 5 he exhorted
them in pathetic discourses, and laboured for the spiritual
good of the country around his monastery. His liberality
seems to have bordered on excess; and his humility induced him to receive advice from the meanest monk.
When desired to live less austerely, he would frequently
say, “I will take care of your servant, that he may be enabled to attend on you the longer.
” Another Adalard,
who had governed the monastery during his banishment,
by the direction of our Adalard, prepared the foundation
of a distinct monastery, called New Corbie, near Paderborn, as a nursery for ecclesiastical laboarers, who.
should instruct the northern nations. Our Adalard now
completed this scheme; went himself to New Corbie
twice, and settled its discipline. The success of this
truly charitable project was great: many learned and
zealous missionaries were furnished from the new seminary, and it became a light to the north of Europe. Adalard promoted learning in his monasteries, for he was
himself a man of great learning; and instructed the people
both in Latin and French: and after his second return
from Germany to old Corbie, he died ill the year 827,
aged 73. Such is the account given us of Adalard,
a character, there is reason to believe, of eminent
piety and usefulness in a dark age. To convert monasteries into seminaries of pastoral education, was a
thought far above the taste of the age in which he
lived, and tended to emancipate those superstitious institutions from the unprofitable and illiberal bondage
in which they had long subsisted. His principal work
work was “A treatise on the French Monarchy;
” but
fragments only of any of his works have come down to our
times. Hincmar has incorporated the treatise on the
French monarchy in his: fourteenth Opusculum, “for the
instruction of king Carloman.
” The ancient statutes of
of the abbey of Corbie, by our author, are in the fourth
volume of D'Achery’s Spicilegium.
stent absurd stories were propagated about him. Soon after his promotion, he published his Catechism in Latin verse, a work highly approved, even by his enemies; who,
, a Scottish prelate, archbishop of St. Andrew’s. He was born 1543, in the town of Perth, where he received the rudiments of his education, and afterwards studied philosophy, and took his degree of M. A. at the university of St. Andrew’s. In the year 1566 he set out for Paris, as tutor to a young gentleman. In the month of June in the same year, Mary queen of Scots being delivered of a son, afterwards James VI. of Scotland, and first of England, Mr. Adamson wrote a Latin poem on the occasion, in which he styled him king of England and France. This proof of his loyalty involved him in some difficulties, causing him to be arrested in France, and confined for six months; but he escaped by the intercession, of queen Mary, and some of the principal nobility. As soon as he recovered his liberty, he retired with his pupil to Bourges. He was in this city during the massacre at Paris; and, the same bloody persecuting spirit prevailing amongst the Catholics at Bourges as at the metropolis, he lived concealed for seven months at a public-house, the master of which, upwards of 70 years of age, was thrown from the top of the building, and had his brains dashed out, for his charity to heretics. Whilst Mr. Adamson lay thus in his sepulchre, as he called it, he wrote his Latin poetical version of the book of Job, and his tragedy of Herod, in the same language. In 1573, he returned to Scotland; and, having entered into holy orders, became minister of Paisley. In 1575, he was appointed one of the commissioners, by the general assembly, to settle the jurisdiction and policy of the church; and the following year he was named, with Mr. David Lindsay, to report their proceedings to the earl of Moreton, then regent. About this time, the earl made him one of his chaplains, and, on the death of bishop Douglas, promoted him to the archiepiscopal see of St. Andrew’s, a dignity which brought upon him great trouble and uneasiness; for he was extremely obnoxious to the Presbyterian party, and many inconsistent absurd stories were propagated about him. Soon after his promotion, he published his Catechism in Latin verse, a work highly approved, even by his enemies; who, nevertheless, continued to persecute him with great violence. In 1578, he submitted himself to the general assembly, which procured him peace but for a very little time; for, the year following, they brought fresh accusations against him. In the year 1582, being attacked with a grievous disease, in which the physicians could give him no relief, he happened to take a simple medicine from an old woman, which did him service. The woman, whose name was Alison Pearsone, was immediately charged with witchcraft, and committed to prison, but escaped out of her confinement: however, about four years afterwards, she was again found, and burnt for a witch. In 1583, king James came to St. Andrew’s; and the archbishop, being much recovered, preached before him, and disputed with Mr. Andrew Melvil, in presence of his Majesty, with great reputation, which drew upon him fresh calumny and persecution. The king, however, was so well pleased with him, that he sent him ambassador to queen Elizabeth, at whose court he resided for some years. His conduct, during his embassy, has been variously reported by different authofsV Two things he principally laboured, viz. the recommending the king, his master, to the nobility and gentry of England, and the procuring some support for the episcopal party in Scotland. By his eloquent preaching he drew after him such crowds of people, and raised in their minds Such a high idea of the young king, his master, that queen Elizabeth forbade him to enter the pulpit during his stay in her dominions. In 1584 he was recalled, and sat in the parliament held in August at Edinburgh. The Presbyterian party were still very violent against the archbishop. A provincial synod was held at St. Andrew’s in April 1586; where the archbishop was accused and excommunicated: he appealed to the king and the states, but this availed him but little; for the mob being excited against him, it became dangerous to appear in public in the city of St. Andrew’s. At the next general assembly, a paper being produced, containing the archbishop’s submission, he was absolved from the excommunication. In 1588, fresh accusations were brought against him. The year following, he published the Lamentations of the prophet Jeremiah, in Latin verse, which he dedicated to the king, complaining of his hard usage. In the latter end of the same year, he published a translation of the Apocalypse in Latin verse, and a copy of Latin verses, addressed also to his Majesty, when he was in great distress. The king, however, was so far from giving him assistance, that he granted the revenue of his see to the duke of Lenox so that the remaining part of this prelate’s life was very wretched — he having hardly subsistence for his family, notwithstanding his necessities compelled him to deliver to the assembly a formal recantation of all his opinions concerning church government. He died in 1591. His works were printed in a 4to volume in London in 1619, with his Life by Thomas Volusenus, or Wilson. Besides the contents of this volume, our author wrote many things which were never published: such as, six books on the Hebrew republick, various translations of the prophets into Latin verse, Praelections on St. Paul’s Epistles to Timothy, various apologetical and funeral orations; and, what deserves most to be regretted, a very candid history of his own times. His character has. been variously represented, as may be seen in Calderwood and Spotiswood’s Histories, Mackenzie’s Lives of Scottish Authors, and the last edition of the Biographia Britannica. He appears to have been one of those men of whom no just estimate can be formed, without taking into the account the distraction of the times in which he lived.
, a Benedictine also, and physician to Philip Augustus king of France, to whom they attribute a work in Latin hexameters, on the same subject, Paris, 1528, in 4to;
, a Grecian physician and philosopher, who flourished in the eighth century, under the emperor Tiberius II. He turned Benedictine at last, and left a great many tracts behind, some
of which have been in so much credit as to be read in the
schools. The principal are “De Pulsibus,
” and “De
Venenis.
” Some think there is another of tnis name and
profession, a Benedictine also, and physician to Philip
Augustus king of France, to whom they attribute a work
in Latin hexameters, on the same subject, Paris, 1528, in
4to; but this is perhaps only another version. Being accidentally wounded with an arrow, he would not suffer the
wound to be dressed, that he might have an opportunity of
exercising his fortitude in pain.
fol. and Franckfort, 1610; that called Barlow’s, or “Æsopi Fabularum, cum Vita,” London, 1666, fol. in Latin, French, and English; the French and Latin by Rob. Codrington,
, the fabulist. Of this man, the reputed author
of many fables, it is very doubtful whether we are in possession of any authentic biography. The life by Planudes,
a monk of the fourteenth century, is universally considered
as a series of fictions; and the notices of him in writers of
better authority, are not sufficiently consistent to form a
narrative. The particulars usually given, however, are as
follow. He was born at Amorium, a small town in Phrygia, in the beginning of the sixth century before the
Christian aera, and was a slave to two philosophers, Xanthus and Idmon, the latter of whom gave him his liberty,
on account of his good behaviour and pleasantry. The
philosophers of Greece gained a name by their lofty sentences, clothed in lofty words; Æop assumed a more simple and familiar style, and became not less celeb rated.
He taught virtue and ridiculed vice, by giving a language
to animals and inanimate things; and composed those fables, which under the mask of allegory, and with all the
interest of fable, convey the most useful lessons in morality. The fame of his wisdom spreading over Greece
and the adjoining countries, Croesus, the king of Lydia,
sent for him, and was his generous benefactor. There he
found Solon, whom he soon equalled in favour, however
different his mode of conducting himself. Solon preserved
his austerity in the midst of a corrupt court, was a philosopher among courtiers, and often offended Croesus by obtruding his advice, who at last dismissed him. “Solon,
”
said Æsop, “let us not address kings, or let us say what is
agreeable.
” “By no means,
” replied the philosopher,
“let us either say nothing, or tell them what is profitable.
”
Æsop made frequent excursions from the court of Lydia
into Greece. When Pisistratus assumed the chief power
at Athens, Æsop, who witnessed the dissatisfaction of the
people, repeated to them his fable of the frogs petitioning
Jupiter for a king. He afterwards travelled through Persia
and Egypt, everywhere inculcating morality by his fables.
The kings of Babylon and Memphis received him with distinguished honour; and on his return to Lydia, Croesus
sent him with a sum of money to Delphi, where he was to
offer a magnificent sacrifice to the god of the place, and
distribute a certain sum of money to each of the inhabitants. But being offended by the people, he offered his
sacrifice, and sent the rest of the money to Sardis, representing the Delphians as unworthy of his master’s bounty.
In revenge, they threw him from the top of a rock. All
Greece was interested in his fate, and at Athens a statue
was erected to his memory. Lurcher, in his notes on
Herodotus, fixes his death in the 560th year before the
Christian aera, under the reign of Pisistratus. Planudes,
who, as already observed, wrote his life, represents him
as exceedingly deformed in person, and defective in his
speech, for which there seems no authority. It is to this
monk, however, that we owe the first collection of Æsop’s
Fables, such as we now have them, mixed with many by
other writers, some older, and some more modern than the
time of Æsop. He wrote in prose; and Socrates, when
in prison, is said to have amused himself by turning some
of them into verse. Plato, who banished Homer and the
other poets from his republic, as the corruptors of mankind, retained Æsop as being their preceptor. Some are
of opinion, that Lockman, so famous among the orientals,
and Pilpay among the Indians, were one and the same
with Æsop. Whatever may be in this, or in the many
other conjectures and reports, to be found in the authorities cited below, the fables of Æsop may surely be considered as the best models of a species of instructive composition, that has been since attempted by certain men of
learning and fancy in all nations, and particularly our own;
nor will it be easy to invent a mode of arresting and engaging the attention of the young to moral truths, more
pleasant or more successful. The best editions of Æsop
are those of Plantin, Antwerp, 1565, 16mo; of Aldus,
with other fabulists, Venice, 1505, fol. and Franckfort,
1610; that called Barlow’s, or “Æsopi Fabularum, cum
Vita,
” London, 1666, fol. in Latin, French, and English;
the French and Latin by Rob. Codrington, with plates by
Barlow, now very rare, as a great part of the edition was
burnt in the fire of London; Hudson’s, published under
the name of Marianus (a member of St. Mary Hall), Oxford, 1718, 8vo. They have been translated into all modern languages; and CroxalPs and Dodsley’s editions deserve praise, on account of the life of Æsop prefixed to each.
The others remain in manuscript in the libraries of Vienna and Paris. There have been many editions in Latin, of the translation of Janus Cornarius, under the title
, a physician of Armicla, a town of Mesopotamia,
lived about the end of the 5th or the beginning of the 6th
century. The work for which he is now known is his“Tetrabiblos,
” a compilation from all the physicians who
preceded him, particularly Galen, Archigenes, Dioscorides,
&c. He describes also some new disorders, and throws
out some opinions, not known before his time, respecting
the diseases of the eye, and the use of outward applications.
Partaking of the credulity of his time, he describes all the
pretended specifics, charms, and amulets in vogue among
the Egyptians, which forms a curious part of his writings.
What he says on surgical topics is thought most valuable.
The work, by the various transcribers, has been divided
into four Tetrabiblons, and each into four discourses; and
originally appears to have consisted of sixteen books. The
first eight only were printed in Greek, at Venice, by the
heirs of Aldus Manutius, 1534, fol. The others remain
in manuscript in the libraries of Vienna and Paris. There
have been many editions in Latin, of the translation of
Janus Cornarius, under the title of “Contractse ex veteribus Medicinae Tetrabiblos,
” Venice, Medicae artis principes.
”
Dr. Freind has adverted to Mtius, in his history, more
than to almost any ancient writer, but has not the same
opinion of his surgical labours as is expressed above. Some
writers have confounded this JEtius with the subject of the
preceding article.
, or Egelnoth, or Æthelnoth, in Latin Achelnotus, archbishop of Canterbury in the reign of Canute
, or Egelnoth, or Æthelnoth, in Latin Achelnotus, archbishop
of Canterbury in the reign of
Canute the Great, succeeded to that see in the year 1020.
This prelate, surnamed the Good, was son of earl Agilmer,
and, at the time of his election, dean of Canterbury.
After his promotion he went to Rome, and received his
pall from pope Benedict VIII. In his way thither, as he
passed through Pavia, he purchased, for an hundred talents
of silver and one of gold, St. Augustine’s arm, which was
kept there as a relic; and sent it over to England, as a
present to Leofric, earl of Coventry. Upon his return, he
is said to have raised the see of Coventry to its former
lustre. He was much in favour with king Canute, and
employed his interest with that monarch to good purposes.
It was by his advice the king sent over large sums of money
for the support of the foreign churches: and Malmsbury
observes, that this prince was prompted to acts of piety,
and restrained from excesses, by the regard he had for the
archbishop. King Canute being dead, Agelnoth refused
to crown his son Harold, alleging that the late king had
enjoined him to set the crown upon none but the issue of
queen Emma; that he had given the king a promise upon
this head, and that he was resolved to be true to his engagement. Having declared himself with this freedom, he
iaid the crown upon the altar, with an imprecation against
those bishops who should venture to perform the ceremony.
Harold, who was greatly chagrined at this disappointment,
endeavoured, both by menaces and large offers, to prevail
upon the archbishop, but in vain: and whether he was
afterwards crowned by any other person is uncertain.
Agelnoth, after he had held the see of Canterbury seventeen years, died Oct. 29, 1038. Three works have been
attributed to him “A panegyric on the blessed Virgin
Mary;
” “A letter to Earl Leofric, concerning St, Augustine;
” and “Letters to several persons.
”
lued than those of Paruta and Agostini. The best and most complete is that which Havercamp published in Latin, at Leyden, 1723, 3 vols. folio, with a commentary; these
, an eminent antiquary, lived in
the seventeenth century. Under the pontificate of Urban
VIII. he resided in the court of cardinal Barberini; and
afterwards pope Alexander VII. who had a great esteem for
him, gave him the appointment of examiner of antiquities
in the Roman territory. He published the two following
works, which are now scarce, and much valued. 1. “La
Sicilia di Filippo Paruta descritta con Medaglie, con la
giunta di Lionardo Agostini,
” Rome, Delia Sicilia di Filippo Paruta descritta con Medaglie,
parte prima.
” This first part, which has become very rare,
contains only engravings of the medals, to which a description was promised, in a second. part, which never appeared. Agostini used the same plates as Paruta, and added
about four hundred medals to those in Paruta’s edition, but
still without explanations. After his death, Paruta’s plates
having fallen into the hands of Marco Maier, a bookseller,
he published at Lyons, in 1697, anew edition, in folio,
entitled, “La Sicilia di Filippo Paruta descritta con Medaglie, e ristampata con aggiunta di Lionardo Agostini,
hora in miglior ordine disposta da Marco Maier, arrichita
d'una descrittione compendiosa di quella famosa isola.
”
But notwithstanding the explanations and historical additions of this editor, this edition is less valued than those of
Paruta and Agostini. The best and most complete is that
which Havercamp published in Latin, at Leyden, 1723,
3 vols. folio, with a commentary; these form the sixth,
seventh, and eighth volumes of Grsevius’s Thesaurus. The
other work of Agostini is, 2. “Le Gemme antiche figurate
di Lionardo Agostini, con le annotazioni del sig. Gio.
Pietro Bellori,
” part I. Rome, Consiglier di pace,
” which was written by Lionardo Agosti.
, in Latin Alanus de Lynna, a famous divine of the fifteenth century,
, in Latin Alanus de Lynna, a famous
divine of the fifteenth century, was born at Lynn, in the
county of Norfolk, and educated in the university of Cambridge; where he applied himself diligently to the study
of philosophy and divinity, and, having taken the degree of
doctor, became an eminent preacher. Bale, who gives
Alan an advantageous character, yet blames him for using
allegorical and moral expositions of scripture; while Pits
commends the method he took to explain the holy scriptures, which was by comparing them with themselves, and
having recourse to the ancient fathers of the church. But
he is more generally celebrated for the useful pains he took
in making indexes to most of the books he read. Of these
Bale saw a prodigious quantity in the library of the Carmelites at Norwich. Alan flourished about the year 1420,
and wrote several pieces, particularly “De vario Scripturæ sensu;
” “Moralia Bibliorum;
” “Sermones notabiles;
” “Elucidarium Scripturæ;
” “Prelectiones Theologiæ;
” “Elucidationes Aristotelis.
” At length he became a Carmelite, in the town of his nativity, and was buried in the convent of his order.
after these transactions, 1588, was first printed in English in the form of a letter, and afterwards in Latin, under the title of “Epistola de Daventrise ditione,”
Alan therefore, having overstepped the bounds of religious controversy, was now determined to measures of
more open hostility. The celebrated Parsons, the Jesuit,
who was his great friend and counsellor, is supposed to
have suggested to him the project of invading England.
For many years there had been differences, discontents,
and even injuries committed between the English and
Spaniards; and now Alan, and some fugitive English noblemen, persuaded Philip II. to undertake the conquest of
England. To facilitate this, the pope, Sixtus V. renewed
the excommunication thundered against queen Elizabeth
by his predecessor Pius V. While this was in agitation,
sir William Stanley, commander of the English and Irish
garrison at Daventer, betrayed it to the Spaniards, and
went into their service with 1200 men; and Rowland York,
who had been intrusted with a strong fort in the same
country, performed the same act of treachery. Alan, no
longer the conscientious controversialist, wrote a defence
of this base proceeding, and sent several priests to Stanley,
in order to instruct those he had drawn over to the king of
Spain’s service. Alan’s defence, which appeared the year
after these transactions, 1588, was first printed in English
in the form of a letter, and afterwards in Latin, under the
title of “Epistola de Daventrise ditione,
” Cracov. His
only argument, if it deserve the name, was, that sir William Stanley was no traitor, because he had only delivered
to the king of Spain a city which was his own before; and
he exhorts all Englishmen, in the service of the states, to
follow his example.
en pastor of the church of that place. He died May 8, 1644. aged 72 years and six months. His works, in Latin, are, 1. “Christianus, hoc est, de nomine, ortu, &c.
, son of the preceding, was born
Nov. 22, 1572. Aftet having received the principles of
education in the college of Itzehoe, which he left at the age
of sixteen, he passed rive years in the college of Luneburgh, and went from that to Wittemherg, where he distinguished himself by the able defence of his theses. In
1595, he was called home, and made joint rector of the
college of Krempen, and afterwards chosen pastor of the
church of that place. He died May 8, 1644. aged 72
years and six months. His works, in Latin, are, 1. “Christianus, hoc est, de nomine, ortu, &c. Christianorum,
”
Leipsic, Pericopa pentateuchi biblica, triglossometrica,
” &c. De diversis ministrorum. gradibus contra Bezam.
” 4. “Defensiotractationis,
”
&c. a defence of the preceding against Beza’s answer,
Francfort, 1600.
ety and munificence towards religious institutions. He died August 29, 1662. His principal works are in Latin. 1. “Consultatio pro ulceris Syriaci nunc vagantis curatione,”
, a celebrated physician of
Sicily, was born in 1590 at Ragalbuto, in the valley of
Demona, and when young acquired great reputation for
his proficiency in classical learning, and in the study of
philosophy. He then made choice of the profession of
medicine, and received his doctor’s degree at Messina in
1610. In 1616 he settled at Palermo, where he practised
with uncommon success, his advice being eagerly sought
at home and abroad, by persons of all ranks who corresponded with him in cases where his visits could not be procured. His fame rose highest, however, in 1624, when
he practised with so much skill, humanity, and success,
during the rage of the plague in Palermo, and other parts
of Sicily. While in this prosperous career, he was in vain
solicited to accept a professor’s chair in the university of
Bologna, and the office of first physician to the king of
Naples. Nothing could seduce him from his connexions
in Palermo, where he had the principal hand in founding
the medical academy. He is celebrated also for his piety
and munificence towards religious institutions. He died
August 29, 1662. His principal works are in Latin.
1. “Consultatio pro ulceris Syriaci nunc vagantis curatione,
”
Palermo, De succedaneis Medicamentis,
” ibid. Discorso intorno alia preservatione del morbo contagioso, e mortale,
che regna al presente in Palermo, tkc.
” ibid. Consigli Medico-politici,
” also relating to the plague,
ibid.
anish, or Italian, as the circumstances required. He was continually applying some maxim of Tacitus, in Latin, to corroborate his own observations, or to support those
The cardinal’s disgrace happened in 1720, and he retired to Parma for some time, till he was summoned by the pope to attend a consistory, in which his conduct was to be examined by some of the members of the sacred college, respecting a correspondence he was supposed to have kept up with the Grand Signior; and he was sentenced to be confined one year in the Jesuits college at Rome. After this, he returned to Parma, near which city he founded, at a very great expence, an establishment for the instruction of young men destined for the priesthood. In the disastrous campaign of 1746, the buildings of this academy were destroyed by the three armies that were in the neighbourhood: and as the cardinal was not supposed to have been over delicate in procuring the means by which his establishment was to have been supported, his countrymen, did not appear to express much dissatisfaction at the demolition of it. He soon after this went to Rome, and was made legate of Romana by pope Clement XII. He died at Rome in 1752, at the age of 87 years, having preserved entire to the last, the powers of his mind and of his body. In the account given of his old age, by the editor of the Dictionnaire Historique, he is said to have been very chatty in conversation, and talked in so lively and so agreeable a manner, that it made even the verv curious facts he had to tell more interesting to those who heard them. His stories were interlarded with French, Spanish, or Italian, as the circumstances required. He was continually applying some maxim of Tacitus, in Latin, to corroborate his own observations, or to support those of others. His general topics of conversation were, the campaigns in which he attended M. de Vendome, his ministry in Spain, or the common political events of the day. He was rather impatient of contradiction, and expected that in argument or in narration the company should defer to him.
He printed this collection in German, in the year 1531, without name of place or printer; and again in Latin at Wittemberg, in 1542 4, and called the Alcoran, because
, a Lutheran divine, born, according to some, in Weteraw, or, according to others, at a small
village near Francfort on the Main, studied divinity at
Wittemberg, and became one of the most zealous adherents
of Luther, who had a great friendship for him. He was for
some time preacher to Joachim II. elector of Brandenburgh,
but on a dispute respecting the revenues of the clergy, he
lost that situation, and travelled intw various places, maintaining the doctrines of the reformation. In 1548 he was
a preacher at Magcleburgh; but the Interim, proposed by
Charles V. and fatal to so many of the Protestant clergy,
oblige'd him to leave that place, and reside in a private station at Hamburgh. He was afterwards appointed &uperintendant-general of New Brandenburgh, in Mecklenburgh,
where he died May J, 1553. He collected from the book,
written by Albizzi (See Albizzi), of the conformities of
St. Francis with Jesus Christ, the most remarkable absurdities and follies, and published them under the title of
the “Alcoran of the Cordeliers.
” He printed this collection in German, in the year 1531, without name of place or
printer; and again in Latin at Wittemberg, in 1542 4,
and called the Alcoran, because the Franciscans of his time
paid as much veneration to the conformities as the Turks
do to their alcoran. Luther honoured the compilation of
his disciple with a preface. Conrad Baudius augmented it
with a second book, translated it into French, and published it in 1556, one vol. 12mo; afterwards at Geneva, in
1560, in 2 vols. 12 mo. The last edition of this satirical
work is that of Amsterdam in 1734, in 3 vols. 12mo, with
copper-plates. There is also of this Albert, “Judicium
de Spongia Erasmi, Roterodami;
” and several other pieces
in Latin and German, particularly a collection of forty-nine
fables, called “The book of Wisdom and Virtue,
” Francfort,
ainst them; but this not producing any good effect, he joined the order of the Franciscans. He wrote in Latin, a “Chronicle,” from the creation to the year 1256, to
, an abbe of the cloister of St.
Mary at Stade, in the thirteenth century, and supposed to
be an Italian by those writers who have mistaken him for
Albert of Pisa. The monks of Stade living in great disorder, their abbe went to Rome, and obtained a bull against
them; but this not producing any good effect, he joined
the order of the Franciscans. He wrote in Latin, a “Chronicle,
” from the creation to the year
urious facts, but the author has shewn less judgment in adopting the fables of Annius of Viterbo. 4. In Latin, “De Viris illustribus ordinis praedicatorum, libri sex
, adominican and provincial of his
order, was born at Bologna in 1479, and died in 1552.
He wrote in Italian, 1. “Historic di Bologna, deca
e libro primo deca secunda sino all' anno 1253,
” Bologna,
Cronica
delle principali Famiglie Bolognesi, &c.
” Vincenza, Descrizione di tutta l'Italia,
” printed at Bologna
in his life-time, fol. De Viris illustribus ordinis praedicatorum, libri sex in unum congesti,
” Bologna, Dialriba de increments Domini Venetæ,
” and “De
claris viris reipublicse Venetæ,
” which are printed in Contarini’s VenetianRepublic, ed. 2, Leiden, 1628.
Among the moral works of Alberti, written in Latin, are, 1. his dialogue, entitled, “Momus, de Principe,”
Among the moral works of Alberti, written in Latin, are,
1. his dialogue, entitled, “Momus, de Principe,
” of which
there were two editions at Rome in Trivia,
sive de causis senatoriis, &c.
” Basil, De Jure,
” or On the administration of
justice. He composed an hundred “Fables,
” or Apologues, and a poem, entitled “Hecatomphile,
” on the art of
love, which was translated by Bartoli into Italian, 1568,
and into French in 1534 and 1584. There are extant
many other writings by Alberti on philosophy, mathematics,
perspective, and antiquities. He also wrote some Italian
poems, in which he wished to introduce the Latin rythm,
but in this he has not been successful. His writings, however, on the arts, are in highest estimation. He wrote a
treatise on sculpture, and another on painting “De Pictura, prestantissima et nunquam satis laudata arte, &c.
”
Basil, De re aidificatoria,
” in ten
books, which was not published until after his death, in 1485,
by his brother Bernard. It was translated into Italian by
Peter Lauro, Venice, 1549, and in 1550 by Bartoli, with
wood-cuts. A beautiful edition was also published in
London, 1726, 3 vols. fol. by James Leoni, in Italian and
English, with fine copper-plates. The last edition, that of
Bologna, 1782, fol. contains the treatise before mentioned.
Alberti died probably in 1485, or as Tiraboschi thinks, in
1472; and was buried in his family-vault in the church of
St. Croix. He was indefatigable in study and business; in
his temper amiable and conciliating, and extremely liberal
to the merits of other artists. Politian, in the dedication
of his work on architecture to Lorenzo de Medici, bestows
the highest encomiums on him, and attributes to him the
discovery of a great variety of curious mechanical inventions; and Vasari gives him the invention of the camera
obscura; but it is more certain that we owe to him the
optical machine for exhibiting drawings so as to imitate
nature.
uch, that a medal was struck in honour of his memory. He left, according to Sansovino, several works in Latin, on the knowledge of God, the history of the Servites,
, a celebrated divine and politician of Venice, was born there in 1430, and at the age of
ten, entered into the religious order of the Servites, where
he made profession for six years. He afterwards taught
philosophy, and became a popular preacher, and his zeal
and talents pointed him out as the proper person to succeed to the vacant bishopric of Torcello, which, however,
was given to another. The republic of Venice employed
him in many affairs of state, and even sent him as ambassa
dor to Turkey. He died in the prime of life in 1475,
when his reputation was such, that a medal was struck in
honour of his memory. He left, according to Sansovino,
several works in Latin, on the knowledge of God, the history of the Servites, and other theological subjects, and an
explanation of some passages in Dante. Possevin, in his
“Sacred Apparatus,
” improperly attributes the two firstmentioned works to Paul Nicoletti.
of the Franciscans, or Friars minorites; and derived much fame in the eyes of his brethren by a work in Latin, on the “Conformity of St. Francis with Jesus Christ,”
, also called Bartholomew
of Pisa, was born in the fourteenth century at Rivano in
Tuscany, and was of the order of the Franciscans, or
Friars minorites; and derived much fame in the eyes of
his brethren by a work in Latin, on the “Conformity of
St. Francis with Jesus Christ,
” which he presented to the
chapter of his order in 1399. (See Albert, Erasmus.)
The impiety of this work may be partly guessed from the
title; but as Tiraboschi has thought proper to blame the
Protestants who either answered it seriously, or turned it
into ridicule, and according to him raised a clamour against
the friars, who could not be supposed responsible for the
act of an individual, it may be necessary to remind the
readers of that learned historian, that the friars did in fact
take upon them a very high degree of responsibility. They
not only bestowed the highest praise on Albizzi; but after
receiving his book in a full chapter, the representatives of
the whole order, they presented him with a complete dress
which St. Francis wore in his life-time. This foolish book,
which not only raises St. Francis above all other saints, but
impiously compares him with the Saviour, was first printed
at Venice, fol. without date, or printer’s name. The second edition, which Dr. Clarke calls the first, was printed
at Milan, 1510, a folio of 256 leaves in the black letter,
and sells on the continent at from ₤5. to ₤20. The
third was also printed at Milan, 1513, in the same form,
and type, with a new preface by Mapelli, a Franciscan.
All these are uncommonly scarce, and hardly ever to be
found complete. Jeremy Bucchi, another Franciscan,
published a new edition at Bologna in 1590, in which he
omitted many passages, and added the lives of the illustrious men of the order of St. Francis; but as this did not
sell, the first two leaves were cancelled, and it was again
published in 1620, as a new work. It contains the approbation of the chapter-general, dated Aug. 2, 1399. This
work, with more alterations and omissions, was again published at Cologn in 1632, under the title “Antiquitates
Franciscanae, sive Speculum vitae B. Francisci et sociorum,
”
&c. The last we shall notice is that of father Valentine
Maree, ' or Marcus, a reco^let, or reformed Franciscan,
entitled “Traite de conformites du disciple avec le maitre,
c'est a dire, de S. Francois avec J. C. en tout le mysteres
de sa naissance, vie, passion, mort, &c.
” Liege,
ed under the title of “Al-Tacrif,” or the method of practice, have been translated and often printed in Latin, Venice, 1500, and 1520, folio; Augsburgh, 1519; Strasburgh,
, a celebrated Arabian surgeon; called
also Albucasa, Albuchasius, Buchasis, Bulcaris-Ga-Laf, Alsaharavius, and Azaravius, but whose proper
name was Aboul-Casem-Khalaf-Ben-Abbas, was a native of Alzahrah, a city of Spain. He is supposed to have
lived about the year 1085; but Dr. Freind thinks he is
not so ancient, as in treating of wounds, he describes the
arrows of the Turks, a nation which scarcely made any
figure until the middle at least of the twelfth century.
From what he says of surgery being in a manner extinct in
his time, the same historian supposes that he lived long
after Avicenna; as in the time of the latter, surgery was
in good repute. Albucasis, however, revived it, and is
the only one among the ancients who has described the
instruments in each operation, and explained the use of
them; and the figures of these instruments are in both the
Arabic manuscripts now in the Bodleian library (Marsh, N 54, and Huntington, N 156.) The use of the cautery
was very common with him, and he appears to have ventured upon incisions of the most hazardous kind. In Dr.
Freind’s history is a very elaborate analysis of his works
and practice. His works, collected under the title of
“Al-Tacrif,
” or the method of practice, have been translated and often printed in Latin, Venice, 1500, and 1520,
folio; Augsburgh, 1519; Strasburgh, 1532; and Basil,
1541.
nserted it in his editions of Maximus Tyrius, Leyden, 1608, 1617, and Oxford, 1667, 8vo. It is also, in Latin, in the first editions of Apuleius, Rome, 1469, and 1472;
, a Platonic philosopher, is supposed to
have lived about the beginning of the second century.
We have no account of his life, nor is he known but by
his “Introduction to the doctrine of Plato,
” with which
he appears to have been very well acquainted. Marsilius
Ficinus translated it into Latin, and it was published, for
the first time, with various pieces by Jamblicus, Proclus,
Porphyry, Synesius, and other Platonists, Venice, by
Aldus, 1497, fol. It has often been reprinted, and Charpentier wrote a commentary on it, which was published at
Paris, 1575, 4to. Dennis Lambin gave an edition in Gr.
and Lat. with scholia, Paris, 1567, 4to; and Michael
Vascosan another, ibid. 1532, 8vo. Daniel Heinsius has
inserted it in his editions of Maximus Tyrius, Leyden,
1608, 1617, and Oxford, 1667, 8vo. It is also, in Latin,
in the first editions of Apuleius, Rome, 1469, and 1472;
Venice, 1521, &c.; and our countryman, Stanley, printed
it in his “History of Philosophy.
” It was very recently
translated into French, and published by M. Combes Dounous, Paris, 1800, 12mo. There is another Alcinous, mentioned by Philostratus in his lives of the Greek sophists.
Englishman by the pomp of his language.” He is said to have been the first Englishman who ever wrote in Latin; and, as he himself tells us in one of his treatises on
, an English divine, was
bishop of Shireburn in the time of the Saxon heptarchy,
and in the eighth century. William of Malmesbury says
that he was the son of Kenred, or Kenter, brother of Ina
king of the West-Saxons. He was born at Caer Bladon,
now Malmesbury, in Wiltshire. He had part of his education abroad in France and Italy, and part at home under
Maildulphus, an Irish Scot, who had built a little monastery
where Malmesbury now stands. Upon the death of Maildulphus, Aldhelm, by the help of Eleutherius bishop of
Winchester, built a stately monastery there, and was himself the first abbot. When Hedda, bishop of the WestSaxons, died, the kingdom was divided into two dioceses;
viz. Winchester and Shireburn, and king Ina promoted
Aldhelm to the latter, comprehending Dorsetshire, Wiltshire, Devonshire, and Cornwall: he was consecrated at
Rome by pope Sergius I. and Godwin tells us that he had
the courage to reprove his holiness for having a bastard.
Aldhelm, by the directions of a diocesan synod, wrote a
book against the mistake of the Britons concerning the
celebration of Easter, which brought over many of them to
the catholic usage in that point. He likewise wrote a
piece, partly in prose and partly in nexameter verse, in
praise of virginity, dedicated to Ethelburga abbess of Barking, and published amongst Bede’s Opuscula, besides several other treatises, which are mentioned by Bale and William of Malmesbury, the latter of whom gives him the following character as a writer: “The language of the
Greeks,
” says he, “is close and concise, that of the Romans splendid, and that of the English pompous and swelling as for Aldhelm, he is moderate in his style; seldom
makes use of foreign terms, and never without necessity;
his catholic meaning is clothed with eloquence, and his
most vehement assertions adorned with the colours of rhetoric: if you read him with attention, you would take him
for a Grecian by his acuteness, a Roman by his elegance,
and an Englishman by the pomp of his language.
” He is
said to have been the first Englishman who ever wrote in
Latin; and, as he himself tells us in one of his treatises on
metre, the first who introduced poetry into England
“These things,
” says he, “have I written concerning the
kinds and measures of verse, collected with much labour,
but whether useful I know not; though I am conscious to
myself I have a right to boast as Virgil did:
1514, fol. 10.” Physica scholia, dubitationes et solutiones, libri duo,“Gr. Venice”, 1536, fol. and in Latin by Bagolinus, Venice, 1541, 1549, 1555, 1559, fol. 11.
Of his works there are extant, 1. “De Fato, deque eo
quod in nostra potestate est,
” a short treatise dedicated to
the emperor Caracalla, and first printed in Greek at th
Aldine press, 1533, fol. at the end of the works of Themistius. Grotius translated it into Latin in his “Veterum
philosophorum sententiae de Fato,
” Paris, 1648, 4to; and
there is a London edition, Gr. and Lat. 1688, 12mo.
2. “Commentarius in primum librum priorura analyticoruna
Aristotelis,
” Gr. Venice, Commentarius in VIII Topicorum libros,
” Venice, 1513, translated
into Latin by Gul. Dorotheas, Venice, 1526 and 1441, and
Paris, 1542, fol. and by Rasarius, Venice, 1563 and 1573,
fol. 4. “Commentarii in Elenchos sophisticos, Gr. Venice, Aldus, 1520, fol.; at Florence, with the
” Commentarius in primum librum, &c.“1521, 4to; and translated into Latin by Rasarius, Venice, 1557, fol. 5.
” In
Libros XII Metaphysicorum ex versione Jos. Genesii Sepulvedae,“Rome, 1527, Paris, 1536, Venice, 1544 and
1561, fol. The Greek text has never been printed, although there are manuscript copies in the imperial library
at Paris, and in other libraries. 6.
” In librum de sensu
et iis quae sub sensum-cadunt,“Gr. at the end of Simplicius’s commentary on the books respecting the soul, Venice,
1527, fol., and in the Latin of Lucilius Philothscus, Venice,
1544, 1549, 1554, 1559, 1573, fol. 7.
” In Aristotelis
Meteorologica,“Gr. Venice, 1527, fol. translated into
Latin by Alex. Picolomini, 1540, 1548, 1575, fol. (See Alexander Ægeus). 8.
” De Mistione,“Gr. with the
preceding. 9.
” De anima, libri duo,“Gr. at the end of
Themistius in the first article, and translated into Latin by
Jerome Donate, Venice, 1502, 1514, fol. 10.
” Physica
scholia, dubitationes et solutiones, libri duo,“Gr. Venice
”,
Problematum medicorum et physicorum libri duo.
” The best Greek edition of this is in
isylburgius’s works of Aristotle; but some think that these
problems are by Alexander Trallianus. 12. “Libellus de
Febribus, Latine, Georgio Valla interprete,
” in a collection
of various works translated by Valla, Venice, 1488. It is
also thought that this is by Alexander Trallianus. It has
not been printed in Greek. There are other works aacribed to our Alexander, some in Arabic and some in Greek:
in the imperial library at Paris is one “De nutritione et
augmento,
” which is not given in the usual lists of his
works. All the above are very rare, especially the Greek
editions, and the multiplicity of these editions shows in
what high esteem the author was held in the fifteenth and
sixteenth centuries, and how useful his writings were corn
sidered by the students of Aristotle.
was printed in Paris 1675, in 8vo. The year following he published the first volume of a large work in Latin, upon the principal points of ecclesiastical history:
, a learned
ecclesiastical writer of the 17th century, born at Roan in
Normandy, Jan. 19, 1639. After finishing his studies at
Roan, he entered into the order of Dominican friars, and
was professed there in 1655. Soon after he went to Paris,
to go through a course of philosophy and divinity in the
great convent, where he so distinguished himself, that he
was appointed to teach philosophy there, which he did for
twelve years. This however did not so much engage his
attention as to make him neglect preaching, which is the
chief business of the order he professed. His sermons
were elegant and solid: but as he had not that ease and
fluency of speech requisite in a preacher, he soon forsook
the pulpit; and his superiors being of opinion that he
should apply himself wholly to the study of the scriptures
and ecclesiastical history, he followed their advice, and
was created a doctor of the Sorbonne in 1675. Mr. Colbert shewed him many marks of his esteem; and being determined to omit nothing to complete the education of his
son, afterwards archbishop of Roan, he formed an assembly of the most learned persons, whose conferences upon,
ecclesiastical history might be of advantage to him. Father Alexander was invited to this assembly, where he exerted himself with so much genius and ability, that he
gained the particular friendship of young Colbert, who
shewed him the utmost regard as long as he lived. These
conferences gave rise to Alexander’s design of writing an
ecclesiastical history; for, being desired to reduce what
was material in these conferences to writing, he did it with
so much accuracy, that the learned men who composed
this assembly advised him to undertake a complete body of
church-history. This he executed with great assiduity,
collecting and digesting the materials himself, and writing
even the tables with his own hand. His first work is that
wherein he endeavours to prove, against Ai. de Launoi,
that St. Thomas Aquinas is the real author of the Sum,
ascribed to him: it was printed in Paris 1675, in 8vo. The
year following he published the first volume of a large
work in Latin, upon the principal points of ecclesiastical
history: this contains 26 volumes in 8vo. The first volume
treats of the history of the first ages of the church, and
relates the persecutions which it suffered, the succession
of popes, the heresies which arose, the councils which
condemned them, the writers in favour of Christianity,
and the kings and emperors who reigned during the first
century: to this are subjoined dissertations upon such
points as have been the occasion of dispute in history,
chronology, criticism, or doctrine. The history of the
second century, with some dissertations, was published in
two volumes in the year 1677. The third century came
out in 1678; in this he treats largely of public penance,
and examines into the origin and progress of the famous
dispute between pope Stephen and St. Cyprian, concerning the rebaptizing of those who had been baptized by
heretics; and he has added three dissertations, wherein he
has collected what relates to the life, manners, errors, and
Defenders of St. Cyprian. The history of the fourth century is so very extensive, that Alexander has found matter
for three volumes and forty-five dissertations; they were
printed at Paris in 1679. In the three following years he
published his history of the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth,
ninth, and tenth centuries; and that of the eleventh and
twelfth centuries in 1683; in these volumes are several
Dissertations against Mr. Daille; and in some of them he
treats of the disputes between the princes and popes in.
such a manner, that a decree from Rome was issued out
Against his writings in 1684. However, he published the
same year the history of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, in which he continued to defend the rights of kings
against the pretensions of that court. He at last completed
his work in 1686, by publishing four volumes, which contained the history of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
Jn 1689 he published a work, in the same method, upon
the Old Testament, in six volumes 8vo. In 1678 he published three dissertations: the first concerning the superiority of bishops over presbyters, against Blondel; the
second concerning the celibacy of the clergy, and
reconciling the history of Paphnutius with the canon of the
council of Nice; and the third concerning the Vulgate.
The same year he printed a dissertation concerning sacramental confession, against Mr. Daille“, in 8vo. In 1682
he wrote an apology for his dissertation upon the Vulgate,
against Claudius Frassen. He published likewise about
this time, or some time before, three dissertations in defence of St. Thomas Aquinas; the first against Henschenius and Papebroch, to shew that the office of the holy
sacrament was written by him; the second was in form of
a dialogue between a Dominican and a Franciscan, to con
fute the common opinion that Alexander of Hales was St.
Thomas Aquinas’s master: and that the latter borrowed
his
” Secunda Secundse“from the former: the third is a
panegyric upon Aquinas. In 1693 he published his
” Theologia dogmatica,“in five books, or
” Positive and
Moral Divinity, according to the order of the catechism
of the council of Trent.“This Latin work, consisting of
ten octavo volumes, was printed at Paris and at Venice in
1698; in 1701 he added another volume; and they were
all printed together at Paris, in two volumes folio, in 1703,
with a collection of Latin letters, which had been printed
separately. In 1703 he published tf A commentary upon
the four Gospels,
” in folio; and in Statuta facultatis artium Thomistiæe collegio
Parisiensi fratrum prsedicatorum instituta,
” Paris, Institutio concionatorum tripartita, seu praecepta et regula ad praedicatores informandos, cum ideis
seu rudimentis concionum per totum annum.
” 3. “Abre‘ge’
de la foy et de la morale de l‘eglise, tiree de l’ecriture
sainte,
” Paris, Eclaircissement des
prétendues difficultés proposeés a mons. l'archevêque de
Rouen, sur plusieurs points importans de la morale de
Jesus Christ,
” A Letter to a Doctor
of Sorbonne, upon the dispute concerning Probability,
and the Errors of a Thesis in Divinity maintained by the
Jesuits in their college at Lyons, the 26th of August,
”
printed at Mons, A second letter upon
the same subject,
” An apology for the
Dominican Missionaries in China, or an Answer to a book
of father Tellier the Jesuit, entitled a Defence of the new
Christians; and to an Explanation published by father
Gobien, of the same society, concerning the honours which
the Chinese pay to Confucius and to the dead,
” printed at
Cologn, 1699, 12mo. 8. “Documenta controversiarum
missionariorum apostolicorum imperii Sinici de cultu praejiertim Confueii philosophi et progenitoruin defunctorum
spectantia, ac apologiam Dominica norum missiones Sinicae
ministrorum adversus Hr. Pp. le Tellier et le Gobien societatis Jesu confirmantia.
” 9. “A Treatise on the conformity between the Chinese ceremonies and the Greek
and Roman idolatry, in order to confirm the apology of
the Dominican Missionaries in China,
”
learned Arabian, a native of Bassorah. He wrote upon Astrology; and his work upon optics was printed in Latin, at Basil, in 1572, under the title of “Opticae Thesaurus,”
, Allacen, or Abdilazum, was a
learned Arabian, a native of Bassorah. He wrote upon
Astrology; and his work upon optics was printed in Latin,
at Basil, in 1572, under the title of “Opticae Thesaurus,
”
by Risner. Alhazen was the first who shewed the importance of refractions in astronomy, so little known to the
ancients. He is also the first author who has treated on
the twilight, upon which he wrote a work, and takes occasion to speak also of the height of the clouds. He first,
however, distinguished himself as a projector. He boasted
frequently that he could construct a machine to prevent
the inundations of the Nile. This being reported to the
caliph, he offered him presents, workmen, and every species
of encouragement; but Alhazen, having soon discovered
the impossibility of accomplishing his scheme, and dreadinothe anger of the caliph, put on a feigned madness, which
he continued as long as the caliph lived. The rest of his
life he spent, in writing, or in copying books, which he
sold. He died at Cairo in 1038. Casiri, in his Bibl. Arab.
Hisp. gives a long catalogue of his works, some of which
are in the Bodleian, and some in the library of Leyden.
The work above mentioned, edited by Risner, is supposed
to have been of service to Kepler.
rinted among the works of Mr. Richard Allein. He left also, imperfect, a “Body of Natural Theology,” in Latin. One section, “De Providentia,” was prepared for the press
His principal works are, 1. “A familiar Explanation of
the Assembly’s Catechism,
” 8vo, A call to
Archippus,
” An Alarm tothe unconverted,
” A sure Guide to Heaven;
” but
the original title was resumed, and it has been reprinted
oftener, even to this day, than almost any book of the kind.
4. “Christian Letters,
” Cases of Conscience,
” Remains, being a Collection of sundry Directions, Sermons, &c.
” Body of Natural Theology,
” in Latin. One section, “De Providentia,
” was prepared for the press and licensed; but, according to Wood (who, it may here be noticed, gives a very unfavourable account of our author), was never printed,
for want of encouragement.
alogue of them, bearing date 1622, among Anthony Wood’s papers in the Ashmolean museum. He published in Latin the second and third books of Ptolemy, “concerning the
, an eminent mathematician of the
sixteenth century, was born at Uttoxeter in Staffordshire,
Dec. 21, 1542, and was a descendant, through six generations, of Henry Allen, or Alan, lord of the manor of
Buckenhall in that county. He was admitted scholar of
Trinity college, Oxford, June 4, 1561, became fellow in
1565, and in 1567, took his master’s degree. From a
strong inclination to a retired life, and a dislike to entering
into holy orders, to which, according to the statutes, he
ftmst have been called, he quitted the college, resigned his
fellowship, and went to Gloucester-hall (now Worcester college), in 1570. Here he studied very closely, and acquired
a high reputation for his knowledge in antiquity, philosophy, and mathematics. Having received an invitation from
Henry earl of Northumberland, a great friend and patron
of the mathematicians, he spent some time at the earl’s
house, where he became acquainted with those celebrated
mathematicians Thomas Harriot, John Dee, Walter Warner, and Nathanael Torporley. Robert earl of Leicester
had a particular esteem for Mr. Allen, and would have conferred a bishopric upon him, but his love of solitude and
retirement made him decline the offer. He was also highly
respected by other celebrated contemporaries, sir Thomas
Bodley, sir Henry Savile, Mr. Camden, sir Robert Cotton,
sir Henry Spelman, Mr. Selden, &c. His great skill in
the mathematics made the ignorant and vulgar look upon
him as a magician or conjuror: and the author of a book,
intituled “Leicester’s Commonwealth,
” has absurdly accused him of using the art of figuring, to bring about the
earl of Leicester’s schemes, and endeavouring, by the
black art, to effect a match betwixt him and queen Elizabeth. It is more certain the earl placed such confidence in
Allen, that nothing material in the state was transacted
without his knowledge, and he had constant information,
by letter from Allen, of what passed in the university.
Allen was very curious and indefatigable in collecting scattered manuscripts relating to history, antiquity, astronomy,
philosophy, and mathematics, which collections have been
quoted by several learned authors, &c. There is a catalogue of them, bearing date 1622, among Anthony Wood’s
papers in the Ashmolean museum. He published in Latin
the second and third books of Ptolemy, “concerning the
Judgment of the Stars,
” or, as it is commonly called, of
the quadripartite construction, with an exposition. He
wrote also notes on many of Lilly’s books, and some on
John Bale’s work, “De scriptoribus Maj. Britanniae.
”
Having lived to a great age, he died at Gloucester-hall, Sept.
30, 1632, and was buried with a solemnity suited to the
greatness of his character. He bequeathed a valuable portrait of himself, which has since been engraven, to the
president of Trinity college and his successors. Mr. Burton, the author of his funeral oration, calls him not only
the Coryphaeus, but the very soul and sun of all the mathematicians of his time. Mr. Selden mentions him as “omni
eruditionis genere summoque judicio ornatissimus, cele-
”
berrimae academies Oxoniensis dec us insignissimum; a
person of the most extensive learning and consummate
judgment, the brightest ornament of the university of Oxford.“Camden says, he was
” Plurimis optimisque artibus Ornatissimus; skilled in most of the best arts and sciences.“Mr. Wood has transcribed part of his character
from a manuscript in the library of Trinity college, in these
words:
” He studied polite literature with great application; he was strictly tenacious of academic discipline, always highly esteemed both by foreigners and those of the
university, and by all of the highest stations in the church
of England and the university of Oxford. He was a sagacious observer, and an agreeable companion.
on of the Bible undertaken by command of queen Elizabeth. Three epistles of Alley to Matthew Parker, in Latin, are preserved among the Mss. of Corpus Christi college,
, bishop of Exeter in
the reign of queen Elizabeth, was born at Great Wycomb
in Buckinghamshire, and educated at Eton school. In
1528 he went from thence to King’s college, Cambridge,
where he took a bachelor’s degree, but removed to Oxford,
and spent some time in the academical studies of that unitersity. He afterwards married, was presented to a living,
and became a zealous reformer. On queen Mary’s accession he left his cure, and retired into the north of Epgland, where he maintained himself by keeping a school
and practising physic. On queen Elizabeth’s accession,
when he could avow his principles with safety, he went to
London, and was appointed to read the divinity lecture at
St. Paul’s, in which he acquired great reputation; and in
July 1560, was consecrated bishop of Exeter. He was
not created doctor of divinity until November 1561. He
died April 15, 1570, and was buried at Exeter. He wrote,
I. “The Poor Man’s Library,
” 2 vols. folio, 1571. These
volumes contain his twelve lectures at St. Paul’s, on the
first epistle of St. Peter. 2. “A Hebrew Grammar,
” but
it is uncertain whether it was ever published. He translated
the Pentateuch in the version of the Bible undertaken by
command of queen Elizabeth. Three epistles of Alley to
Matthew Parker, in Latin, are preserved among the Mss.
of Corpus Christi college, Cambridge. His “Judgment
concerning the Doctrine and Discipline of the Church
” is in
Strype’s Annals. Wood and Godwin agree in placing
b shop Alley’s death in 1570; but Tanner says, that it
was on April 15, 1571, and Fuller carries it down so low
as 1576. He left a son, Roger Alley, who was archdeacon of Cornwall; and his great grandson, the rev. Peter
Alley, died so lately as August 1763, at the very
extraordinary age of one hundred and ten years and two months.
He was for seventy-three years rector of Donamow, in
Queen’s County, Dublin, and served his own cure till
within a few days of his death.
his epitome of our history from Brutus to Henry I. is esteemed a valuable performance; it is written in Latin, in a concise and elegant style, with great perspicuity,
, Alvredus, or Aluredus, an ancient English historian, was born at Beverley in Yorkshire, and received his education at Cambridge. He returned afterwards to the place of his nativity, where he became a secular priest, one of the canons, and treasurer to the church of
St. John, at Beverley. Tanner, in a note, informs us, that
he travelled for improvement through France and Italy,
and that at Rome he became domestic chaplain to cardinal
Othoboni. According to Bale and Pits, he flourished under
king Stephen, and continued his annals to the year 1136.
Vossius is supposed to come nearer the truth, who tells us
that he flourished in the reign of Henry I. and died in 1126,
in which same year ended his annals. His history, however, agrees with none of these authors, and it seems probable from thence that he died in 1128 or 1129. He intended at first no more than an abridgment of the history
of the ancient Britons; but a desire of pursuing the thread
of his story led him to add the Saxon, and then the Norman history, and at length he brought it down to his own
times. This epitome of our history from Brutus to Henry I.
is esteemed a valuable performance; it is written in Latin,
in a concise and elegant style, with great perspicuity, and
a strict attention to dates and authorities: the author has
been not improperly styled our English Florus, his plan
and execution very much resembling that of the Roman
historian. It is somewhat surprising that Leland has not
given him a place amongst the British writers: the reason
seems to have been that Leland, through a mistake, considers him only as the author of an abridgment of Geoffrey
of Mou mouth’s history but most of the ancient writers
having placed Geoffrey’s history later in point of time than
that of Alredus, we have reason to conclude that Alredus
composed his compendium before he ever saw the history
of Geoffrey, We have also the authority of John Withamsted, an ancient writer of the fifteenth century, who,
speaking of our author, says, that he wrote a chronicle of
what happened from the settlement of Brutus to the time
of the Normans, in which he also treated of the cities anciently founded in this kingdom, and mentioned the names
by which London, Canterbury, and York were called in old
times, when the Britons inhabited them; and this testimony agrees with the book, as we now have it. Some other
pieces have been ascribed to Alredus; but this history,
and that of St. John of Beverley, seem to have been all that
he wrote. This last performance was never printed, but it
is to be found in the Cotton library; though not set down
in the catalogues, as being contained in a volume of tracts:
it is entitled “Libertates ecclesias S. Johannis de Beverlik, cum privilegiis apostolicis et episcopahbus, quas magister Alueredus sacrista ejusdein ecclesiao de Anglico in
Latinum transtulit: in hoc tractatulo dantur carta3 Saxonicsc
R. R. Adelstani, Eadwardi Confessoris, et Willelmi, quas
fecerunt eidem ccclesiae, sed imperito exscriptore mendose
scriptas. The liberties of the church of St. John of Beverley, with the privileges granted by the apostolic see,
or by bishops, translated out of Saxon into Latin, by master
Alured, sacrist of the said church. In this treatise are
contained the Saxon charters of the kings Adelstan, Edward the Confessor, and William the Conqueror, granted
by them to this church; but, through want of skill in the
transcriber, full of mistakes.
” Mr. Hearne published an
edition of Alredus’s annals of the British History, at Oxford, in 1716, with a preface of his own. This was taken,
from a manuscript belonging to Thomas Rawlinson, esq.
which Hearne says is the only one he ever saw.
ll acquainted with polite literature; and for many years applied himself to the instruction of youth in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, He died at the college of Evora on
, a celebrated Portuguese grammarian, was born in the island of Madeira on the 4th of
June 1526. Having entered into the society of the Jesuits,
he distinguished himself by his probity and his prudence,
and became rector of the colleges of Coimbra, Evora, and
Lisbon. He was well acquainted with polite literature;
and for many years applied himself to the instruction of
youth in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, He died at the college of Evora on the 30th of December 1582. His Latin
grammar is much esteemed; it is entitled, “De Institudone Grammatica,
” and has had many editions; the first,
Lisbon, Demensuris,
ponderibus ct numeris,
” is in less esteem.
critics have united them under the flattering title of “Musarum Deliciæ.” Besides the poems written in Latin, others by Giovanni Battista occur in his native language,
The poetical talents of Joannes or Giovanni Battista,
the second brother, were not inferior to those of Hieronymus. We remark in his compositions equal harmony,
combined with equal spirit; and critics have united them
under the flattering title of “Musarum Deliciæ.
” Besides the poems written in Latin, others by Giovanni Battista occur in his native language, which rank him among
the best Italian poets. Some unfinished pieces of his are
said to have been discovered at Rome, in the library of cardinal Ottoboni. Eminently distinguished for his accurate
knowledge of the Greek and Latin languages, he passed
the greater part of his life at the court of Rome, and stood
high in the favour of three successive pontiffs. He discharged the office of secretary to the cardinals who were
deputed to the council of Trent. We have his own evidence to prove that he was thus enabled to attain, if not to
the most splendid and imposing affluence, at least to that
moderate degree of it, which, combined with temperance
and integrity, conduces most to real happiness. He died
at Rome at the early age of forty-seven years.
in 1584. He translated two fragments of Polybius, Bologna, 1543, and wrote a history of his own time in Latin, which has not been published.
, the son of Gregory Amaseo, Latin professor at Venice, was one of the most celebrated
Italian scholars of the sixteenth century. He was born at
Udina in 1489, and educated at first by his father and
uncle, but finished his studies at Padua, and in 1508 had
begun to teach the belles lettres there, when the war, occasioned by the league at Cambray, obliged him to leave
the place. He then went to Bologna, continued to teach,
and married, and had children, and was so much respected
that the city admitted him as a citizen, an honour which
his ancestors had also enjoyed. In 1530, he was appointed
first secretary to the senate, and was chosen by pope Clement VII. to pronounce before him and Charles V. a Latin
harangue on the subject of the peace concluded at Bologna between the two sovereigns. This he accordingly
performed, with great applause, in the church of St. Petrona, before a numerous audience of the first rank. He
continued to teach at Bologna, with increasing popularity,
until 1543, when he was invited to Rome by pope Paul III.
and his nephew cardinal Alexander Farnese. The pope employed him in many political missions to the court of the
emperor, those of the German princes, and that of the king
of Poland; and in 1550, after the death of his wife, pope
Julius III. appointed him secretary of the briefs, a place
which he did not long enjoy, as he died in 1552. He wrote
Latin translations of “Xenophon’s Cyrus,
” Bologna, Pausanias,
” Rome, Orationes,
” consisting of eighteen Latin speeches
on various occasions, Bonon. 1580, 4to. His contemporaries bestow the highest praises on his learning and
eloAlienee. His son Pompilio had perhaps less reputation,
but he too distinguished himself as Greek professor at Bologna, where he died in 1584. He translated two fragments of Polybius, Bologna, 1543, and wrote a history of
his own time in Latin, which has not been published.
ly sanctioned by the pope. After having been employed by Leo X. for two years in giving instructions in Latin to the subdeacon Elias, a legate from Syria to the council,
, a learned
Italian orientalist, was born in 1469, a descendant of the
noble family of the counts of Albanese. At fifteen months
he is said to have spoken his native language with facility,
and at fifteen years, to have spoken and written Greek and
Latin with a promptitude equal to the best scholars of his
time. He entered young into the order of regular canons
of St. John of Lateran, but did not come to Rome until
1512, at the opening of the fifth session of the Lateran
council. The great number of ecclesiastics from Syria,
Ethiopia, and other parts of the East, who attended that
council, afforded him an opportunity of prosecuting his
studies with advantage: and at the request of the cardinal
Santa Croce, he was employed as the person best qualified
to translate from the Chaldean into Latin the liturgy of
the eastern clergy, previously to the use of it being expressly sanctioned by the pope. After having been employed by Leo X. for two years in giving instructions in
Latin to the subdeacon Elias, a legate from Syria to the
council, whom the pope wished to retain in his court, and
from whom Ambrogio received in return instructions in the
Syrian tongue, he was appointed by the pontiff to a professor’s chair in the university of Bologna, where he delivered instructions in the Syriac and Chaldaic languages
for the first time that they had been publicly taught in Italy.
He is said to have understood no less than eighteen languages, many of which he spoke with the ease and fluency
of a native; but from the letter quoted by Mazzuchelli, it
appears more probable that he was master of at least ten
languages, and understood many others partially. In the
commotions which devastated Italy after the death of Leo X.
he was despoiled in 1527 of the numerous and valuable
eastern manuscripts, Chaldean, Hebrew, and Greek, which
he had collected by the industry of many years, and of the
types and apparatus which he had prepared for an edition
of the Psalter in the Chaldean, accompanied with a dissertation on that language. He afterwards, however, came
to Venice, in the prosecution of this object; and, in 15.39,
published at Pavia, his “Introduction to the Chaldean,
Syrian, Armenian, and ten other tongues, with the alphabetical characters of about forty different languages,
” 4to,
which is considered by the Italians themselves as the
earliest attempt made in Italy towards a systematic acquaintance with the literature of the East. He died the
year following.
the church-yard of St. Georo-e in the East, in a stone coffin, on the lid of which is an inscription in Latin by the rev. Dr. Flexman; and over the grave was placed
Mr. Ames died suddenly of a fit of coughing, Oct. 7, 1759, and on the 14th was interred in the church-yard of St. Georo-e in the East, in a stone coffin, on the lid of which is an inscription in Latin by the rev. Dr. Flexman; and over the grave was placed a ledger-stone with two inscriptions, one in English, the other in Latin. His collection of coins, natural curiosities, inscriptions, and antiquities, were sold by Mr. Langford, Feb. 20 and 2 1, 1760: his library of books, manuscripts and prints, on May 5 12, 1160. Many of the books had notes by him, and Mr. Gough has enumerated many valuable articles among his collection, with the buyers’ names.
, A. D. 353. His style is rough, which is not perhaps extraordinary in a soldier and a Greek writing in Latin, but there are many splendid passages, and he is allowed
, a Roman historian of the
fourth century, was a Greek by birth, as we may collect
from several passages in his history; and from a letter
which the sophist Libanius wrote to him, and which is still
extant, he appears to have been born at Antioch. In his
youth he followed the profession of arms, and was enrolled
among the “protectores domestici
” a species of guards
consisting of young men of family. From the year 350 to
359, he served in the East, and in Gaul, under Urficinus,
master of the horse to Constantius. In the year 363, he
was with Julian in his Persian expedition, after which he
seems to have continued in the East, and to have lived generally at Antioch. In the year 374, however, he left Antioch, and went to Rome, where he wrote his history of the
Roman affairs from Nerva to the death of Valens in the
year 378. This consisted of thirty-one books, but the last
eighteen only remain, which begin at the seventeenth year
of Constantius, A. D. 353. His style is rough, which is
not perhaps extraordinary in a soldier and a Greek writing in Latin, but there are many splendid passages, and he is
allowed to be faithful and impartial. From the candid manner
in which he speaks of Christianity, some have thought him
a Christian, but there being no other foundation for such a
supposition, the question has been generally decided in the
negative, especially in the preface to Valesius’s edition of
his works, and in his life in the General Dictionary by
Bayle. Lardner is of opinion, that as he wrote under
Christian emperors, he might not judge it proper to profess his religion unseasonably, and might think fit to be
somewhat cautious in his reflections upon Christianity.
Mosheim thinks that Ammianus, and some other learned
men of his time, were a sort of neuters, neither forsaking
the religion of their ancestors, nor rejecting that of the
Christians; but in this Dr. Lardner cannot coincide. It is
evident that he defended idols and the worshippers of them,
that he makes Julian the apostate his hero, and appears to
be unfriendly to Constantius. It is generally allowed,
however, that he deserves the character which he gives of
himself at the conclusion of his work, that of a faithful
historian. Lardner has quoted some important passages
from him, in his “Testimonies of Ancient Heathens.
”
His death is supposed to have taken place about the year
390.
e works, of which, except the first, we have not been able to recover the exact titles, were written in Latin. Amort died Nov. 25, 1775, at the age of eightytwo.
, a canon regular of the order of
St. Augustine, distinguished himself in Bavaria by the
mimher and value of his writings, although many of them are
on subjects that will not now be thought interesting. He
was esteemed a wise and modest man, but rather singular
in some points. He published, among other works, “Philosophia Pollingana,
” Augsburg, A theological history of Indulgences,
” fol.; a
supplement to “Pontas’s Dictionary of cases of Con-science;
” “Rules from holy scripture, councils, and the
fathers, respecting revelations, apparitions, and visions,
”
2 vols. 1744, 4to; “A dissertation on the author of The
Imitation of Jesus Christ, usually attributed to Thomas a
Kempis.
” All these works, of which, except the first, we
have not been able to recover the exact titles, were written
in Latin. Amort died Nov. 25, 1775, at the age of eightytwo.
basement of Reason, “De Pelevation de la foi, &c.” appeared in 1641; and the same year was published in Latin the “Defence of Calvin with regard to the doctrine of
Amyraut was a man of such charity and compassion, that
he bestowed on the poor his whole salary during the last
ten years of his life, without distinction of 'saffholic or protestant. He died the 8th of February 1664, and was interred with the usual ceremonies of the academy. He left
but one son, who was one of the ablest advocates of the
parliament of Paris, but fled to the Hague after the revocation of the edict of Nantes: he had also a daughter, who
died in 1645, a year and a half after she had been married.
His works are chiefly theological, and very voluminous;
but, notwithstanding his fame, few of them were printed a
second time, and they are now therefore scarce, and perhaps we may add, not in much request. He published in
1631 his “Traite des Religions,
” against those who think
all religions indifferent, and five years after, six “Sermons
upon the nature, extent, &c. of the Gospel,
” and several
others at different times. His book of the exaltation of
Faith, and abasement of Reason, “De Pelevation de la foi,
&c.
” appeared in Defence of Calvin with regard to the doctrine of absolute reprobation,
” which in Paraphrase on the Scripture
” in
Apology for the Protestants,
” “A treatise
of Free Will,
” and another “De Secessione ab Ecclesia
Romana, deque pace inter Evangelicos in negotio Religionis constituenda.
” But he treated this subject of the
re-union of the Calvinists and Lutherans more at length in
his “Irenicon
” published in Vocation of Pastors
” appeared in Morale Chre-=
tienne,
” in six vols. 8vo, the first of which was printed in
1652, were owing to the frequent conferences he had with
Mr. de Villornoul, a gentleman of an extraordinary merit,
and one of the most learned men of Europe, who was heir
in this respect also to Mr. du Plessis Mornai his grandfather
by the mother’s side. He published also a treatise of
dreams, “Traité des Songes;
” two volumes upon “the
Millenium,
” wherein he refutes an advocate of Paris, called
Mr. de Launoi, who was a zealous Millenarian; the “Life
of the brave la None, surnamed Iron-arm,
” from The Apology
of St. Stephen to his Judges.
” This piece was attacked
by the missionaries, who asserted that the author had spoke
irreverently of the sacrament of the altar; but he published
a pamphlet in which he defended himself with great ability.
a, lived about the end of the sixteenth century. He wrote a book of geography in Italian; and a work in Latin, entitled “De natura Daemonum,” which was printed at Venice
, a native of Taverna in
Calabria, lived about the end of the sixteenth century.
He wrote a book of geography in Italian; and a work in
Latin, entitled “De natura Daemonum,
” which was printed at Venice in Cosmographia, overo P universal* Fabrica del Mondo,
” and was published at Venice in
riched with fac similes of charters, &c. beautifully engraven by Sturt, and a very elaborate preface in Latin from the classical pen of Thomas Ruddiman, A. M. The copper
During his inspection of the records and archives necessary to be consulted for his work, he was induced by a curiosity which is not yet satiated in his countrymen, to examine
what he happened to meet with respecting the conduct and
character of the beautiful and unfortunate Mary queen of
Scotland. But, without engaging on either side in this
contested part of history, he contented himself with publisping what might be serviceable to others, “Collections
relating to the history of Mary, queen of Scotland,
” 4 vols.
4to, Edinb. 1727. He had then very nearly finished, and
meant soon to have published, the diplomatic work recommended by parliament, when he was prevented by a stroke
of apoplexy, of which he died, April 3, 1728. The work,
however, was at length given to the publick in 1739, under
the title of “Selectus Diplomatum et Numismatum Scotiæ
Thesaurus,
” a most splendid folio volume, enriched with
fac similes of charters, &c. beautifully engraven by Sturt,
and a very elaborate preface in Latin from the classical
pen of Thomas Ruddiman, A. M. The copper plates were
sold by auction, Dec. 4, 1729, for the sum of 530l. but
the price of the book, originally four guineas the common
paper, and six guineas the fine, is now raised to more than
double.
rman. At a time when that language had received very little cultivation, when most learned men wrote in Latin, and when the idiom of the country was only to be heard
The works of Andreas are said to amount to a hundred,
the titles of part of which are given by Adelung, and the
whole by M. Burk, pastor of Weiltingen, and printed in a
pamphlet at Tubingen, in 1793, 8vo. Some of the principal are, 1. “De Christiani Cosmoxeni genitura judicium,
” Montbelliard, Collectaneorum mathematicorum decades XL
” Tubingen, 1614, 4to. 3. “Invitatio ad fraternitatem Christi,
”
Rosa fiorescens, contra
Menapii calumnias,
” Menippus: Dialogorum
Satyricorum centuria inanitum nostratium speculum,
”
Helicone juxta Parnassum, Civis
Christianas, sive Peregrini quondam errantis restitutiones,
”
Strasburgb, My thologiae Christiana?, sive
virtutum et vitiorum vitae humanae imaginum, libri tres,
”
Strasburgh, Republican Christiano-politanae descriptio; Turris Babel; Judiciorum de fraternitate
Rosacece Crucis chaos; Christiana societatis idea;
” published together at Strasburgh, 1619, 12mo. They contain
very evident proofs of his design to establish a secret society. It is impossible not to perceive that he is always
aiming at something of the kind, and this, with some other
works attributed to him, seem to confirm the opinion of
Messrs. Buhle and Murr. Some also appeal to his frequent travels, as having no other object. Whatever may
be in this, Andreas is allowed a very high rank among the
writers of German. At a time when that language had received very little cultivation, when most learned men wrote
in Latin, and when the idiom of the country was only to
be heard in familiar conversation, he gave his verses, for
he was likewise a poet, a particular ease and grace. They
are not perhaps remarkable for elegance, correctness, or
harmony, but they frequently discover a poetical fancy,
and a very happy use of the dialect of Suabia.
eus, a divine of Paris, published comments upon them. Andrelini wrote also several poetical distichs in Latin, which were printed with a commentary by Josse Badius
, or Publius Faustus Andrelinus, a modern Latin poet, was born at Forli, in
Romagnia, about the middle of the fifteenth century.
Having composed in his youth, at Rome, four books of
poetry under the name of “Amours,
” he was honoured
with the poetic crown; in
The poems of Andrelini, which are chiefly in Latin, are inserted in the first tome of the “Deliciæ poetarum
The poems of Andrelini, which are chiefly in Latin,
are inserted in the first tome of the “Deliciæ poetarum
Italorum.
” Mr. de la Monnoie tells us, that his love-verses, divided into four books, entitled “Livia,
” from the
name of his mistress, were esteemed so fine by the Roman
academy, that they adjudged the prize of the Latin elegy
to the author.—It is upon this account, that when he printed
his Livia, in quarto, at Paris, in 1490, and his three books
of Elegies four years after, in the same city, he took
upon him the title of poet-laureat, to which he added that
of “poeta regius et regineus,
” as he was poet to Charles
VIII. Lewis XII. and queen Anne IV. The distichs of
Faustus (continues the same author) are not above two
hundred) and consequently but a very small part of his
poems, since, besides the four books of Love, and three
books of Miscellaneous Elegies, there are twelve Eclogues
of his printed in octavo, in 1549, in the collection of thirtyeight Bucolic Poets, published by Oporinus. The death
of Andrelini is placed under the year 1518. The letters
which he wrote in proverbs have been thought worth a new
edition at Helmstadt in 1662, according to that of Cologn
of 1509. The manner of life of this author was not very
exemplary; yet he was so fortunate, says Erasmus, that
though he took the liberty of rallying the divines, he was
never brought into trouble about it.
nd the college itself was shut up the next day by order of the city. Aneau wrote a great many verses in Latin and Greek, and other works; the principal of which are,
, a man
of eminent learning in the sixteenth, century, was born at
Bourges in France, and educated under Melchior Volmar,
a very able instructor of youth. He made great advances
under him in polite literature, and imbibed the principles
of the protestant religion, which Volmar professed, and
Aneau afterwards embraced. The great reputation which
he soon gained by his skill in the Latin and Greek languages and poetry, induced some of the magistrates of
Lyons, who were his countrymen, to offer him a professorship in rhetoric in the college which they were going to
erect in that city. Aneau accepted this offer with pleasure,
and went thither to take possession of his place, which he
kept above thirty years till his death. He discharged his
professorship with such applause, that, in 1542, he was
chosen principal of the college. In this situation he propagated the doctrines of the reformation among his scholars,
which was done secretly for a long time, and either was not
perceived, or was overlooked; but an accident which happened on the festival of the sacrament in 1565, put a
period to all his attempts in favour of protestantism by a
very fatal catastrophe. Upon that day, 21st of June, as
the procession was passing on towards the college, there
was a large stone thrown from one of the windows upon the
host and the priest who carried it. Whether Aneau was
the author of this insult or not, is not certain, but the
people, being enraged at it, broke into the college in a
ody, and assassinated him as the guilty person, and the
college itself was shut up the next day by order of the city.
Aneau wrote a great many verses in Latin and Greek,
and other works; the principal of which are, 1. “Chant Natal,
” containing the mystery of the nativity, Lyons, Genethliac musical et historical de la Conception et Nativite de J.C.
” 2. “Lyon
marchand,
” a French satire, or drama of the historical
kind, 1542, 4to. 3. “Alciati’s emblems translated,
” Lyons,
Picta poesis,
” Leyden, Utopia,
” Paris
and Lyons. 6. “Alector; ou le Coq,
” a fabulous history,
pretendedly from a Greek fragment, Lyons, 1560.
There is also by him, “Gazophylacium linguee Persarum,” Amst. 1684, fol. He there explains the terms in Latin, in French, and in Italian, in order that his book may
, a barefoot carmelite
of Toulouse, whose real name was La Brosse, lived a long
while in Persia in quality of apostolic missionary: the liberty he enjoyed in that country, gave him an opportunity
to acquire the language. He was also provincial of his
order in Languedoc, and died at Perpignan in 1697. The
knowledge he had acquired in the East, induced him to
undertake a Latin translation of the Persian Pharmacopoeia,
which appeared at Paris in 1681, 8vo. There is also by
him, “Gazophylacium linguee Persarum,
” Amst. Castigatio in
Angelum a St. Joseph, alias dictum de la Brosse.
” The
reason of this castigation was, that La Brosse had attacked
the Persian gospels in the English Polyglot, and the Latin
version of them by Dr. Samuel Clarke. Dr. Hyde immediately wrote a letter to him, in which he expostulated with
him, and pointed out his mistakes, but received no answer.
At length, in 1688, La Brosse came over to England, went
to Oxford, and procured an introduction to Dr. Hyde,
without letting him know who he was, although he afterwards owned his name to be La Buosse, and that he came
over to justify what he had advanced. After a short dispute, which he carried on in Latin, he began to speak the
Persian language, in which he was surprised to find Dr.
Hyde more fluent than himself. Finding, however, that
he could not defend what he had asserted, he took his leave
with a promise to return, and either defend it, or acknowledge his error; but, as he performed neither, Dr. Hyde
published the “Castigatio.
” Iti this he first states La
Brosse’s objections, then shews them to be weak and trifling,
and arising from his ignorance of the true idiom of the Persian tongue. As to his “Pharmacopoeia,
” Hyde proves
that it was really translated by father Mattmeu, whose
name La Brosse suppressed, and yet had not the courage
to place his own, unless in Persian characters, on the title.
This appears to have sunk his reputation very considerably
in France.
and Latin poet, was born in 1517, at Barga in Tuscany, and thence surnamed, in Italian, Bargeo, and in Latin, Bargæus. He received his early education under an uncle,
, an eminent Italian scholar and Latin poet, was born in 1517, at Barga in Tuscany, and thence surnamed, in Italian, Bargeo, and in Latin, Bargæus. He received his early education under an uncle, an able linguist, and was made acquainted with Greek and Latin when only ten years old. It was at first intended that he should study law at Bologna, but his taste for literature was decided, and when he found that his uncles would not maintain him there, if he continued to study the belles lettres, he sold his law books, and subsisted on what they produced, until a rich Bolognese, of the family of Pepoli, offered to defray the expence of his education. His poetical turn soon appeared, and while at the university, he formed the plan of his celebrated poem on the chase, but having written som satirical verses at the request of a noble lady, with whom he was in lov, he dreaded the consequences of being known as the author, and quitted Bologna. At Venice, whither he now repaired., he found an asylum with the French ambassador, who entertained him in his house for three years, and employed him to correct the Greek manuscripts, which Francis I. had ordered to be copied for the royal library at Paris. He afterwards accompanied another French ambassador to Constantinople, and with him made the tour of all the places in Asia Minor and Greece that are noticed in the works of the classics. In 1543 he was on board the fleet sent by the grand seignior to the environs of Nice, against the emperor, and commanded by the famous Barbarossa; and he was with the above ambassador at the siege of Nice by the French. After encountering other hardships of war, and fighting a duel, for which he was obliged to fly, he found means to return to Tuscany. At Florence he was attacked with a tertian ague, and thinking he could enjoy health and repose at Milan, to which place Aiphonso Davalos had invited him, he was preparing to set out, when he received news of the death of that illustrious Maecenas.
Angelio’s published works are, 1. Three “Funeral Orations,” in Latin, one on Henry II. of Frtmce, read at Florence in 1559,
Angelio’s published works are, 1. Three “Funeral
Orations,
” in Latin, one on Henry II. of Frtmce, read at
Florence in 1559, the second on the grand duke Cosmo, at
Pisa in 1574, and the third on the grand duke Ferdinand,
his liberal patron, at Florence, 1587. 2. “De ordine legendi scriptores Historise Romanae,
” twice printed separately, and inserted in Grotius “De studiis instituendis.
”
3. “Poemata varia, diligenter ab ipso recognita,
” Rome,
Cynegeticon,
” or the
Chase, in six books; and the “Syrias,
” in twelve books,
on the same subject as Tasso’s “Jerusalem delivered.
”
4. “De privatorum publicorumque urbis Romae eversoribus epistola,
” Florence, Thesaurus antiquitatum Romanarum.
”
5. “Poesie Toscane,
” published with a translation of the
CEdipus of Sophocles, Florence, 1589, 8vo. 6. Letters in
Latin and Italian in various collections. 7. “Memoirs of
his life,
” written by himself, and published by Salvini in
the “Fasti Consolari
” of the academy of Florence, and
abridged in the present article.
n of Italy, written by father Poisson, gives a numerous list of his publications, some of which were in Latin, and some in Italian. We have only seen his “Miscellaneum
, an Italian mathematician,
was educated under Bonaventure Cavalieri, the most eminent Italian scholar in that science in the seventeenth century. He was at first a Jesuit, but that order being
suppressed in 1668, he applied closely to the study of mathematics, and taught at Padua with great success, publishing various works, and carrying on a controversy on the
opinions of Copernicus with Riccioli and others. Moreri,
from a manuscript account of the learned men of Italy,
written by father Poisson, gives a numerous list of his
publications, some of which were in Latin, and some in
Italian. We have only seen his “Miscellaneum hyperbolicum et parabolicum,
” Venice, Delia
gravita dell' Aria e Fluidi, Dialogi V.
” Padua, Considerazioni sopra la forza d'alcune cagioni fisiche matematiche addote dal Pad. Riccioli, &c.
” Venice,
, in Latin Angelutius, an Italian poet and physician, who flourished
, in Latin Angelutius, an
Italian poet and physician, who flourished about the end
of the sixteenth century, was born at Belforte, a castle
near Tolentino, in the march of Ancona. He was a physician by profession, and, on account of his successful
practice, was chosen a citizen of Trevisa, and some other
towns. He acquired also considerable reputation by a literary controversy with Francis Patrizi, respecting Aristotle.
Some writers inform us that he had been one of the professors of Padua, but Riccoboni, Tomasini, and Papadopoli,
the historians of that university, make no mention of him.
We learn from himself, in one of his dedications, that he
resided for some time at Rome, and that in 1593 he was at
Venice, an exile from his country, and in great distress, but
he says nothing of a residence in France, where, if according to some, he had been educated, we cannot suppose he
would have omitted so remarkable a circumstance in his
history. He was a member of the academy of Venice, and
died in 1600, at Montagnana, where he was the principal
physician, and from which his corpse was brought for interment at Trevisa. He is the author of, 1. “Sententia
quod Metaphygica sit eadem que Physica,
” Venice, Exercitationum cum Patricio liber,
” Ve
nice, Ars Medica, ex Hippocratis et Galeni thesauris potissimum deprompta,
” Venice, De natura et curatione malignae Febris,
” Venice,
Bactria, quibus rudens quidam ac falsus criminator valide repercutitur.
” 5. “Deus, canzone
spirituale di Celio magno, &c. con due Lezioni di T. Angelucci,
” Venice, Capitolo in lode clella
pazzia,
” inserted by Garzoni, to whom it was addressed
in his hospital of fools, “Ospitale de pazzi,
” Venice, Eneide di Virgilio, tradotto in verso sciolto,
” Naples,
Italian poet of the sixteenth century, of whose history we have no particulars. His poems, which are in Latin, were printed for the first time at Naples, 1520, 8vo,
, was an Italian poet of the
sixteenth century, of whose history we have no particulars.
His poems, which are in Latin, were printed for the first
time at Naples, 1520, 8vo, under the title of “De obitu
Lydæ; de vero poeta; de Parthenope.
” His Carm. illust. Poet. Italorum.
”
Father Annat wrote several books, some in Latin, which were collected and published in three vols. 4to,
Father Annat wrote several books, some in Latin, which were collected and published in three vols. 4to, Paris, 1666; and others in bad French, mostly upon the disputes between the Jesuits and Jansenists. He died at Paris in 1670.
. fol.; and another of “Consultations,” published at Antwerp in 1671, fol. All his works are written in Latin.
of Antwerp, a very eminent lawyer, died in his 80th year in 1668, and left several works
on civil law, written with method and perspicuity. These
are, “Codex Belgicus,
” Antwerp, Tribunianus Belgicus,
” Brussels, Edicts,
” Consultations,
” published at Antwerp in
elegant memoir of his life, to which the present sketch is highly indebted. His last publication was in Latin, written at Cheltenham, in the summer of 1803, and in
His other publications vrere, “An Elegy on the death of
the marquis of Tavistock,
” The Patriot,
” An Election Ball,
” A C. W. Bampfylde, arm. Epistola,
”
Envy,
” Charity,'
”
re destitute of proof. Dr. Anthony, upon this, published a defence of himself and his Aurum potabile in Latin, written with a plausible display of skill in chemistry,
, a noted empiric and chemist in the latter end of the sixteenth and the
beginning of the seventeenth centuries, was the son of an
eminent goldsmith in the city of London, who had an employment of considerable value in the jewel-office undef
the reign of queen Elizabeth. He was born April 16,
1550; and having been carefully instructed in the first
rudiments of learning while at home, was, about the year
1569, sent to the university of Cambridge, where he studied with great diligence and success, and some time in
the year 1574 took the degree of master of arts. It appears from his own writings, that he applied himself for
many years in that university, to the theory and practice
of chemistry, with sedulous industry. He came up to
London, probably before he attained the age of forty, and
began soon after his arrival to publish to the world the
effects of his chemical studies. In the year 1598, he sent
abroad his first treatise, concerning the excellency of a
medicine drawn from gold; but, not having taken the necessary precautions of applying to the college of physicians for their licence, he was, some time in the year 1600,
summoned before the president and censors. Here he
confessed that he had practised physic in London at least
more than six months, and had cured twenty persons of
several diseases, to whom he had given purging and vomiting physic, and to others, a diaphoretic medicine, prepared from gold and mercury, as their case required; but
acknowledged that he had no licence, and being examined,
in several parts of physic, and found inexpert, he was interdicted practice. About a month after, he was committed to the Counter-prison, and fined in the sum of five
pounds “propter illicitam praxin
” that is, for prescribing
physic against the statutes and privilege of the college;
but upon his application to the lord chief justice, he was
set at liberty, which gave so great umbrage to the college,
that the president and one of the censors waited on the
chief justice, to request his favour in defending and
preserving the college privileges; upon which Mr. Anthony
submitted himself, promised to pay his fine, and was forbidden practice. But not long after he was accused again
of practising physic, and upon his own confession was
fined five pounds; which, on his refusing to pay it, was
increased to twenty pounds, and he committed to prison
till he paid it; neither were the college satisfied with this,
but commenced a suit at law against him in the name of
the queen, as well as of the college, in which they succeeded, and obtained judgment against him; but after some
time, were prevailed upon by the intreaties of his wife, to
remit their share of the penalty, as appears by their warrant to the keeper of the prison for his discharge, dated
under the college seal, the 6th of August, 1602. After
his release, he seems to have met with considerable patrons, who were able to protect him from the authority of
the college; and though Dr. Goodall tells us, that this
learned society thought him weak and ignorant in physic,
yet he contrived to obtain the degree of doctor of physic
in some university. This did not hinder new complaints
being brought against him, by Dr. Taylor, and another
physician, who grounded their proceedings chiefly on his
giving a certain nostrum, which he called “Aurum potabilt!,
” or potable gold, and which he represented to the
world as an universal medicine. There were at this time
also several things written agaiust him, and his manner of
practice, insinuating that he was very inaccurate in his
method of philosophizing, that the virtues of metals as to
physical uses were very uncertain, and that the boasted
effects of his medicine were destitute of proof. Dr. Anthony, upon this, published a defence of himself and his
Aurum potabile in Latin, written with a plausible display
of skill in chemistry, and with an apparent knowledge of
the theory and history of physic. This book, which he
published in 1610, was printed at the university press of
Cambridge, and entitled “Medicinac Chymicae, et verj
potabilis Auri assertio, ex lucubrationibus Fra. Anthonii
Londinensis, in Medicina Doctoris. Cantabrigise, ex
officina Cantrelli Legge celeberrimae Academics Typographi,
” 4to. It had a very florid dedication to king James
prefixed. He, likewise, annexed certificates of cures, under the hands of several persons of distinction, and some
of the faculty; but his book was quickly answered, and
the controversy about Aurum potabile grew so warm, that
he was obliged to publish another apology in the Englis
language, which was also translated into Latin, but did not
ans.wer the doctor’s expectation, in conciliating the opinion
of the faculty, yet, what is more valuable to an empiric, it
procured the genera' good-will of ordinary readers, and
contributed exceedingly to support and extend his practice, notwithstanding all the pains taken to decry it. What
chiefly contributed to maintain his own reputation, and
thereby reflected credit on his medicine, was that which is
rarely met with among quacks, his unblemished character
in private life. Dr. Anthony was a man of unaffected piety,
untainted probity, of easy address, great modesty, and
boundless charity; which procured him many friends, and
left it not in the power of his enemies to attack any part of
his conduct, except that of dispensing a medicine, of
which they had no opinion. And though much has been
said to disgredit the use of gold in medicine, yet some very
able and ingenious men wrote very plausibly in support of
those principles on which Dr. Anthony’s practice was
founded, and among these the illustrious Robert Boyle.
The process of making the potable gold is given in the
Biog. Britannica, but in such a contused and ignorant
manner that any modern chemist may easily detect the
fallacy, and be convinced that gold does not enter into the
preparation. The time Jn which Anthony flourished, if
that phrase may be applied tq him, was very favourable to
his notions, chemistry being then much admired and very
little understood. He had therefore a most extensive and
beneficial practice, which enabled him to live hospitably
at his house in Bartholomew close, and to be very liberal
in jiis alms to the poor. He died May 26, 1623, and was
buried in the church of St. Bartholomew the Great, where
a handsome monument was erected to his memory. His
principal antagonists were, Dr. Matthew Gwinne, of the
college of physicians, who wrote “Aurum non Aurum,
sive adversaria in assertorem Chymiæ, sed veræ Medicinæ
desertorem Franciscum Anthonium,” Lond. 1611, 4to,
and Dr. Cotta, of Northampton, in 1623, in a work entitled, “Cotta contra Antonium, or an Ant-Antony, or an
Ant-Apology, manifesting Dr. Anthony his Apology for
Aurum potabile, in true and equal balance of right reason,
to be false and counterfeit,
” Oxford, 4to.
Dr. Anthony by his second wife had two sons: Charles,
a physician of character at Bedford, and John, the subject
of the following article.
ns, and who is also mentioned by St. Jerome. They appear, however, to be different, as the one wrote in Latin, and the other in Greek.
, or Antonius Liberalis, a Greek author, who made a collection of fi Metamorphoses" taken from Nicander and other authors. Some think he was the same with Antonius Liberalis, who lived in the first century, whom Suetonius enumerates among the most celebrated rhetoricians, and who is also mentioned by St. Jerome. They appear, however, to be different, as the one wrote in Latin, and the other in Greek.
first four books were badly translated by Joan. Baptista Memmius. But a better translation of these in Latin was made by Commandine, and published at Bononia in 1566.
The first four books were badly translated by Joan. Baptista Memmius. But a better translation of these in Latin was made by Commandine, and published at Bononia in 1566. Vossius mentions an edition of the Conies in 1650; the fifth, sixth, and seventh books being recovered by Golius. Claude Richard, professor of mathematics in the imperial college of his order at Madrid, in the year 1632, explained, in his public lectures, the first four books of Apollonius, which were printed at Antwerp in 1655, in folio. And the grand duke Ferdinand the second, and his brother prince Leopold de Medicis, employed a professor of the Oriental languages at Rome to translate the fifth, sixth, and seventh books into Latin. These were published at Florence in 1661, by Borelli, with his own notes, who also maintains that these books are the genuine production of Apollonius, by many strong authorities, against Mydorgius and others, who suspected that these three books were not the real production of Apollonius.
says he has read the same; De Scientiis Mathematicis, p. 55. A neat edition of the first four books in Latin was published by Dr. Barrow, at London 1675, in 4to. A
As to the eighth book, some mention is made of it in a book of Golius’s, where he had written that it had not been translated into Arabic, because it was wanting in the Greek copies, from whence the Arabians translated the others. But the learned Mersenne, in the preface to Apollonius’s Conies, printed in his Synopsis of the mathematics, quotes the Arabic philosopher Aben Nedin for a work of his about the year 400 of Mahomet, in which is part of that eio-hth book, and who asserts that all the books of Apollonius are extant in his language, and even more than are enumerated by Pappus; and Vossius says he has read the same; De Scientiis Mathematicis, p. 55. A neat edition of the first four books in Latin was published by Dr. Barrow, at London 1675, in 4to. A magnificent edition of all the eight books, was published in folio, by Dr. Halley, at Oxford in 1710; together with the lemmas of Pappus, and the commentaries of Eutocius. The first four int Greek and Latin, but the latter four in Latin only, the eighth book being restored by himself.
re have been many editions. 4. “La Fisionomie du conciliator Pierre de Apono,” Padua, 1474, 8vo, and in Latin, “Decisiones physionomicae,” 1548, 8vo. In the imperial
His works shew that he had read every thing which appeared before his time, on the subject of medicine, but
unfortunately he mixes, with a great deal of real knowledge, all the reveries of judicial astrology, and caused the
dome of the public school at Padua to be painted with
above four hundred astrological figures, and when destroyed by a fire in 1420, they were replaced by the
celebrated Giotto. His attachment to astrological pursuits,
and a superior acquaintance with natural philosophy and
mathematics, procured him the character of a magician,
and he was accused of heresy. This accusation, of which
he had cleared himself at Paris, was twice renewed at Padua, by the faculty and others who were jealous of his reputation, and it was said he owed his extraordinary skill to
seven familiar spirits whom he kept inclosed in a bottle.
By means of some powerful friends, he escaped the inquisition on one occasion, and was about to have been tried a
second time, but died before the process was finished, in
1316. In spite of the profession, which he made before
witnesses, when dying, of his adherence to the catholic
faith, and which he likewise solemnly expressed in his will,
the inquisition found him guilty of heresy, and ordered
the magistrates of Padua to take his body up, and burn it.
A female servant, however, on hearing this order, contrived, in the night, to have the body removed to another
church. The inquisitors would have proceeded against
the persons concerned in this affair, but were at length
satisfied with burning the deceased in effigy. A century
afterwards, his fellow-citizens placed a bust to his memory in the public palace. His principal works were,
1. “Conciliator dirTerentiarum philosophorum etpnecipue
niedicorum,
” Venice, 14-71, a work often reprinted, and
which procured him the title of Conciliator. He often
quotes Averroes, and was the first Italian who studied his
works. 2. “De Venenis, eorumque remediis,
” also often
reprinted, but now very scarce. 3. “Expositio problematum Aristotelis,
” Mantua, La Fisionomie du conciliator Pierre de Apono,
” Padua, Decisiones physionomicae,
” Hippocratis de rnedicorum astrologia libellus,
” from the Greek
into Latin, Venice, Qucestiones de febribus,
” Padua, Textus Mesues noviter emendatus, &c.
” Venice, Astrolabium plenum in tabulis ascendeus, continens qualibet hora atque minuta aequationes
domorum cceli,
” Venice, Geomantia,
”
Venice, Dionocides digestus alphabetico ordine,
” Lyons, Galeni tractatus
varii a Petro Paduano latinitate donati,
” a manuscript in
the library of St. Mark, Venice. 12. A Latin translation
of seven astrological treatises written by the celebrated
Spanish rabbi A ben-Ezra, and usually printed with his
treatise on critical days.
lished at Paris in 1776, 12mo, under the title of “Manuel des Superieurs.” He wrote also Meditations in Latin, on the forty-fourth and ninety-tnird Psalms. His most
, son to John Jerome, duke of
Atri, was born at Naples in 1542, and in 1581 was elected
general of the Jesuits, in which station he conducted himself with great mildness and prudence, and died Jan. 31,
1615. He left several religious works: among others, “Industrie ad curandos animae morhos,
” Paris, Manuel
des Superieurs.
” He wrote also Meditations in Latin, on
the forty-fourth and ninety-tnird Psalms. His most celebrated work drawn up for the use of his order, entitled
“Ratio Studiorum,
” and published at Rome in Epistoiae Prtepositorum Generalium, ad Patres et Frutres societatis Jesu. Instructio ad
augendum spiritum in societaie,
” Rome, 4 615, 8vo.
and a celebrated teacher of rhetoric. His works, which discover much learning and taste, ere written in Latin. The principal are, “Poemata,” Rome, 1702, 3 vols.; “Orationes,”
, a miscellaneous writer of considerable fame, was born at Naples in 1654, and died at
Rome in 1740. He was of the order of Jesuits, and a celebrated teacher of rhetoric. His works, which discover
much learning and taste, ere written in Latin. The principal are, “Poemata,
” Rome, Orationes,
”
in 2 vols. folio,
1724. This contains, under some of the articles, very
learned dissertations on the military art. Another lexicon, entitled
” Nomenclator Agriculture,“1736, 4to, is
not held in the same esteem. He published also,
” Historical Miscellanies,“1725, and an interesting
” History
of the war in Hungary,“1726, 12mo, under the title of
” Fragmenta historica de bello Hungarise."
She was beautiful in her person, and highly accomplished by taste and education. She spoke and wrote in Latin and Italian with the ability of the most eminent scholars,
, a celebrated poetess of Italy,
in the sixteenth century, was the natural daughter of Peter
Tagliava d'Aragon, archbishop of Palermo, and a cardinal,
himself an illegitimate descendant of the royal house of
Aragon. Her father made a settlement on this daughter
sufficient to enable her to live genteelly. She was beautiful in her person, and highly accomplished by taste and
education. She spoke and wrote in Latin and Italian with
the ability of the most eminent scholars, and enjoyed during
life great reputation for the elegance of her manners and
writings. The most distinguished scholars of the time celebrated her praises, and were proud to be ranked among
her admirers. She resided mostly at Ferrara and Rome,
and when advanced in age, went to Florence under the
protection of the duchess Leonora of Toledo, an.d at that
place she died very old, but the time is not mentioned.
Her works, which have not preserved the high character
bestowed by her admirers, are, 1. “Rime,
” Venice, Dialogo deli‘ infinita d’Amore,
” Venice, II Meschino, o il Guerino,
poema,
” in the ottava rima, Venice, 1560, 4to.
re of a more serious kind. In the year 544, he presented Pope Vigilius with the Acts of the Apostles in Latin verse, with which the pontiff was so much pleased that
, the secretary and intendant of finances to Athaiaric, and afterwards subdeacon of the Romish church, flourished in the sixth century, and, according to some accounts, was born in the year 490, but the place of his birth has been contested. He certainly was of Liguria, but in his time Liguria comprehended a great part of Lombardy, and Milan was the chief city. He was educated under Laurentius, archbishop of Milan, who died in the year 504. Arator is said to have died in the year 356. At first he employed his poetical talents on profane subjects, but afterwards on those which were of a more serious kind. In the year 544, he presented Pope Vigilius with the Acts of the Apostles in Latin verse, with which the pontiff was so much pleased that he ordered the work to be read in the church of St. Peter ad Vincula, and it met with universal approbation. We find in it many of the allegories which the venerable Bede introduced in his commentary on the Acts. It was printed with other poetry of the same description, at Venice, 1502, 4to, Strasburgh, 1507, 8vo, Leipsic, 1515, 4to, and in the Bibliotheca Patrum, Paris, 1575, 1589, &c. Father Sirmond published at the end of his edition of Ennodius, a letter in elegiac verse, which Arator wrote to Parthenius.
other works, which have been lost. In 1675, Dr. Isaac Barrow published a neat edition of the works, in Latin, at London, 4to; illustrated, and succinctly demonstrated
There have been various editions of the existing writings
of Archimedes. The whole of these works, together with
the commentary of Eutocius, were found in their original
Greek language, on the taking of Constantinople, from
whence they were brought into Italy; and here they were
foundry that excellent mathematician John Muller, otherwise called Regiomontanus, who brought them into Germany; where they were, with that commentary, published long after, viz. in 1544, at Basil, most beautifully
printed in folio, Gr. & Lat. by Hervagius, under the care
of Thomas Gechauff Venatorius. A Latin translation was
published at Paris, 1557, by Pascalius Hamellius. Another edition of the whole, in Greek and Latin, was published at Paris, 1615, fol. by David Rivaltus, illustrated
with new demonstrations and commentaries; a life of the
author is prefixed: and at the end of the volume is added
some account, by way of restoration, of the author’s other
works, which have been lost. In 1675, Dr. Isaac Barrow
published a neat edition of the works, in Latin, at London, 4to; illustrated, and succinctly demonstrated in a
new method. But the most complete of any, is the magnificent edition, in folio, printed at the Clarendon press,
in Oxford, in 1792. This edition was prepared ready for
the press by the learned Joseph Torelli, of Verona, who
was discouraged by the prospect of the expence that was
likely to attend the publication. He had finished it some
time before his death; and, while he was demurring in regard to the mode of publishing it, he was induced by the
advice and recommendation of the late earl Stanhope,
whose zeal in the cause of science reflects distinguished
honour on his name and memory, to commence a treaty
with the curators of the Clarendon press at Oxford. Torelli,
unwilling to give up the charge of superintending the
publication, still hesitated, and died before the transaction
was completed. The treaty was again renewed by Alberto
Albertini, the executor of the learned editor’s will, who
entrusted the work to the university of Oxford. Ah th
papers which Torelli had prepared with a view to. this edition, Alhertini presented to the university, and transmitted, at the original cost, all the engravings of figures that
were necessary for the completion of it. John Strange,
esq. the British resident at Venice, was very active in conducting and terminating the business. The arrangement
of the papers, the correction of the press, and the whole superintewdance of the edition, were committed by the university to Mr. (now Dr.) Abraham Robertson, of Christ church,
a gentleman in every respect qualified for the trust reposed
in him. The Latin translation of this edition is a new one.
Torelli also wrote a preface, a commentary on some of the
pieces, and notes on the whole. An account of the life
and writings of Torelli is prefixed by Clement Sibiliati;
of this a sketch will be given in its proper place. At the
end a large appendix is added, in two parts: the first
being a commentary on Archimedes’s paper upon “Bodies
that flow on fluids,
” by Dr. Robertson; and the latter is
a large collection of various readings in the ms works of
Archimedes, found in the library of the last king of France,
and of another at Florence, as collated with the Basil edition above mentioned.
digesta per ordinem, &c.” But he left a great many manuscripts on scientific subjects, written some in Latin and some in Italian, and a collection of Latin poems.
, the son of the senator
Philip Archinto, was born at Milan, July 30, 1669, and
after studying at Brera and Ingoldstadt, travelled in.
France, Germany, Holland; and then resided so long at
Home, that he did not return to Milan until the year 1700.
Two years after he instituted an academy for the sciences
and mechanics. This he enriched with an extensive and
curious library, and a collection of the finest mathematical
instruments that could be procured in Italy, France, and
England. It is to him the public owe the Palatine society
(see Argellati), whose valuable editions began with Muratori' s vast collection of the Italian historians. He received very high honours in his country, being appointed
by the emperor Leopold, a gentleman of the bed-chamber; and by Charles II. and Philip V. of Spain, a knight
of the golden fleece, and a grandee of Spain. There is
nothing of his in print, except some notes on Arnulphus’
history in the “Scrip. Rer. Ital.
” and a work published at
Venice after his death, entitled “Tabulae, pracipua
scientiarum et artium capita digesta per ordinem, &c.
”
But he left a great many manuscripts on scientific subjects, written some in Latin and some in Italian, and a
collection of Latin poems.
cis,” 1652, 4to. 2. “Ephemerides,” from 1620, 4 vols. 4to, and 3. Observations on the Comet of 1653, in Latin, printed the same year. His Ephemerides were reprinted
, an Italian mathematician, was
born at Tagliacozzo in the kingdom of Naples, in 1570;
Being involved in his own country in some difficulties, occasioned by his attachment to astrological reveries, ha
thought proper to retire to Venice, where the senate, perceiving the extent of his merit, appointed him professor of
mathematics in the university of Padua; at the same time
conferring on him the title of chevalier of St. Mark in 1636.
He died in 1653. His writings are, 1. “De diebus criticis,
”
Ephemerides,
” from
ces. Gabriele gave himself up to literary pursuits, and is, said to have arrived at great excellence in Latin poetry, but to have been too close an imitator of Statius:
, one of the most eminent Italian poets, was born Sept. 8, 1474. His father, while he was in the government of Rheggio, in Lombardy, espoused Daria de Malaguzzi, a lady of wealth and family, descended from one of the first houses in llneggio, and by her had five aons, Ludovico, Gabriele, Carlo, Galasso, and Alessandro; and the same number of daughters. These sons were all well accomplished, and, for their many excellent qualities, patronised by several princes. Gabriele gave himself up to literary pursuits, and is, said to have arrived at great excellence in Latin poetry, but to have been too close an imitator of Statius: he died at Ferrara. Carlo, who was of a disposition more inclined to dissipation and gaiety, led the life of a courtier, and. died at the court of Naples. Galasso embraced the profession of the church, was employed in several important offices, and, at last, ended his days, ambassador from the duke of fc'crrara, at the court of Charles V. Alessandro, who was of an inquisitive and enterprising genius, having spent great part of his time in visiting foreign countries, at last finished his life in Ferrara.
The first edition of Aristotle’s works was in Latin by Averroes, Venet. 1472—3, 4 vols. fol. The first Greek
The first edition of Aristotle’s works was in Latin by Averroes, Venet. 1472—3, 4 vols. fol. The first Greek edition, usually reckoned thetiditioprinceps, is that of Aldus, in six volumes, 1495, fol. which is very rare. His distinct treatises have been published so often, that it is impossible to enumerate then) in this place, but the reader will find a copious list in the Bibliographical Dictionary. The best editions of the entire works are those of Casaubon, Ludg, 1590, 1606, 2 vols. fol. and of Duval, 2 or 4 vols. fol. Par. 1629.
stical History,” which was printed at Leipsic in 1700, and his “History of Mystic Theology,” written in Latin. He died in 1714. There is a very elaborate account of
, pastor and inspector of the
churches of Perleberg, and historiographer to the king of
Prussia, was born at Annaburg in Misnia, in 1666. He was
a man of considerable eloquence and extensive reading, but
he disturbed the tranquillity of the church by his singular
opinions in theology, and especially by his “Ecclesiastical
History,
” in which he seemed to place all opinions, orthodox or heretic, on the same footing, but considered the
mystic divines as superior to all other writers, and as the
only depositaries of true wisdom. He wished to reduce
the whole of religion to certain internal feelings and motions, of which, perhaps, few but himself or his mystical
brethren could form an idea. As he advanced in years,
however, he is said to have perceived the errors into which
he had been led by the impetuosity of his passions, and
became at last a lover of truth, and a pattern of moderation. His principal works were this “Ecclesiastical History,
” which was printed at Leipsic in History of Mystic Theology,
” written in Latin. He died
in
ome humorous attacks which it contains on the Jansenists. In 1738, he published under the same name, in Latin, “A treatise on Grace,” but his most considerable work
, an ex-jesuit, was born in
1689, and died at Besancon in 1753. He was the author
of some curious pieces. The first was a collection of
French, Italian, and Spanish proverbs, a scarce little
work in 12mo, Besançon, 1733, and published under the
assumed name of Antoine Dumont, to prevent any unpleasant consequences to the author for some humorous attacks
which it contains on the Jansenists. In 1738, he published under the same name, in Latin, “A treatise on
Grace,
” but his most considerable work is “Le Precepteur,
” Besançon,
iquaries relative to the explanation of an ancient epitaph. His principal writings are, “A History,” in Latin, “of the war of Cyprus,” in seven books; and a “Life of
, a native of Corsica, was professor of law at Padua, where he died May 28, 1765. He
was remarkably tenacious of his opinions, and carried on a
long controversy with some antiquaries relative to the explanation of an ancient epitaph. His principal writings
are, “A History,
” in Latin, “of the war of Cyprus,
” in
seven books; and a “Life of Franciscus Maurocenus.
”
omplains of their neglect. He died in the 66th year of his age, at Sinigaglia, 1540. He wrote a poem in Latin verse, “De poetis Urbanis,” addressed to Paul Jovius;
, a celebrated poet and physician,
flourished in the beginning of the sixteenth century, under
the pontificates of Leo X. and Clement VII. He was a
native of Sinigaglia, and after having studied at Padua,
practised medicine at Rome but, according to the eloge
of his friend Paul Jovius, seldom passed a day without
producing some poetical composition. He either possessed,
or affected that independence of mind which does not
accord with the pliant manners of a court; and avoided the
patronage of the great, while he complains of their neglect. He died in the 66th year of his age, at Sinigaglia,
1540. He wrote a poem in Latin verse, “De poetis Urbanis,
” addressed to Paul Jovius; in which he celebrates
the names, and characterises the works, of a great number
of Latin poets resident at Rome in the time of Leo X. It
was first printed in the Coryciana, Rome, 1524, 4to and
reprinted by Tiraboschi, who obtained a more complete
copy in the hand-writing of the author, with the addition
of many other names. It has also been reprinted by Mr.
Roscoe, in his life of Leo, who is of opinion that his complaint of the neglect of poets in the time of that pontiff
was unjust.
he had a principal part in the Russian Pharmacopoeia, Petersburgh, 1778, 4to, and wrote many essays, in Latin and German, on different subjects of physiology and medicine,
, an eminent Russian physician, counsellor of state, and member of many
academies, was born at Petersburgh of German parents,
in 1729, and died in that city in 1807. He studied in
the university of Gottingen, under Haller, and his reputation is in a great measure owing to the respect he preserved for that celebrated school, and to the princely
contributions he made to it. His fortune enabled him to
make vast collections during his various travels, a part, of
which he regularly sent every year to Gottingen. In particular he enriched the library with a complete collection
of Russian writers, a beautiful Koran, Turkish manuscripts, and many other curious articles and he added to
the museum a great number of valuable articles collected
throughout the Russian empire, curious habits, armour,
instruments, minerals, medals, &c. He was also a liberal
contributor to Blumenbach’s collection. As a writer, he
had a principal part in the Russian Pharmacopoeia, Petersburgh, 1778, 4to, and wrote many essays, in Latin and
German, on different subjects of physiology and medicine,
of which a list may be seen in the “Gelehrtes Deutschland
” of M. Meusel, fourth edition, vol. I. p. 98. What
he published on the plague has been highly valued by
practitioners, and there are two curious papers by him
In No. 171 and 176 of our Philosophical Transactions.
His memory was honoured by Heyne with an elegant
eulogium, “De Obitu Bar. de Asch, ad vivos amantissimos J. Fr. Blumenbach, et J. D. Reuss,
” 4to.
er Sapientice, i.e. the father of wisdom, by an anonymous writer; Hermes’ s Bird, written originally in Latin, by Raymund Lully, and done into English verse by Abbot
2. “Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum, containing several
poetical pieces of our famous English philosophers, who
have written the Hermetique mysteries, in their own ancient language. Faithfully collected into one volume, with
annotations thereon, by Elias Ashmole, esq. qui est Mercuriophilus Anglicus,
” London, The Way to Bliss, in three books, made
public by Elias Ashmole, esq; qui est Mercuriophilus
Anglicus,
” London, The Institution, Laws, and Ceremonies of the most
noble Order of the Garter. Collected and digested into
one body by Elias Ashmole, of the Middle Temple, esq.
Windesore herald at arms. A work furnished with variety
of matter relating to honour and noblesse
” London, The Arms, Epitaphs,.
Feuestral Inscriptions, with the draughts of the Tombs, &c.
in all the churches in Berkshire.
” It was penned in The Antiquities of Berkshire,
” 3 vols. 8vo, 1717, 1723,
and at Reading in 1736, fol. 6. “Familiarum iilustrium
Imperatorumque Romanorum Numismata Oxonire in Bodleianae Bibliotbecoe Archivis descripta et explanata.
”
This work was finished by the author in A description and
explanation of the Coins and Medals belonging to king
Charles II.
” a folio ms. in the king’s cabinet. 8. “A
brief ceremonial of the Feast of St. George, held at Whitehall 1661, with other papers relating to the Order.
”
9. “Remarkable Passages in the year 1660, set down by
Mr. Elias Ashmole.
” 10. “An account of the Coronation
of our Kings, transcribed from a ms. in the king’s private
closet.
” 11 “The proceedings on the day of the Coronation of king Charles II.
” mentioned by Anthony Wood,
as printed in 1672, but he owns he never saw it. 12. “The
Arms, Epitaphs, &c. in some churches and houses in
Staffordshire,
” taken when he accompanied sir William
Dugdale in his visitation. 13. “The Arms, Epitaphs,
Inscriptions, &c. in Cheshire, Shropshire, Derbyshire,
Nottinghamshire, &c.
” taken at the same time. Bishop
Nicolson mentions his intention to write the history and
antiquities of his native town of Litchfield. 14. “Answers
to the objections urged.against Mr. Ashmole’s being made
historiographer to the order of the Garter,
” A. D. A Translation of John Francis Spina’s book of th
Catastrophe of the World; to which was subjoined, Ambrose Merlin’s Prophecy.
” It is doubtful whether this was
ever published. What, indeed, he printed, was but a very
small part of what he wrote, there being scarcely any
branch of our English history and antiquities, on which he
has not left us something valuable, of his own composing,
in that vast repository of papers, which make several folios in his collection of Mss. under the title of, 16. CoU
lections, Remarks, Notes on Books, and Mss. a wonderful
proof of industry and application. 17. “The Diary of
his Life,
” written by himself, which was published at London, 1717, in 12mo, with the following title “Memoirs
of the life of that learned antiquary, Elias Ashmole, esq.
drawn up by himself by way of diary, with an appendix of
original letters. Published by Charles Burman, esquire.
”
The copy from whence these papers were published, was in
the hand-writing of Dr. Robert Plott, chief keeper of the
Ashmolean museum at Oxford, and secretary of the Royal
Society, and was transcribed by him for the use of a near
relation of Mr. Ashmole’s, a private gentleman in Staffordshire. They had been collated a few years before, by
David Perry, M. A. of Jesus’ college in Oxford. The appendix* contains a letter of thanks, dated January 26, 1666,
from the corporation at Litchfield, upon the receipt of a
silver bowl presented to them by Mr. Ashmole a preface
to the catalogue of archbishop Laud’s medals, drawn up by
Mr. Ashmole, and preserved in the public library at Oxford a letter from Dr. Thomas Barlow, afterwards bishop
of Lincoln, to Mr. Ashmole, dated December 23, 1668, on
the present of his books, describing archbishop Laud’s
cabinet of medals a letter from John Evelyn, esq. to recommend Dr. Plott to him for reader in natural philosophy,
and another from Mr. Joshua Barnes, dated from Emanuel
college, Cambridge, October 15, 1688, wherein he desires
Mr. Ashmole’s pardon, for having reflected upon his Order
of the Garter, in his own history of king Edward III. with
Mr. Ashmole’s answer to that letter, dated October 23
following. It is from this diary, which abounds in whimsical and absurd memoranda, that the dates and facts in his
life have been principally taken.
lled Pembrokeshire, and was bred up in the learning of those times, in the monastery of St. David’s ( in Latin Menevia), whence he derived his surname of Menevensis.
, or Asser, or Asker (called, by Pitts, John,) a learned monk of St. David’s, and
historian, was of British extraction, probably of that part
of South Wales called Pembrokeshire, and was bred up in
the learning of those times, in the monastery of St. David’s
(in Latin Menevia), whence he derived his surname of
Menevensis. There he is said to have had for his tutor
Johannes Patricius, one of the most celebrated scholars of
his age, and had also the countenance of Nobis, or Novis,
archbishop of that see, who was his relation but it does
not appear that he was either his secretary or his chancellor, as some writers would have us believe. From St.
David’s he was invited to the court of Alfred the Great,
merely from the reputation of his learning, probably about
the year 880, or somewhat earlier. Those who had the charge
of bringing him to court, conducted him from St. David’s
to the town of Dene (Dean) in Wiltshire, where the king
received him with great civility, and shewed him in a little
time the strongest marks of favour and affection, insomuch
that he condescended to persuade him not to think any
more of returning to St. David’s, but rather to continue
with him as his domestic chaplain and assistant in his studies.
Asserius, however, modestly declined this proposal, alledging, that it did not become him to desert that holy
place where he had been educated, and received the order
of priesthood, for the sake of any other preferment. King
Alfred then desired that he would divide his time between
the court and the monastery, spending six months at court,
and six at St. David’s. Asserius would not lightly comply
even with this request, but desired leave to return to St.
David’s, to ask the advice of his brethren, which he obtained, but in his journey falling ill at Winchester of a fever, he lay there sick about a year and as soon as he recovered he went to St. David’s, where, consulting with his
brethren on the king’s proposal, they unanimously agreed
that he should accept it, promising themselves great advantages from his favour with the king, of which, at that
time, they appear to have had need, to relieve them from
the oppressions of one Hemeid, a petty prince of South
Wales. But they requested of Asserius, that he would
prevail on the king to allow him to reside quarterly at
court and at St. David’s, rather than that he should remain
absent six months together. When he came back he found
the king at Leoneforde, who received him with every mark
of distinction. He remained with him then eight months
at once, reading and explaining to him whatever books
were in his library, and grew into so great credit with that
generous prince, that on Christmas-eve following, he gave
him the monasteries of Anigresbyri, and Banuwille, that
is, Ambrosbury in Wiltshire, and Banwell in Somersetshire,
with a silk pall of great value, and as much incense as a
strong man could carry, sending together with them this
compliment, “That these were but small things, and by
way of earnest of better which should follow them.
” Soon
after, he had Exeter bestowed upon him, and not long
after that, the bishopric of Sherburn, which, however, he
seems to have quitted in the year 883, though he always
retained the title, as Wilfred archbishop of York was constantly so styled, though he accepted of another bishopric.
Thenceforward he constantly attended the court, in the
manner before stipulated, and is named as a person, in
whom he had particular confidence, by king Alfred, in his
testament, which must have been written some time before the year 885; since mention is made there of Esna
bishop of Hereford, who died that year. He is also mentioned by the king, in his prefatory epistle placed before
his translation of Gregory’s Pastoral, addressed to Wulfsig
bishop of London and there the king does not call him
bishop of Sherburn, but “my bishop,
” acknowledging the
help received from him and others in that translation. It
appears to have been the near resemblance, which the
genius of Asserius bore to that of the king, that gained
him so great a share in his confidence and very probably,
it was on this account, that Asserius drew up those memoirs of the life of Alfred which we still have, and which
he dedicated and presented to the king in the year 893. la
this work we have a curious account of the manner in
which that prince and our author spent their time together.
Asserius tells us, that having one day, being the feast of
St. Martin, cited in conversation a passage of some famous
author, the king was mightily pleased with it, and would
have him write it down in the margin of a book he carried
in his breast; but Asserius finding no room to write it
there, and yet being desirous to gratify his master, he
asked king Alfred whether he should not provide a few
leaves, in which to set dawn such remarkable things as
occurred either in reading or conversation the king was
delighted with this hint, and directed Asserius to put it
immediately in execution. Pursuing this method constantly, their collection began to swell, till at length it
became of the size of an ordinary Psalter and this was
what the king called his “Hand-book, or Manual.
” Asserius, however, calls it Enchiridion. In all probability,
Asserius continued at court during the whole reign of Alfred, and, probably, several years after but where, or
when he died is doubtful, though the Saxon Chronicle positively fixes it to the year 910. The editor of his life in
the Biog. Brit, takes Asser the monk, and Asser bishop of
Sherburnj for one and the same person, which some however have denied, and asserts him to have been also archbishop of Sk David’s, upon very plausible authority. He
admits, however, i that if there was such a reader in the
public schools at Oxford as Asser the monk, he must have
been some other person of the same name, and not our author but this point rests almost wholly on the authority
of Harpsfiekl nor is the account consistent with itself in
several other respects,as sir John S'pelman has justly observed. There is no less controversy about the works of
Asserius, than about his preferments for some alledge
that he never wrote any thing but the Annals of king Alfred whereas, Pitts gives us the titles of no less than five
other books of his writing, and adds, that he wrote many
more. The first of these is a “Commentary on Boetius,
”
which is mentioned by Leland, on the authority of the
Chronicle of St. Neot’s but he probably only explained
this author to king Alfred when he made his Saxon translation. The second piece mentioned by Pitts, is the Anjials of Alfred’s life and reign. The third he styles “Annales Britannia;,
” or the Annals of Britain, in one book,
mentioned also by Leland and Bale, and which has been
since published by the learned Dr. Gale. The fourth piece,
he calls “Aurearum Sententiarum Enchiridion, lib. 1
”
which is without question the Manual or common-placebook made for king Alfred, and reckoned among his works
by Pitts himself. Leland has also spoken of this Enchiridion, as an instance of the learning and diligence of Asser,
which it certainly was and though the collections he made
concerning this author, are much better and larger than
those of Bale and Pitts, yet he modestly, upon this subject,
apologizes for speaking so little and so obscurely of so great
a man. The next in Pitts’ s catalogue, is a “Book of Homilies,
” and the last, “A Book of Epistles
” but the existence of these seems unsupported by any authority; nor
is it known where he was interred. He appears to have
been one of the most pious and learned prelates of the age
in which he lived.
s said to have had many conferences with that prince on astronomical s’ubjects. The life was written in Latin, and has been translated into French by the president
, the name, or assumed name of a
person who lived in the ninth century, and wrote “The
life of the emperor Lewis le Debonnaire,
” at whose court
he is supposed to have enjoyed some office. He is said to
have had many conferences with that prince on astronomical
s’ubjects. The life was written in Latin, and has been
translated into French by the president Cousin. The original is in Du Chesne’s Collection of Historians.
ne of Hagusa. The dispute respected the name of the island on which St. Paul was shipwrecked, called in Latin Melita. Giorgi was of opinion that it was an island in
, an Augustin monk, was
torn at St. Philip of Agire, or Argire, an ancient town of
Sicily, and became professor of church history in the university of Catania, and in 1758 provincial of his order in
Sicily and Malta. He wrote, 1. a Bilancia della Verita,“Palermo, 1738, 4to. This was an answer to a book entitled
” Paulus apostolus in Mari, quod hunc Venetus sinus dicifcur, naufragus," by P. Ignatius Giorgi, a Benedictine of
Hagusa. The dispute respected the name of the island on
which St. Paul was shipwrecked, called in Latin Melita.
Giorgi was of opinion that it was an island in Dalmatia,
now called Melada, while Attardi maintained the more
common opinion that it was the well known island of Malta.
edict, he sought for consolation in composing an elegiac poem in his praise, and in writing his life in Latin. He died on the 22d of September 1738, lamented as one
was born at Florence the 19th of March 1662, the youngest of the three sons of John Francis Averani. Benedict, the eldest, made himself famous for his eloquence and the thorough knowledge he had of the Greek and Roman classics while Nicholas, the other brother, so greatly excelled in jurisprudence and all kinds of mathematical learning, as to be reckoned among the foremost in those studies. Joseph received the first rudiments of learning from his father, after which he was put under the tuition of Vincent Glarea, a Jesuit, who then gave public lectures on rhetoric at Florence, with whom he made uncommon progress. He was taught Greek by Antonius Maria Salvini, and advanced so rapidly in his studies, that, in a short time, whether he wrote in Italian, or Latin, or Greek, he shewed an intimate acquaintance with the ancient writers. Young as he was, however, he did not confine himself to oratorical performances alone, but exercised himself in poetry, for which he had much taste. He next applied to the study of the peripatetic philosophy, taking for his guide John Francis Vannius, the Jesuit. After pursuing a variety of studies, with astonishing success, he at length attached himself to mathematics and natural philosophy. When at Pisa he applied to the study of the law and at his leisure hours, in the first year of his residence there, he translated Archimedes with the commentaries of Eutocius Ascalonita out of Greek into Latin, adding many remarks of his own in explanation and illustration of those books which treat of the sphere and cylinder, the circles, the spheroids and conies, and the quadrature of the parabola. He shortly after wrote a treatise on the Momenta of heavy bodies on inclined planes, in defence of Galileo against the attacks of John Francis Vannius, but did not publish it. He cleared up many obscurities in Apollonius Pergaeus. These and other studies did not retard the wonderful progress he made in jurisprudence, which induced Cosmo III. of Medicis to appoint him public teacher of the institutes of civil law in the academy of Pisa. It is to be lamented that none of the orations which he made in this capacity have reached us, except one on the principles of jurisprudence, medicine, and theology. He published two books of the interpretations of the law. The applause with which these were received, induced him to join to them three more books, in the composition and arrangement of which he passed many years. He made a great variety of discoveries in experimental philosophy. He applied himself earnestly to ascertain the time in which sound is propagated, and to discover whether its velocity is retarded by contrary and increased by fair winds. These and other experiments he made at the request of Laurentio Magoloti, who communicated them to the royal society of London i.nd the society in return admitted Averani as an honorary member. Upon the death of his brother Benedict, he sought for consolation in composing an elegiac poem in his praise, and in writing his life in Latin. He died on the 22d of September 1738, lamented as one of the ablest and best of men.
tudy jurisprudence, and he exercised himself daily in writing to perfect his style. Nor did he write in Latin only for he translated Sallust, and Celsus, and other
, elder brother to Joseph, was born at Florence in 1645. His preceptor in rhetoric was Vincent Glarea, who soon confessed that his pupil went beyond him. He read almost incessantly the best Italian and Latin writers. And having at first employed a considerable time in the perusal of the poets, epecially the epic, he afterwards applied himself wholly to the reading of Cicero, and of the historians. From the works of the rhetoricians he proceeded to those of the philosophers, and particularly admired and followed Plato. He bestowed an indefatigable attention upon those parts in the writings of the philosophers, which in any manner related to eloquence, the attainment of which he sought with incredible ardour. Amidst these occupations he sometimes renewed his poetical exercises. At his father’s request he composed a Latin poem in praise of St. Thomas Aquinas. This, with many others of our author’s poems, is lost. Those of his poems which are extant, most of which he composed. in his youth, shew that if he had chosen to addict himself exclusively to this study, he might have attained a very high rank. His father afterwards sent him to Pisa to study jurisprudence, and he exercised himself daily in writing to perfect his style. Nor did he write in Latin only for he translated Sallust, and Celsus, and other Latin authors, into Greek and some Greek elegies of his are extant. He was created chief of the academy of Apathists. On the death of the cardinal Leopold of Medicis, he was ordered to compose verses in his praise, which were so much approved, that similar tasks were imposed upon him on the deaths of other princes. In the year 1676, the place long Tacant of teacher of Greek in the Lyceum of Pisa was bestowed upon him by the archduke Cosmo III. After filling this office six years, he was advanced to the dignity of teacher of humanity. In this he succeeded Gronovius, who, by the rudeness and asperity of his manners, had given so much offence to the college, that he was obliged to quit the academy in less than a year after his entering on his office in it. Benedict wrote well in Italian, as appears by the Lezioni which he recited in the Tuscan academy, and in the academy of the Apathists. In his youth he cultivated Italian poetry, and several of his Italian poems are preserved at Rome. He was invited to be professor of humanity in the academy of Pavia on the death of the former professor in 1682, and the same offer was soon after made to him by pope Innocent XI. who was desirous of bringing into the Roman Archigymnasium so eminent a man. In 1688 he was induced by the solicitations of his friends to publish the first book of his Orations. He died in 1707. The dissertations he made in the academy at Pisa, a posthumous work, his orations and poems republished, and his letters then first printed, were all published together at Florence in 3 vols. 1717, folio.
to be met with, except in Hebrew or Latin translations. His “Commentary on Aristotle” was published in Latin at Venice, in folio, 1495. An edition of his works was
In philosophy, he partook of the enthusiasm of the
times with respect to Aristotle, and paid a superstitious
deference to his authority but extravagant as he was in
this respect, it is unquestionably true, that he was unacquainted with the Greek language, and read the writings
of his oracle in wretched Arabic translations, taken immediately from Latin or Syriac versions. The necessary
consequence was, that his “Commentaries on Aristotle
”
were nothing better than a confused mass of error and misrepresentation. Yet such is the power of prejudice, that
many learned men, since the revival of letters, have passed
high encomiums upon Averroes as an excellent commentator. His writings of this kind were exceedingly numerous, and were so much admired by the Jews, that many of
them were translated into Hebrew. Besides these, he
wrote “a paraphrase of Plato’s Republic
” and a treatise
in defence of philosophy against Al-Gazal, entitled “Happalath hahappalah,
” commonly cited under the name of
“Destructorium Destructorii,
” and many other treatises in
theology, jurisprudence, and medicine. He took great pains
to improve the theory of medicine by the help of philosophy, and particularly to reconcile Aristotle and Galen, but it
does not appear that he practised physic. Few of his writings are to be met with, except in Hebrew or Latin translations. His “Commentary on Aristotle
” was published
in Latin at Venice, in folio,
, in Latin Augentius, a native of Villeneuve, in the diocese of Sens
, in Latin Augentius, a native of
Villeneuve, in the diocese of Sens in Champagne, lived in
the sixteenth century, and was esteemed on account of his
learning and writings. The office of the king’s professor
in the Greek tongue in the university of Paris was designed
for him in 1574, and he took possession of it in 1578. He
was also preceptor to the son of that Francis Olivier who
was chancellor of France, as appears from the preliminary
epistle of a book, which he dedicated to Anthony Olivier
bishop of Lombes, and uncle to his pupil, dated from Paris
the 1st of March 1555. The time of his death is not certainly known but Francis Parent, his successor in the professorship of the Greek tongue, entered upon it in 1595,
and Moreri gives that as the date of Auge’s death. He
wrote, 1. “A consolatory oration upon the death of Messire Francis Olivier, chancellor of France,
” Paris, Two dialogues concerning Poetical Invention, the
true knowledge of the Art of Oratory, and of the Fiction of Fable,
” Paris, A discourse upon the
Decree made by the parliament of Dole in Burgundy with
relation to a man accused and convicted of being a Werewolf.
” 4. “The institution of a Christian Prince, translated from the Greek of Synesius, bishop of Syrene, with an
oration concerning the True Nobility, translated from the
Greek of Phiio Judseus,
” Paris, Four homilies of St. Macarius the Egyptian,
” Paris, and Lyons A letter to the noble and virtuous youth Anthony Thelin, son of the noble Thelin, author of the book entitled
`Divine Tracts,' in which is represented the true Patrimony and Inheritance which fathers ought to leave to their
children.
” This letter is printed in the beginning of the
above-mentioned “Divine Tracts,
” Paris, A French
translation of the most beautiful Sentences and Forms of
Speaking in the familiar Epistles of Cicero.
” The “Discourse upon the Decree,
” &c. relates to a man convicted
of having murdered and eat one or two persons, for which
he was burnt alive.
Tar. and Rome, 1587, 1611, folio. 7. “Dialog. XI. de las Medallas,” Tarrag. 1587, 4to and folio, and in Latin, 1617, fol. The 4to edition of these dialogues on medals,
, archbishop of Tarragona,
one of the most learned men of his age, was born at Saragossa, in 1516. His parents were, Anthony Augustin, vicechancellor of Arragon, and Elizabeth, duchess of Cardonna.
He was well skilled in civil and canon law, the belles
lettres, ecclesiastical history, languages, and antiquities.
His first promotion was to be auditor of Rota then he was
made bishop of Alisa, afterwards of Lerida,and distinguished
himself greatly in the council of Trent. The archbishopric
of Tarragona was conferred upon him in 1574, and here he
died in 1586, aged seventy. His character appears to have
been excellent, and such was his charity that he left not
enough to defray the expences of his funeral. His works
are much valued. The principal are, 1. “De emendatione Gratiani Dialogorum,
” Tarrac. Constitutionum
Provincial! um Ecclesiae Tarraconensis, lib. V.
” Tarracon,
Canones Penitentiales,
” Tar. De Nominibus Propriis Pandectse Florentini, cum notis A. Augustini,
” Antique Collectiones Decretalium,
” Paris, Epitome Juris Pontificis,
” 3 torn. Tar. and Rome,
1587, 1611, folio. 7. “Dialog. XI. de las Medallas,
”
Tarrag. 1587, 4to and folio, and in Latin, 1617, fol. The
4to edition of these dialogues on medals, in Italian, is preferable, as the medals of the dialogues, from the third to
the eight, are not in the edition of 1587, a remark which
the editor of the Bibliographical Dictionary has by mistake
made upon the “Emendatio Gratiani.
”
consulted in Germany. The” Steganographia," under the name of Gustavus Selenus, which was published in Latin, at Lunenburg, in 1624, folio, was also the work of this
, duke of Brunswick and Lunenburg, was
a man of learning, and a patron of men of learning. He
published several works, among which his “Evangelical
Harmony,
” written in German, is much esteemed by Protestants. He published also, in 1636, a “Treatise on the
Cultivation of Orchards, which is still consulted in Germany. The
” Steganographia," under the name of Gustavus Selenus, which was published in Latin, at Lunenburg,
in 1624, folio, was also the work of this prince, who died
in 1666, in the eighty-seventh year of his age.
gainst the Emperors Matthias and Ferdinand,” Rome, 1625. This last is written in Italian, the others in Latin.
, a native of La Perousa, and canon
of St. John of Lateran, died at Rome in 1637. His knowlege of history made him be considered by pope Urban VIII.
as one of the most learned historians of his age. He published an “Abridgement of Tursellin’s Universal History,
”
in Baronius’s Annals,
” and another
of Bzovius’s great work on ecclesiastical history, in 9 vols.
folio. He wrote also “A History of the Revolt of Bohemia
against the Emperors Matthias and Ferdinand,
” Rome,
but he comforted himself in his poetical studies. There are a great number of works by him, several in Latin, but most in Italian. The latter are more esteemed than
, born at Palermo, in 1625, and died
in the same city in 1710, quitted the bar, to devote himself
to literature. He was but poorly provided with the goods
of fortune but he comforted himself in his poetical studies.
There are a great number of works by him, several in Latin, but most in Italian. The latter are more esteemed
than the former. Among these are reckoned, a “History
”
(in good repute) “of the great men of Sicily,
” Palermo,
1704, 4to, and a “History of the Viceroys of Sicily,
” ibid.
icuity of arrangement. He is said to have been the editor of Juvenal and Persius, with copious notes in Latin, 2 vols. 8vo, Paris, 1607, which we do not find mentioned
, advocate of the parliament of
Bourdeaux, was born in 1587, at Agenois. He undertook
an edition of the “Corps du Droit,
” the expence of which
the chancellor had promised to defray, but in this our
author was disappointed, and was exposed to the demands
of his creditors, when he was relieved by the generosity of
le Bret, a counsellor of state. Automne was a man of
study, and wrote several works on professional subjects,
which were much approved. The most celeb rated of these
is his “Commentaire surla Coutume de Bourdeaux,
” the
best edition of which was published by Dupin, in 1728, fol.
with notes. He wrote also a “Conference du Droit Romain avec le Droit Franois y
” Censura Gallica in Jus Civile Romanum,
” Paris,
y of Oxford. The next year the archbishop of Canterbury made choice of him, to answer a book written in Latin against the government of the church of England but after
After the accession of queen Elizabeth, Aylmer returned
home, and was one of the eight divines appointed to dispute with as many popish bishops at Westminster, in the
presence of a great assembly. In 1562, he obtained the
archdeaconry of Lincoln, by the favour of Mr. secretary
Cecil and in right of this dignity, sat in the famous synod held the same year, wherein the doctrine and discipline of the church, and its reformation from the abuses of
popery, were carefully examined and settled. In this
situation he continued for many years, and discharged the
duty of a good subject to the government under which he
lived, in church and state being one of the -queen’s justices of the peace, as also an ecclesiastical commissioner.
In October, 1573, he accumulated the degrees of bachelor
and doctor in divinity, in the university of Oxford. The
next year the archbishop of Canterbury made choice of
him, to answer a book written in Latin against the government of the church of England but after thoroughly considering it, Dr. Aylmer declined the task, which some in
those days (perhaps unjustly) attributed to discontent, because he was not made a bishop. To this dignity he had
been often named by Parker, then archbishop of Canterbury, but always prevented either by the interest of the
archbishop’s enemies, or his own, the latter never failing
to suggest, that in the same book where Aylmer had made
his court to the queen, he had also shewn his spleen
against episcopacy. At last, in the year 1576, on Dr.
Edwin Sandys being promoted to the archbishopric of York/
Dr. Ayltner was made bishop of London, not without the
furtherance of his predecessor, who was his intimate friend,
and had beeii his fellow-exile. Yet, immediately after his
promotion, bishop Aylmer found, or thought he found,
cause to complain of the archbishop and although his
grace assisted at his consecration, on the 24th of March,
3576, bishop Aylmer sued him for dilapidations, which
after some years prosecution he recovered. In 1577, our
bishop began his first visitation, wherein he urged subscriptions, which some ministers refused, and reviled such
as complied, calling them dissemblers, and comparing
them to Arians and Anabaptists, he was also extremely
assiduous in public preaching, took much pains in examining such as came to him for ordination, and kept a
strict eye over the Papists and Puritans in which he acted
not only to the extent of episcopal authority, but wrote
freely to the treasurer Burleigh, as to what he thought
farther necessary. When the plague rageed in London, in
the year 1578, our bishop shewed a paternal care of his
clergy and people, and without exposing the former to
needless perils, took care that these last should not be
without spiritual comforts. In 1581 came out Campion’s
book, shewing the reasons why he had deserted the reformed, and returned to the popish communion. It was
written in very elegant Latin, and dedicated to the scholars of both universities and the treasurer Burleigh thought
that it should be answered, and referred the care thereof
to our bishop, who though he gave his opinion freely upon
the subject, as to the mode in which it should be done, yet
declined the task himself on account of the great business
he had upon his hands, and it was undertaken and ably
executed by Dr. Whitaker. Aylmer was indeed no great
friend to controversy, which he thought turned the minds
of the people too much from the essence of religion, made
them quarrelsome and captious, indifferent subjects, and
not very good Christians. On this account, he was more
severe with the Puritans than the Papists, imprison ing one
Woodcock, a stationer or bookseller, for vending a treatise, entitled “An Admonition to Parliament,
” which
tended to subvert the church as it was then constituted.
He had likewise some disputes with one Mr. Welden, a
person of a good estate and interest, in Berkshire, whom
he procured to be committed by the ecclesiastical
imssioners. These proceedings roused the Puritans, who
treated him as a persecutor, and an enemy to true religion but this did not discourage the bishop, who thought
the peace of the church was to be secured by the authority
of its fathers, and therefore he executed his episcopal
power, as far and as often as he thought necessary. Thus
he suddenly summoned the clergy of London to his palace on Sunday, September 27, 1579, at one o'clock. On
this summons forty appeared and the dean being likewise
present, the bishop cautioned them of two things, one was,
not to meddle with the Ubiquitarian controversy the
other, to avoid meddling with the points treated in Stubb’s
book, entitled “The Dfscovery of a gaping Gulph,
” &c.
written against the queen’s marriage with Monsieur, the
French king’s brother, and in which it was suggested, that
the queen wavered in her religion. This method being
found very effectual, he summoned his clergy often, and
made strict inquiries into their conduct, a practice as
much approved by some, as censured by others and his
unpopularity, perhaps, might occasion, in some measure,
that violence with which he was prosecuted before the
council, in May 1579, for cutting down his woods, when
he was severely checked by the lord treasurer but notwithstanding his angry letters to that great nobleman, and
his long and laboured defence of himself, he was, at
length, by the queen’s command, forbidden to fell any
more.
, in Latin Ærodius, lieutenant-criminal in the presidial of Angers,
, in Latin Ærodius, lieutenant-criminal in the presidial of Angers, was born there in 1536.
He studied Latin and philosophy at Paris, and law at Toulouse from thence he went to Bourges for the advantage
of the public lectures of Duarenus, Cujas, and Doneau,
three of the most excellent civilians of that age. Having
taken the degree of bachelor at Bourges, he returned to his
own country, where he read public lectures upon the civil
law, and pleaded several causes. He returned to Paris
some time after, and became one of the most famous advocates in the parliament. He published there, in 1563,
“The Declamations of Quintilian,
” which he corrected in a
variety of places, and illustrated with notes. The year following he published, in the same city, a treatise “
coneerning the power of Redemption,
” written by Francis
Grimaudet, the king’s advocate at Angers, and wrote a preface to it concerning “the nature, variety, and change of
Laws.
” In Decretorum Rerumve
apud diversos populos et omni antiquitate judicatarum libri
duo accedit tractatus de origine et auctoritate rerum judicatarum,
” which he much enlarged in the subsequent
editions. He left Paris the year following, in order to take
upon him the office of lieutenant-criminal in his own
country, and performed it in such a manner as to acquire
the name of “the rock of the accused.
” Some other
writings came from his pen, political or controversial, but
that which acquired most fame among foreigners was his
treatise “De Patrio Jure,
” on the power of fathers, written
in French and Latin, and occasioned by his son having
been seduced by the Jesuits. His father, for the purposes
of education, had put him under their tuition, but perceiving that he had a lively genius, a strong memory, and other
excellent qualifications, he very earnestly desired both the
provincial of that order, and the rector of the college, not
to solicit him to enter into their society, which they readily
promised, but soon broke their word and, though he made
the greatest interest, and even prevailed on the king of
France and the pope to take his part, he could never recover him from their snares. The young man answered his
father’s book, but his superiors were ashamed to publish it,
and employed Richeome, the provincial of the Jesuits at
Paris, to answer it, but even this they did not venture to
publish. Peter Ayrault died July 21, 1601. His son not
until 1644.
, or in Latin, Jodocus Badius Ascensius, an eminent French printer,
, or in Latin, Jodocus Badius Ascensius, an
eminent French printer, was born in
1462, at Assche, a village in the territory of Brussels, from
which he derived the name Ascensius. He first studied at
Ghent, then at Brussels, and lastly at Ferrara in Italy. He
made great progress in the languages, and principally in
the Greek, which he learned at Lyons and at Paris. He
printed a great many books, and usually in the frontispiece
had a printing press as his mark. He is also the author of
some books, among which are <c Sylva moralis contra vitia“” Psalterium B. Mariae versibus“” Epigrammatum
Lib. I“* f Navicula stultarum mulierum
” “VitaThomce
a Kempis
” “De Grammatica
” “De conscribendis
Epistolis.
” He wrote also commentaries on Horace, Virgil,
Juvenal, Lucan, Sallust, Valerius Maximus, Quintilian,
Aulus Gellius, and soiue parts of Cicero’s works. At Paris
he taught Greek, and' explained the poets at Lyons. His
high reputation in these studies induced Treschel, the famous printer, to engage him as corrector of his press,
not only secured his valuable services by taking him as a
partner in the business, but also gave him his daughter
Thalia in marriage, who was also a learned lady. After
the death of his father-in-law, in 1500, he was engaged by
Gagnin, the royal librarian, to visit Paris, where he removed with his family, and established an excellent printing office, by the name of Praelum Ascensianum, from which
many good editions issued, although his type was not so
much admired as that of the Stephens’s. He died in 1535.
His son Conrad Badius settled at Geneva, having embraced
Calvinism, and was both a printer and an author. Two of
his daughters were married to eminent printers, one to
Michel Yascosan, and the other to Robert Stephens.
, in Latin Baduellus, a Protestant divine of the sixteenth century,
, in Latin Baduellus, a Protestant divine of the sixteenth century, was a native of
Nismes, and taught in the university of that city. In 1557
he went into Switzerland, and became the pastor of a
church in the vicinity of Geneva, and“taught philosophy
and mathematics till his death in 1561. He translated several of Calvin’s sermons into Latin, which he published
at Geneva, also
” Acta Martyrum nostri sseculi,“Genev.
1556
” Oratio ad Instituendum Gymnasium Nemausensi
de Studiis Literarum“” De Collegio et Universitate Nemausensi;“”Epistola Paracnetica ad Paulum filium de
vero patrimonio et hsereditate quam Christiani parentes
suis liberis debent relinquere,“and some other works, all
in Latin, which he was thought to write with great fluency.
But his most remarkable work was entitled
” De ratione
vitoe studiosa3 ac literatas in Matrimonio collocandae ac degendae," which has been three times printed in 8vo and 4to,
1544, 1577, and 1581. A defence of marriage, at that
time, was an object of some importance, and its advantages
to men of literature are displayed with good sense in this
work. Bayle gives a long account of it, and a farther list
of BaduePs works may be seen in Gesner’s Bibliotheca.
with respect to schools, and established a printing-office. He died in 1696. He wrote a commentary, in Latin, on the epistle of St. Paul to the Hebrews, which was
, son of Eric Basngius, a divine,
was born at Helsingborg in Sweden, in 1633, and studied
first at Stregne,s in Sudermania, and afterwards at UpsaL
Colonel Sylver Sparre, hearing of his good character and
abilities, appointed him tutor to his son, with whom Bsengius travelled into Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands, and visited eleven universities. On his return to
his own country, he was called to the theological chair of
Abo in Finland, when only in his thirty-second year. In
1682, Charles IX. king of Sweden, appointed him to the
bishopric of Wyburgh in Carelia. Baengius introduced
many useful regulations in his diocese, particularly with
respect to schools, and established a printing-office. He
died in 1696. He wrote a commentary, in Latin, on the
epistle of St. Paul to the Hebrews, which was printed at
Abo in 1671, 4to the “.Life of St. Anscharius
” a work
on the ecclesiastical history of Sweden a treatise on the
sacraments a Lutheran catechism several disputations,
and funeral orations, and a sacred chronology.
ite verole, les centenaires, et les vomissemens, produits par la passion liiaque.” He published also in Latin, a Dispensatory, in folio, and a treatise on the Materia
, an eminent French physician,
was born at Nancy, Jan. 2, 1686, and died there, Dec. 7,
1772. We have no farther particulars of his life, but his
works were numerous, and accounted valuable. They are,
1. “Histoire de la Theriaque,
” Dissertation sur les Tremblemens de Terre, et les Epidemies qu'ils
occasionnent,
” 8vo. 3. “Explication d‘un passage
d’Hippocrate sur les Scythes qui deviennent Eunuques,
”
3759, 8vo. 4. “Analyses des eaux Minerales de Contrexeville et de Nancy.
” 5. “Des Memoires sur la petite
verole, les centenaires, et les vomissemens, produits par la
passion liiaque.
” He published also in Latin, a Dispensatory, in folio, and a treatise on the Materia Medica, both
about the year 1771, the latter in 8vo.
efixed a preface. He also composed and published several discourses, very learned and eloquent, some in Latin, and others in the Danish tongue. He died in 1693, at
, bishop of Copenhagen, was born at Lunden in 1646. His father Olaus Bagger taught theology in the school of Lunden, but sent his son to Copenhagen for education. He afterwards travelled to Germany, the Netherlands, and England, studying under the most able masters in divinity and the oriental languages, and then returned to Copenhagen. When Lunden became a part of the Swedish dominions, the king established an academy there, and Bagger was appointed to teach the oriental languages. He had scarcely begun to give lessons, however, when by the advice of his friends of Copenhagen, he solicited and obtained, in 1674, the office of first pastor of the church of the Holy Virgin in that metropolis. In 1675, after the usual disputation, he got the degree of doctor, and on the death of John Wandalin, bishop of Zealand or Copenhagen, he was appointed to succeed him, at the very early age of twenty-nine. His promotion is said to have been in part owing to his wife Margaret Schumacher, the widow of Jacob Fabri, his predecessor, in the church of the Holy Virgin at Copenhagen, and to the brother of this lady, the count de Griffenfeld, who had great interest at court. Bagger, however, filled this high office with reputation, as well as that of dean of theology, which is attached to the bishopric of Copenhagen. He revised the ecclesiastical rites which Christian V. had passed into a law, as well as the liturgy, epistles, and gospels, collects, &c. to which he prefixed a preface. He also composed and published several discourses, very learned and eloquent, some in Latin, and others in the Danish tongue. He died in 1693, at the age of 47. By his second wife, he left a son Christian Bagger, who became an eminent lawyer, and in 1737 rose to be grand bailly of Bergen, and a counsellor of justice.
modern writers of romances and tales in prose rhetoricians, orators, and writers of letters, either in Latin, or in any of the modern languages. III. Historians,
In 1676, he received holy orders, and passed his examinations with high approbation. Monnoye, one of his
biographers, mentions a circumstance very creditable to his
superiors, that, although they were satisfied with his learning, they would not have admitted him into orders, if they
had not discovered that he was superior to the vanity which
sometimes accompanies a reputation for learning. The
bishop of Beauvais now gave him the vicarage of Lardieres,
which netted only 30l. yearly, yet with this pittance, Baillet, who maintained a brother, and a servant, contrived to
indulge his humanity to the poor, and his passion for books,
to purchase which he used to go once a year to Paris. His
domestic establishment was upon the most temperate scale,
no drink but water, and no meat, but brown bread, and
sometimes a little bacon, and a few herbs from his garden
boiled in water with salt, and whitened with a little milk.
The cares of his parish, however, so much interrupted his
favourite studies that he petitioned, and obtained another
living, the only duties of which were singing at church,
and explaining the catechism. A higher and more grateful
promotion now awaited him, as in 1680, he was made
librarian to M. Lamoignon, not the first president of the
parliament, as Niceron says, for he was then dead, but his
son, who at that time was advocate-general. To this place
he was recommended by M. Hermant, a doctor of the Sorbonne, who told Lamoignon that Baillet was the proper
person for him, if he could excuse his awkwardness. Lamoignon answered that he wanted a man of learning, and
did not regard his outward appearance. To Baillet such
an appointment was so gratifying that for some time he
could scarcely believe M. Hermant to be serious. When
he found it confirmed, however, he entered upon his new
office with alacrity, and one of his first employments was
to draw up an index of the library, which extended to
thirty-five folio volumes, under two divisions, subjects and
author’s names. The Latin preface to the index of subjects, when published, was severely, but not very justly censured by M. Menage, as to its style. After this, he completed four volumes of his celebrated work “Jugemens des
Savans,
” and gave them to the bookseller with no other
reserve than that of a few copies for presents. The success of the work was very great, and the bookseller
urged him to finish the five volumes that were, to follow.
He did not, however, accomplish the whole of his design,
which was to consist of six parts. I. In the first he was to
treat of those printers, who had distinguished themselves
by their learning, ability, accuracy, and fidelity. Of
critics, that is, of those who acquaint us with authors, and
their books, and in general those, who give an account
of the state of literature, and of all that belongs to the republic of letters. Of philologists, and all those who treat
of polite literature. Of grammarians and translators of all
kinds. II. Poets, ancient and modern writers of romances and tales in prose rhetoricians, orators, and writers
of letters, either in Latin, or in any of the modern languages. III. Historians, geographers, and chronologists
of all sorts. IV. Philosophers, physicians, and
mathematicians. V. Authors upon the civil and canon law, poJitics, and ethics. VI. Writers on divinity particularly
the fathers, school-divinity heretics, &c. He published,
however, only the first of these divisions, and half of the
second, under the title of “Jugemens des Savans sur les
principaux ouvrages des Auteurs,
” Paris, Asinus in Parnasso,
” the Ass on
Parnassus, followed afterwards by “Asinus ad Lyram,
”
and “Asinus Judex,
” all in defence of Menage and the
poets and an anonymous poet wrote “Asinus Pictor.
”
It does not appear, however, that these injured the sale of
the work; and in 1686, the five other volumes, upon the
poets, were published, with a preface, in which the author
vindicates himself with ability. M. Menage now published
his “Anti-Baillet,
” in which he endeavoured to point out
Baillet' s errors and another author attacked him in “Reflexions sur le Jugemens des Savans, [envoy 6ez a l'auteur
par un Academicien,
” Jugemens,
” attributes this letter to another Jesuit, a young man not
named. Of these censures some are undoubtedly just, but
others the cavils of caprice and hypercriticism.
a view to discover the names of those authors who have used fictitious ones. In 1678 he had written in Latin “Elenchus Apocalypticus Scriptorum Cryptonymorum,” but
In 1688, Baillet published his very amusing work, “Les
Enfans devenus celebres par leurs etudes et par leurs
ecrits,
” Paris, 2 vols. 12mo. This collection of examples
of young geniuses was thought well calculated to excite
emulation, and soon became a very popular book, the professors of the universities, and other teachers of youth,
strongly recommending it. His next work was of a singular cast. Conceiving that when Menage wrote his “Anti-Baillet
” he meant a personal, as well as a critical attack,
he began to form a catalogue of all works published with
similar titles, beginning with the Anti-Cato of Cassar, the
most ancient of the Anti’s, and concluding with trie AntiBaillet. This was published in 1689. “Des Satyres
personelles, Traite historique et critique de celles, qui portent le titre d'Anti,
” Paris, 2 vols. 12mo. The industrious
Marchand, however, has given a very long catalogue of
Anti’s omitted by Baillet, in his vol. I. under the article
Anti-Garasse. Bailiet afterwards prepared a more useful
work, for which he had made copious collections, with a
view to discover the names of those authors who have used
fictitious ones. In 1678 he had written in Latin “Elenchus Apocalypticus Scriptorum Cryptonymorum,
” but of
this he published only a preliminary treatise in French,
“Auteurs degnisez sous des noms etraiigers, &c. tome I.
contenant le traite preliminaire, sur le changement et la
supposition des noms parmi les Auteurs,
” Paris, De
Anonymis et Pseudonymis,
” and they had some communication together on the subject. Niceron attributes Baillet’s suppression of this work to the fear of giving offence,
which might surely have been avoided if he had left contemporary writings to some future editor. In 1691, he
wrote the “Life of Des Cartes,
” in 2 vols. 4to, which was
criticised in “Reflexions cl' un Academicien sur la Vie de
M. des Cartes, envoyees a un de ses amis en Hollande,
”
ascribed, by Le Long, to Gallois, and by Marchand, to
Le Tellier. The chief fault, is that very common one, in
single lives, of introducing matters very slightly, if at all,
connected with the history of the principal object, and from
much that is in this work, Des Cartes might be supposed
a warlike general, or a controversial divine. It succeeded
so well, however, that a second edition was prevented only
by his death but before that event he abridged it in one
volume 12mo, and also wrote the life of Richer, doctor of
the Sorbonne, which was not printed until several years
after his death, at Liege, 1714, 12mo.
don, 1619, 4to. This piece was only a specimen of a large work, which the author intended to publish in Latin, under the title of “Cometographia.” 2. “Procli sphæra.
, an eminent physician and astronomer, born in 1582, at Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire, was educated at the public school of that town; and
from thence went to Emanuel college in Cambridge, under
the tuition of Dr. Joseph Hall, afterwards bishop of
Norwich. When he had taken his degrees of bachelor and
master of arts, he went, back to Leicestershire, where he
taught a grammar-school for some years, and at the same
time practised physic. He employed his leisure hours in
the mathematics, especially astronomy, which had been
his favourite study from his earliest years. By the advice
of his friends, who thought his abilities too great for the
obscurity of a country life, he removed to London, where
he was admitted a fellow of the college of physicians. His
description of the comet, which appeared in 1618, greatly
raised his character. It was by this means he got acquainted with sir Henry Savile, who, in 1619, appointed
him his first professor of astronomy at Oxford. Upon this
he removed to that university, and was entered a master
commoner of Merton college; the master and fellows
whereof appointed him junior reader of Linacer’s lecture
in 1631, and superior reader in 1635. As he resolved to
publish correct editions of the ancient astronomers, agreeably to the statutes of the founder of his professorship; in
order to make himself acquainted with the discoveries of
the Arabian astronomers, he began the study of the Arabic language when he was above 40 years of age. Some
time before his death, he removed to a house opposite
Merton college, where he died in 1643. His body was
conveyed to the public schools, where an oration was pronounced in his praise by the university orator; and was
carried from thence to Merton college church, where it
was deposited near the altar. His published works are,
1. “An astronomical description of the late Comet, from
the 18th of November 1618, to the 16th of December
following,
” London, Cometographia.
”
2. “Procli sphæra. Ptolomæi de hypothesibus Planetarum liber singularis.
” To which he added Ptolemy’s
“Canon regnorum.
” He collated these pieces with ancient manuscripts, and has given a Latin version of them,
illustrated with figures, 1620, 4to. 3. “Canicularia; a
treatise concerning the dog-star and the canicular days.
”
Published at Oxford in
reparations of Equations, by a Circle, and any (and that one only) Farabole, &c.” London, 1684, 4to, in Latin and English. In the Philosophical Transactions, it is
, an eminent mathematician in the
seventeenth century, the son of James Baker of Ikon in
Somersetshire, steward to the family of the Strangways of
Dorsetshire, was born at Ikon about the year 1625, and
entered in Magdalen-hall, Oxon, in the beginning of the
year 1640. In April 1645, he was elected scholar of Wadham college and did some little servicb to king Charles I.
within the garrison of Oxford. He was admitted bachelor
of arts, April 10, 1647, but left the university without completing that degree by determination. Afterwards he became vicar of Bishop’s-Nymmet in Devonshire, where he
lived many years in studious retirement, applying chiefly
to the study of the mathematics, in which he made very
great progress. But in his obscure neighbourhood, he was
neither known, nor sufficiently valued for his skill in that
useful branch of knowledge, till he published his famous
book. A little before his death, the members of the royal
society sent him some mathematical queries to which he
returned so satisfactory an answer, that they gave him a
medal with an inscription full of honour and respect. He
died at Bishop’s-Nymmet aforementioned, on the 5th of
June 1690, and was buried in his own church. His book
was entitled “The Geometrical Key, or the Gate of Equations unlocked, or a new Discovery of the construction of
all Equations, howsoever affected, not exceeding the fourth
degree, viz. of Linears, Quadratics, Cubics, Biquadratics,
and the rinding of all their roots, as well false as true, without the use of Mesolahe, Trisection of Angles, without
Reduction, Depression, or any other previous Preparations
of Equations, by a Circle, and any (and that one only)
Farabole, &c.
” London, 1684, 4to, in Latin and English.
In the Philosophical Transactions, it is observed, that the
author, in order to free us of the trouble of preparing the
equation by taking away the second term, shews us how to
construct all affected equations, not exceeding the fourth
power, by the intersection of a circle and parabola, without omission or change of any terms. And a circle and a
parabola being the most simple, it follows, that the way
which our author has chosen is the best. In the book (to render it intelligible even to those who have read no conies), the author shews, how a parabola arises from the
section of a cone, then bow to describe it in piano, and
from that construction demonstrates, that the squares of
the ordinates are one to another, as the correspondent
sagitta or intercepted diameters then he shews, that if a
line be inscribed in a parabola perpendicular to any diameter, a rectangle made of the segments of the inscript,
will be equal to a rectangle rr.ade of the intercepted diameter and parameter of the axis. From this last propriety
our author deduces the universality of his central rule for
the solution of ai! 2 biquadratic and cubic equations, however
affected or varied in terms or signs. After the synthesis
the author shews the analysis or method, by which he found
this rule which, in the opinion of Dr. R. Plot (who was then secretary to the royal society) is so good, that nothing can be expected more easy, simple, or universal.
, in Latin Baleus or Balæus, bishop of Ossory in Ireland, about the
, in Latin Baleus or Balæus, bishop of Ossory in Ireland, about the middle of the sixteenth century, was born the 21st of November 1495, at Cove, a small village in Suffolk, near Dunwich. His parents, whose names were Henry and Margaret, being incumbered with a large family, young Bale was entered, at twelve years of age, in the monastery of Carmelites at Norwich, and from thence was sent to Jesus college in Cambridge. He was educated in the Romish religion but afterwards, at the instigation of the lord Wentworth, turned Protestant, and gave a proof of his having renounced one of the errors of popery (the celibacy of the clergy) by immediately marrying his wife Dorothy. This, as may be conjectured, exposed him to the persecution of the Romish clergy, against whom he was protected by lord Cromwell, favourite of king Henry VIII. But, on Cromwell’s death, Bale was forced to retire into the LowCountries, where he resided eight years; during which, time he wrote several pieces in English. He was then recalled into England by king Edward VI. and obtained the living of Bishop’s Stocke in the county of Southampton. The 15th of August 1552, he was nominated by king Edward, who happened to be at Southampton, to the see of Ossory. This promotion he appears to have owed to his accidentally waiting on his majesty to pay his respects to him. Edward, who had been told he was dead, expressed his surprize and satisfaction at seeing him alive, and immediately appointed him to the bishopric, which he refused at first, alleging his poverty, age, and want of health. The king, however, would not admit of these excuses, and Bale set off for Dublin, where Feb. 2, 1553, he was consecrated by the archbishop. On this occasion, when he found that it was become a question whether the common prayer published in England should be used, he positively refused to be consecrated according to the old popish form, and remaining inflexible, the new form was used. He underwent, however, a variety of persecutions from the popish party in Ireland, and all his endeavours to reform the people and priesthood in his diocese, and to introduce the reformed religion, were not only frustrated by the death of Edward VI. and the accession of queen Mary, but in the mean time exasperated the savage fury of his enemies so much, that he found it necessary to withdraw from his see, and remain concealed in Dublin. Afterwards, endeavouring to make his escape in a small trading vessel in that port, he was taken prisoner by the captain of a Dutch man of war, who rifled him of all his money, apparel, and effects. This ship was driven by stress of weather into St. Ives in Cornwall, where our prelate was taken up on suspicion of treason, but was soon discharged. From thence, after a cruize of several days, the ship arrived in Dover road, where he was again in danger by a false accusation. Arriving afterwards in Holland, he was kept a prisoner three weeks, and then obtained his liberty on the payment of thirty pounds. From Holland he retired to Basil in Switzerland and continued abroad during the short reigu of queen Mary. On the accession of queen Elizabeth, he returned to England, but not to his bishopric in Ireland, contenting himself with a prebend in the cathedral church of Canterbury, to which he was promoted the 15th of January, 1560. He died Nov. 1563, in the 68th year of his age, at Canterbury, and was buried in the cathedral of that place.
hich he designed to make use of against cardinal Baronius. He wrote also, 1. an eloge on M. Fouquet, in Latin, 1655, 4to. 2. “Traite des usurpations des rois de' Espagne
, a man of great learning
and merit, was born about 1588, and applied himself
chiefly to the study of ecclesiastical history, which gave
him a disgust to the Romish, and a desire to embrace the
Protestant religion. He had a considerable post, that of
king’s advocate, in the presidial of Auxerre; and as he
must either resolve to abandon it, or not change his religion, he was some time perplexed, but at last he conscientiously determined to leave Auxerre, his estate, his
post, his relations, and friends, and go to Charenton,
where he publicly joined himself to the reformed church,
and continued in it till his death, edifying his brethren,
both by his exemplary life, and his discourses. The expence which he was obliged to be at in Paris, being too
great for his circumstances, and his conversion rendering
him too obnoxious in that city, he accepted an invitation
to Castres from M. de Faur, a rich young counsellor of
the bipartite court of the edict, who gave him a lodging
in his house, and a proper pension, happy to have with
him a man of learning, by whose instructions and conversation he might profit. But as Balthasar had an inclination to labour for the public, he wished to have all his
time at his own disposal, and for that reason took his
leave of his host. His design was favoured by the national
synod of Loudun, in the year 1659 for that assembly
granted him a pension of 750 livres to be paid by all the
churches of France, according to the repartition that was
made of them. He had prepared, before that synod was
held, a considerable number of dissertations upon important subjects, against cardinal Baronius, which he entitled “Diatribse.
” He put four or five into the hands of a
minister of Castres, who was one of the deputies of the
province of Upper Languedoc and Upper Guienne.
They were presented to Mr. Daille, moderator of that
national synod, an excellent judge, who was extremely
pleased with them, and gave a very advantageous character of them to the whole assembly. He then carried
them to Paris, where it was hoped they would be printed,
but either proper measures were not taken, or could not
be taken, for that purpose. The author, who was very
old, and troubled with the stone, died in 1670. Pvlr.
Daille* died too and after that, the church of Castres sent
repeated letters to recover those dissertations, but could
never discover what became of them. Mr. Balthasar left
others, which were not finished, and a great many collections, the greatest part of which consisted of separate
pieces of paper, in which he had noted clown the authorities
and testimonies which he designed to make use of against
cardinal Baronius. He wrote also, 1. an eloge on M. Fouquet, in Latin, 1655, 4to. 2. “Traite des usurpations
des rois de' Espagne sur la couronne de France, depuis
Charles VIII. &c.
” Paris, 1626, 8vo, and reprinted in
1645, with an additional discourse on the pretensions of
the court of France. 3. “Justice des armes du roi treschretien contre le roi d'Espagne,
” Paris,
the Ranters and other Libertines, &e.” In 1676, his famous < e Apology“for the Quakers was published in Latin at Amsterdam, 4to. His” Theses theologies,“which are the
, the celebrated apologist for the
Quakers, and one of the ablest writers of that sect, was
born at Gordonstown, in the shire of Murray, Scotland, in
1648, of an ancient and very honourable family. The
troubles in Scotland induced his father, colonel Barclay,
to send him while a youth to Paris, under the care of his
uncle, principal of the Scots college who, taking advantage of the tender age of his nephew, drew him over to
the Romish religion. His father, being informed of this,
sent for him in 1664. Robert, though now only sixteen,
had gained a perfect knowledge of the French and Latin
tongues, and had also improved himself in most other parts
of knowle_dge. Several writers amongst the quakers have
asserted that colonel Barclay had embraced their doctrine
before his son’s return from France, but Robert himself has
tixed it to the year 1666. Our author soon after became
also a proselyte to that sect, and in a short time distinguished himself greatly by his zeal for their doctrines. His
rirst treatise in defence of them appeared at Aberdeen,
1670. It was written in so sensible a manner, that it
greatly raised the credit of the quakers. The title runs
thus “Truth cleared of calumnies, 'wherein a hook entitled, A dialogue between a Quaker and a stable Christian
(printed at Aberdeen, and, upon good ground, judged to be writ by William Mitchel, a preacher near by it, or at least that he had a chief hand in it), is examined, and the
disingenuity of the author in his representing the Quakers
is discovered here is also their case truly stated, cleared,
demonstrated, and the objections of their opposers answered according to truth, scripture, and right reason to
which are subjoined queries to the inhabitants of Aberdeen,
which might (as far as the title tells us) also be of use to
such as are of the same mind with them elsewhere in the
nation.
” The preface to this performance is dated from the
author’s house at Ury, the 19th of the second month, 1670.
In a piece he published in 1672, he tells us that he had
been commanded by God to pass through the streets of
Aberdeen in sackcloth and ashes, and to preach the necessity of faith and repentance to the inhabitants he accordingly performed it, being, as he declared, in the greatest
agonies of mind till he had fulfilled this command. In
1675, he published a regular and systematical discourse,
explaining the tenets of the quakers; which was well received. This was called “A Catechism and Confession of
Faith, &c.
” Many of those who opposed the religion of the
quakers, having endeavoured to confound them with another sect called the ranters, our author, in order to shewr
the difference between those pi his persuasion and this
other sect, wrote a very sensible and instructive work
called “The Anarchy of the Ranters and other Libertines,
&e.
” In for the Quakers
was published in Latin at Amsterdam, 4to. His
” Theses
theologies,“which are the foundation of this work, had
been published some time before. He translated his Apology into English, and published it in 1678. The title in
the English edition runs thus
” An apology for the true
Christian divinity as the same is held forth and preached by
the people called in scorn Quakers being a full explanation and vindication of their principles and doctrines, by
many arguments deduced from scripture and right reason,
and the testimonies of famous authors both ancient and
modern, with a full answer to the strongest objections
usually made against them presented to the king: written
and published in Latin for the information of strangers, by
Robert Barclay; and now put into our own language for
the benefit of his countrymen.“This work is addressed
to Charles II. and the manner in which he expresses himself to his majesty is very remarkable. Amongst many
other extraordinary passages, we meet with the following:
” There is no king in the world, who can so experimentally
testify of God’s providence and goodness; neither is there
any who rules so many free people, so many true Christians which thing renders thy government more honourable, thyself more considerable, than the accession of many
nations rilled with slavish aud superstitious souls. Thou
hast tasted of prosperity and adversity thou knowest what
it is to be banished thy native country, to be over-ruled
as well as to rule and sit upon the throne and being oppressed, thou hast reason to know how hateful the oppressor is both to God and man if, after all those warnings
and advertisements, thou dost not turn unto the Lord with
all thy heart, but forget him who remembered thee in thy
distress, and give up thyself to follow lust and vanity, surely,
great will be thy condemnation.“These pieces of his,
though they greatly raised his reputation amongst persons
of sense and learning, yet they brought him into various
disputes, and one particularly with some considerable members of the university of Aberdeen an account of which
was afterwards published, entitled
” A true and faithful
account of the most material passages of a dispute between
some students- of divinity (so called) of the university of
Aberdeen, aud the people called Quakers, held in Aberdeen in Scotland, in Alexander Harper his close (or yard)
before some hundred of witnesses, upon the 14th day of the
second month, called April, 1675, there being John Lesly,
Alexander Sherreff, and Paul Gellie master of arts, opponents and defendants upon the Quakers’ part, Robert
Barclay and George Keith praeses for moderating the
meeting, chosen by them, Andrew Thompson advocate;
and by the quakers, Alexander Skein, some time a magistrate of the city published for preventing misreports
by Alexander Skein, John Skein, Alexander Harper, Thomas Merser, and John Cowie to which is added, Robert
Barclay’s offer to the preachers of Aberdeen, renewed and
reinforced.“It appears also that he suffered imprisonment
for his principles, which he bore with the greatest
meekness. In 1677, he wrote a large treatise on
” universal
love.“Nor were his talents entirely confined to this abstracted kind of writing, as appears from his letter to the
public ministers of Nimeguen. In 1679, a treatise of his
was published in answer to John Brown he wrote also the
same year a vindication of his Anarchy of the Ranters.
His last tract was published in 1686, and entitled
” The
possibility and necessity of the inward and immediate Revelation of the Spirit of God towards the foundation and
ground of true faith, proved in a letter written in Latin to
a person of quality in Holland, and now also put into
English.' 7 He did great service to his sect by his writings
over all. Europe. He travelled also with the famous IVlr.
Penn through the greatest part of England, Holland, and
Germany, and was every where received with great respect. When he returned to his native country, he spent
the remainder of his life in a quiet and retired manner. He
died at his own house at Ury, on the 3d of October 1690,
in the forty-second year of his age, leaving seven children,
all of whom were alive in October 1740, fifty years after
their father’s death, and the last survivor, Mr. David Barclay, a merchant of London, died in March 1769, in his
eighty-eighth year, a gentleman still remembered for having had the singular honour of receiving at his house in
Cheapside, three successive kings, George I. II. and III.
when at their accession they favoured the city with their
presence. From his windows they witnessed the procession, previous to dining with the lord-mayor and citizens at Guildhall on the lord-mayor’s day.
nd served France with great integrity and address, during the whole course of this embassy. He wrote in Latin the History of France from the death of Lewis XIII. to
, counsellor of state, marquis of Marolles upon the Seine, was ambassador from France to Switzerland under the reign of Lewis XIV. He had been chief deputy of monsieur de Chavigni, secretary of state, and assisted at the conferences at Munster, as a minister of the second rank, when endeavours were made to procure him the title of excellency, which did not succeed. He had been already named for the embassy in Switzerland, and served France with great integrity and address, during the whole course of this embassy. He wrote in Latin the History of France from the death of Lewis XIII. to the year 1652. This work was printed in 1671, and well received by the public. The style is excellent; affairs are related without flattery, and with great skill in the intrigues of the cabinet. The author has latinised his name by that of Labardicus. He had made a French translation of this history, which in the opinion of good judges was much inferior to the original Latin. As he was very learned in points of divinity, he wrote a book of Controversy in Latin, against the opinion of protestants concerning the Eucharist, which was not published. It is thought he destroyed it himself. He died in 1692, ninety years of age.
Christ’s hospital, where he distinguished himself by his early knowledge of Greek, and by some poems in Latin and English, written before he went to the University.
, a learned divine and professor of
Greek at Cambridge, was the son of a tradesman of London, where he was born Jan. 10, 1654. He was educated
in Christ’s hospital, where he distinguished himself by
his early knowledge of Greek, and by some poems in
Latin and English, written before he went to the University. On Dec. 11, 1671, he was admitted a servitor in
Emanuel college, Cambridge. In 1675 he published at
London, his “Gerania;
” and in June Poetical paraphrase on the History of Esther.
” In
in the preface to his Esther, that “he found it much easier to him to write in that language, than* in Latin or even English, since the ornaments of poetry are almost
He bad a prodigious readiness in writing and speaking the
Greek tongue and he himself tells us in the preface to his
Esther, that “he found it much easier to him to write in
that language, than* in Latin or even English, since the
ornaments of poetry are almost peculiar to the Greeks,
and since he had for many years been extremely conversant in Homer, the great father and source of the Greek
Poetry However, that his verses were not mere Cantos
from that poet, like Dr. Duport’s, but formed, as far as
he was able, upon his style and manner since he had no
desire to be considered as a rhapsodist of a rhapsody, but
was ambitious of the title of a poet.
” Dr. Bentley, we are
told, used to say of Joshua Barnes, that “he understood
as much Greek as a Greek cobler.
” This bon mot, which
was first related by Dr. Salter of the Charter-house, has
been explained by an ingenious writer, as not insinuating,
that Barnes had only some knowledge of the Greek language. Greek was so familiar to him that he could offhand have turned a paragraph in a newspaper, or a hawker’s bill, into any kind of Greek metre, and has often been
known to do so among his Cambridge friends. But with
this uncommon knowledge and facility in that language,
being very deficient in taste and judgment, Bentley compared his attainments in Greek, not to the erudition of a
scholar, but to the colloquial readiness of a vulgar mechanic. With respect to his learning, it seems agreed that
he had read a great many books, retained a great many
words, and could write Greek in what is called the Anacreontic measure readily, but was very far from being a
judicious or an able critic. If he had some enemies at
first, his abuse and vanity did not afterwards lessen their
number, though it is probable, more men laughed at, than
either envied or hated him. They said he was ovo$ trfo$ *v%<xv 9
Asinus ad Lyram and perhaps it is not the worst thing
Barnes ever said in reply, that they who said this of him,
had not understanding enough to be poets, or wanted the
b vug Ts%Q$ huqav.
3. Several dramatic pieces, viz. Xerxes, Pythias and Damon, Holofernes, &c. some in English and some in Latin; the former written entirely by himself, the latter in
In 1700, he married Mrs. Mason, a widow lady of Hemingford, near St. Ives, in Huntingdonshire, with a jointure of c200 per annum. The common report is, that this
lady, who was between forty and fifty, having for some
time been a great admirer of Mr. Barnes, came to
Cambridge, and desired leave to settle an hundred pounds a
year upon him after her death which he politely refused,
unless she would condescend to make him happy in her
person^ which was none of the most engaging. The lady
was too obliging to refuse any thing to “Joshua, for
whom,
” she said, “the sun stood still
” and soon after
they were married. This jointure was probably a help to
him, but he had no church preferment, and bore a considerable part in the printing of some of his works, particularly his Homer. It appears that he was much involved
with the expence of this work, and wrote two supplicating
letters on the subject to the earl of Oxford, which are now
in the British Museum, and weiae copied some years ago,
and printed in the St. James’s Chronicle by George Steevens, esq. What the effect of them was, we know not but
it is said that he at one time generously refused c2000 a
year which was offered to be settled upon him. Upon the
same authority we are told that a copy of verses which he
wrote to prove that Solomon was the author of the Iliad,
was not so much from the persuasion of his own mind, as
to amuse his wife and by that means engage her to supply him with money towards defraying the expences of the
edition. On his monument is a Latin inscription, and
some Greek anacreontics by Dr. Savage, rather extravagant, but composed by way of pleasantry, and which his
widow requested might be inscribed. The English translation, often reprinted, is professedly burlesque but one
curious-fact is recorded on this monument, that he “read
a small English Bible one hundred and twenty-one times
at his leisure,
” which, Mr. Cole remarks, is but once
more than the learned duke de Montausier had read the
Greek Testament. In one of the above-mentioned letters
to Harley, he says, “I have lived in the university above
thirty years fellow of a college, now above forty years
standing, and fifty-eight years of age am bachelor of
divinity, and have preached before kings.
” How Mr.
Barnes was neglected in church preferment cannot now be
ascertained, but it seems not improbable that he did not
seek it, his whole life being spent in study, and his only
wants, those which arose from the expense of his publications. His pursuits were classical, and although from his
constant perusal of the Bible, we may infer his piety, we
know little of him as a divine.
The following is a Jist of Mr. Barnes’s works, published
and unpublished; and from the latter, we may at least
form a very high opinion of his industry. It is unnecessary, perhaps, to add that his editions of the classics are
not now in the highest reputation. Their errors were
pointed out in his life-time, and superior critics have in a
great measure superseded the use of them. While at
Christ-church he published, 1. "Sacred Poems, in five
books, viz. I. These pieces are in English, with a Latin dedication, an. 1669. 2.
” The Life of Oliver Cromwell, the
Tyrant,“an English poem, 1670. 3. Several dramatic
pieces, viz. Xerxes, Pythias and Damon, Holofernes, &c.
some in English and some in Latin; the former written
entirely by himself, the latter in conjunction with others.
Also some tragedies of Seneca translated into English.
4.
” Upon the Fire of London and the Plague,“a Latin
poem in heroic verse. 5.
” A Latin Elegy upon the beheading of St. John the Baptist.“He afterwards published, 6.
” Gerania, or a new discovery of a little sort
of people called Pigmies," 1655, 12mo. 7. 1679, 8vo. 8.
” The History of that most victorious
monarch Edward III. king of England and France, and
lord of Ireland, and first founder of the most noble order
of the Garter; being a full and exact account of the Life
and Death of the said King; together with that of his most
renowned son, Edward Prince of Wales and Acquitain,
surnamed the Black Prince; faithfully and carefully collected from the best and most ancient authors domestic
and foreign, printed books, manuscripts, and records,“Cambridge, 1688, fol. a very elaborate collection of facts,
but strangely intermixed with long speeches from his own
imagination, which he thought was imitating Thucydides.
Of his judgment as an antiquary, it may be a sufficient
specimen that he traced the institution of the order of the
garter to the Phenicians, following his predecessor Aylet
Sammes, who derives all our customs from the same ancient people. 9. His
” Euripides,“1694, fol. 10.
” His
Anacreon,“1705 and 1721, 8vo, which he dedicated to
the duke of Marlborough, who, it has been observed,
knew nothing of Anacreon, or of Greek. 11. His Homer,
” 2 vols. 1711, 4to. The verses he wrote proving
that Solomon wrote the Iliad, are in ms. in the library of
Emanuel college.
Greek verse. 4. Thuribuluna, or the hymns and festivals in Greek verse. 5. Miscellanies and epigrams in Latin and Greek verse. 6. Αγγλα Βελγομαχία, or the death of
There is subjoined to the first edition of his Anacreon at Cambridge, 1705, a catalogue of works, which Mr. Barnes had either published, or intended to publish; which is omitted in the second edition of that poet, printed after his death in 1721, though it is mentioned in the contents and the prolegomena. In this catalogue, besides the books already mentioned, we find the following 1. The Warlike Lover, or the Generous Rival; an English dramatic piece upon the war between the English and Dutch, and the death of the earl of Sandwich, an. 1672. 2. ψονθομφανεὰχ, or Joseph the Patriarch a Greek heroic poem in one book. The author designed twelve books, but finished only one. 3. Ὀρειολογία, or our Saviour’s Sermon upon the Mount, the Decalogue, the Apostles Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, the Magnificat, with other hymns from the Old and New Testament, in Greek verse. 4. Thuribuluna, or the hymns and festivals in Greek verse. 5. Miscellanies and epigrams in Latin and Greek verse. 6. Αγγλα Βελγομαχία, or the death of Edward Montague, earl of Sandwich, in Greek, Latin, and English verse. 7. Ἀγεκτρυομαχία, or a poem upon Cock-fighting, an, 1673. 8. The Song of Songs, containing an hundred Hexastics in English heroic verse, an. 1674. 9. SwEi^^bf@@; a ludicrous poem, in Greek macaronic verse, upon a battle between a Spider and a Toad, an. 1673. 10. $*jia3b$, or a supplement to the old ludicrous poem under that title, at Trinity-house in Cambridge, upon a battle between the Fleas and a Welshman. 11. A Poetical Lexicon, Greek and Latin to which is added a Lexicon of proper names, 1675, fol. 12. A treatise on the Greek Accents, in answer to Henry Christian Heninius and others, with a discourse upon the Points now in use. 13. Humorous Poems upon the 9th by ok of the; Iliad, and the ninth of the Odyssey, in English published in 1681. 14. Franciados an heroic poem, in Latin, upon the Black Prince. The whole was to consist of twelve books, eight of which were finished. 15. The Art of War, in four books, in English prose, 1676. 16. Hengist, or the English Valour; an heroic poem in English, in seven books. 17. Landgarth, or the Amazon Queen of Norway and Denmark an English dramatic poem in heroic verse, designed in honour of the marriage between prince George of Denmark and princess Anne. 18. An Ecclesiastical History from the beginning of the world to the ascension of our Saviour, in Latin, to I. 19. Miscellaneous Poems in English. 20. Philosophical and Divine Poems, in Latin, published at different 'times at Cambridge. 21. Poems, and sacred daily Meditations, continued for several years in English. 22. A dissertation upon Pillars, Obelisks, Pyramids, &c. in Latin, 1692. 23. A discourse upon the Sibyls, in three books, in Latin. 24. The Life of Pindar in four lectures, and thirty-two lectures upon his first Olympic Ode. 25. The Life of Theocritus, and lectures upon that poet. 26. The Lives of David, Scanderbeg, and Tamerlane. These lives, he tells us, he never actually begun, but only made considerable collections for them. 27. The Life of Edward the Black Prince. 28. The University- Calendar, or directions for young students of all degrees, with relation to their studies, and general rules of ethics, and a form of prayer, anno 1685. 29. Thirty-two lectures upon the first book of the Odyssey. 30. Above fifty lectures upon. Sophocles. 31. Lectures upon Bereshith, with an oration recommending the study of the Hebrew language. 32. Three Discourses in Jtnglish. I. The Fortunate Island, or the Inauguration of Queen Gloriana. II. The Advantage of England, or a sure way to victory. III. The Cause of the Church of England defended and explained published in 1703. 33. Concio ad Clerum, for his degree of bachelor of divinity, at St. Mary’s in Cambridge, 1686. 3*. Occasional Sermons, preached before the lord-mayor, &c. 35. An Oration, recommending the study of the Greek language, spoken in the public schools at Cambridge before the vice-chancellor, March 28, 1705. 36. A Greek Oration, addressed to the most reverend father Neophytus, archbishop of philippopolis, spoken in the Regent-house at Cambridge, September 13, 1701, 37. A Prevaricator’s Speech, spoken at the commencement at Cambridge, 1680. 38. A Congratulatory Oration in Latin, spoken at St. Mary’s, September 9, 1683, upon the escape of king Charles Ji. and the duke of York from the conspiracy. 39. Sermons, orations, declamations, problems, translations, letters, and other exercises, in English, Latin, and Greek. 40. A Satire in English verse upon the poets and critics. 41. An imitation of Plautus’s Trinummi in English. 42. Interpretations, illustrations, emendations, and corrections of many passages, which have been falsely translated, with explications upon various passages of scripture, from Genesis to Revelations. 43. Common-places in divinity, philology, poetry, and criticism and emendations of various Greek and Latin authors, with fragments of many of the poets.
e of them. We have at least two books written by Barnes, one, the “Articles of his Faith,” published in Latin, with a preface by Pomeranus, and again in Dutch in 1531.
, professor of divinity, and chaplain to Henry VIII. king of England, was sent to Germany by his master in 1535, where he held a conference
with the protestant divines upon the affair of the divorce
after that he had several audiences of the elector of Saxony, and joined with the English ambassadors, who proposed to this elector an alliance against the pope, and desired that Henry VIII. might be associated in the league
of Smalcalde. He gave them hopes of a reformation in
England but in fact, they had no other design than to
obtain their doctors approbation of the divorce of their
master, and a political alliance, in order to find the emperor more employment, who threatened to revenge the
injury upon king Henry for divorcing his aunt. They carried away with them the opinion of the divines of Witternberg which was not entirely favourable to them but they
suppressed the conclusion, wjien they shewed it to the
king. Barnes’s conduct however pleased the king, and
induced him to employ him in carrying on a correspondence with the princes of Germany. He was sent several
times to those courts and among other negociations, he
w r as the first who was employed in the project of the marriage with Anne of Cleves. He was a zealous Lutheran,
which he did not conceal in his sermons for in Lent in
1540 he confuted the sermon, which bishop Gardiner had
preached against Luther’s doctrine. He took the same
text as Gardiner had done, and taught a doctrine absolutely contrary to what this prelate had laid down concerning
justification nay he even attacked the bishop personally,
and jested upon the name of Gardiner. Gardiner’s friends
complained to the king of this, who ordered 'Barnes to
give him satisfaction, to sign certain articles, and to make
a formal recantation in the pulpit. All this was done, but
in such a manner, that there was a complaint, that in one
part of his sermon he artfully maintained what he had retracted in the other. Upon these complaints he was sent
to the Tower by the king’s command, which he never
came out of but to suffer death in the midst of the flames
for he was condemned* as an heretic by the parliament,
without being permitted to make his defence. He declared his belief a little before his death he rejected justification by works, invocation of saints, &c. and desired
that the king would undertake a thorough reformation.
His freedom of speech had for a long time before exposed
him to trouble. While Wolsey was in favour, he preached
so vehemently at Cambridge against the luxury of prelates,
that every body saw immediately that he designed it
against the cardinal. Upon that account he was carried to
London, where by the solicitations of Gardiner and Fox,
he was rescued from that prosecution, having agreed to
abjure some articles which were proposed to him. Afterwards he was again committed to prison upon some newaccusations and then it was generally believed that he
would be burnt, but he escaped, and went over into Germany, where he applied himself entirely to the study of
the bible and divinity in which he made so great a progress, that he was very much esteemed by the doctors and
princes. When the king of Denmark sent ambassadors to
England, he desired Barnes to accompany them, or even
to be one of them. We have at least two books written
by Barnes, one, the “Articles of his Faith,
” published in
Latin, with a preface by Pomeranus, and again in Dutch
in 1531. The other is his “Lives of the Popes,
” from
St. Peter to Alexander II. published, with a preface by
Luther, at Wirtemberg, 1536, and afterwards at Leyden,
1615; together with Bale’s Lives of the Popes. Luther
also published an account of his martyrdom.
eat share in the Pharmacopoeia of Paris, for 1732, 4to; and in 1739, gave an academical dissertation in Latin on chocolate, “An senibus Chocolate potas?” which has
, ancient professor and
dean of the faculty of medicine at Paris, the place of his
birth, died July 29, 1758, at about the age of 72. He had
a great share in the Pharmacopoeia of Paris, for 1732, 4to;
and in 1739, gave an academical dissertation in Latin on
chocolate, “An senibus Chocolate potas?
” which has
been often reprinted. His son, of the same name, war
also dean of the faculty at Paris, where he died in 1787, at
the age of eighty. He was long a surgeon in the armies of
Italy and Germany, and published some medical works.
There was a Theodore Baron before these, probably their
ancestor, who, in 1609, published a curious work entitled
“De operationis meiendi triplici lacsione et curatione,
” of
which Haller gives a brief analysis.
rac. Three nymphs contend for the honour of saluting her majesty. The first delivers her compliments in Latin, the second in French, and the third in Gascon verses.
, the son of a
treasurer of France, was born in the year 1544-, at Monfort in Armagnac, and not on the estate de Bartas, which
is in the vicinity of that little town. Henry IV. whom he
served with his sword, and whom he celebrated in his
verses, sent him on various commissions to England, Denmark, and Scotland. He had the command of a company
of cavalry in Gascony, under the marechal de Matignon.
He was in religious profession a Calvinist, and died in
1590 at the age of 46. The work that has most contributed to render his name famous, is the poem entitled
“Commentary of the Week of the creation of the world,
”
in seven hooks. Pierre de l'Ostal, in a miserable copy of
verses addressed to du Bartas, and prefixed to his poem,
says that this hook is “greater than the whole universe.
”
This style of praise on the dullest of all versifiers, was
adopted at the time, but has not descended to ours. The
style of du Bartas is incorrect, quaint, and vulgar; his
descriptions are given under the most disgusting images.
In his figures, the head is the lodging of the understanding; the eyes are two shining casements, or twin stars;
the nose, the gutter or the chimney; the teeth, a double
pallisade, serving as a mill to the open gullet; the hands,
the chambermaids of nature, the bailiffs of the mind, and
the caterers of the body; the bones, the posts, the beams, and
the columns of this tabernacle of flesh. We have several
other works by the seigneur du Bartas. The most extraordinary is a little poem, composed to greet the queen of
Navarre on making her entry into Nerac. Three nymphs
contend for the honour of saluting her majesty. The
first delivers her compliments in Latin, the second in
French, and the third in Gascon verses. Du Bartas, however, though a bad poet, was a good man. Whenever
the military service and his other occupations left any leisure time, he retired to the chateau de Bartas, far from
the tumult of arms and business. He wished for nothing
more than to be forgotten, in order that he might apply
more closely to study, which he testifies at the conclusion
of the third day of his week. Modesty and sincerity
formed the character of du Bartas, according to the account of him by the president de Thou. “I know (says that famous historian) that some critics find his style extremely figurative, bombastic, and full of gasconades. For
my part,
” adds he, “who have long known the candour of
his manners, and who have frequently discoursed with
him, when, during the civil wars, I travelled in Guienne
with him, I can affirm that I never remarked any thing of
the kind in the tenor of his behaviour; and, notwithstanding his great reputation, he always spoke with singular modesty of himself and his works.
” His book of the “Week,
”
whatever may now be thought of it, was attended with a
success not inferior to that of the best performances.
Within the space of five or six years, upwards of thirty
editions were printed of it. It found in all places, commentators, abbreviators, translators, imitators, and adversaries. His works were collected and printed in 1611,
folio, at Paris, by Rigaud. His “Week,
” and other
poems, were translated into English by Joshua Sylvester,
1605, 4to, and have been frequently reprinted, although
not of late years.
and it was chiefly for the sake of inserting it, that Dr. Peter Barwick composed his brother’s life in Latin. When the church of England was restored by king Charles
, an eminent English divine, was
born at Wetherslack, in Westmoreland, April 20, 1612.
His parents were not considerable either for rank or riches;
but were otherwise persons of great merit, and happy in
their family. John, the third son, was intended for the
church, but being sent to school in the neighbourhood,
he lost much time under masters deficient in diligence
and learning. At length he was sent to Sedberg school,
in Yorkshire, where, under the care of a tolerable master,
he gave early marks both of genius and piety. In the
year 1631, and the eighteenth of his age, he was admitted
of St. John’s college, at Cambridge, under the tuition of
Mr. Thomas Fothergill, who proved at once a guardian
and a preceptor, supplying his necessities, as well as instructing him in learning. By this help Mr. Barwick
quickly so distinguished himself, that when a dispute arose
about the election of a master, which at last came to be
heard before the privy-council, the college chose Mr.
Barwick, then little above twenty, to manage for them,
by which he not only became conspicuous in the university, but was also taken notice of at court, and by the
ministry. In 1635 he became B. A. while these affairs
were still depending. April the 5th, 1636, he was created
Fellow, without opposition, and in 1638 he took the degree of M. A. When the civil war broke out, and the
king wrote a letter to the university, acquainting them
that he was in extreme want, Mr. Barwick concurred with
those loyal persons, who first sent him a small supply in
money, and afterwards their college-plate, and upon information that Cromwell, afterwards the protector, lay
with a party of foot at a place called Lower Hedges, between Cambridge and Huntington, in order to make himself master of this small treasure, Mr. Barwick made one
of the party of horse which conveyed it through by-roads
safely to Nottingham, where his majesty had set up his
standard. By this act of loyalty the parliament was so
provoked, that they sent Cromwell with a body of troops
to quarter in the university, where they committed the
most brutal outrages. Mr. Barwick also published a piece
against the covenant, entitled “Certain Disquisitions and
Considerations, representing to the conscience the unlawfuluess of the oath entitled A Solemn League and Covenant for Reformation, &c. as also the insufficiency of
the urgiiments used in the exhortation for taking the said
covenant. Published by command,
” Oxford, distemper, so that
in November, 1662, he was confined to his chamber: he
heightened his disease by officiating at the sacrament the
Christmas-day following, after which he was seized with
a violent vomiting of blood. Upon this he was advised to a change of air, and retired to Therfield in Hertfordshire, of which he was rector, but finding himself
there too far from London, he returned to Chiswick, where
he in some measure recovered his health. As soon as he
found he had a little strength, he applied himself there to
the putting in order the archives of St. Paul’s church, but
this return of active employment was followed by an extraordinary flux of blood, which rendered him very weak,
and defeated his favourite design of retiring to Therfield.
When he first found his health declining, he made choice
of and procured this living, intending to have resigned
his deanery and office of prolocutor, to those who had
vigour enough to discharge them, and to spend the remainder of his days in the discharge of his pastoral office,
to which he thought himself bound by his taking orders.
But coming upon some extraordinary occasion to London,
he was seized with a pleurisy, which carried him off in
three days. He was attended in his last moments by Dr.
Peter Gunning, afterwards bishop of Ely, and as he lived,
so he died, with all the marks of an exemplary piety, on
the 22d of October, 1664, after he had struggled almost
twelve years with this grievous distemper. By hrs will he
bequeathed the greatest part of his estate to charitable
uses, and this with a judgment equal to his piety. His
body was interred in the cathedral of St. Paul’s, with an
epitaph composed by Mr. Samuel Howlet. The character
of Mr. Barwick may be easily collected from the preceding
sketch, but is more fully illustrated in his life published by
Dr. Peter Barwick, a work of great interest and amusement. His printed works are very few. Besides the tract
on the covenant, before mentioned, we have only his
” Life of Thomas Morton, bishop of Durham, and a funeral sermon,“1660, 4to; and
” Deceivers deceived,“a
sermon at St. Paul’s, Oct. 20, 1661,
” 1661, 4to. Many
of his letters to chancellor Hyde are among Thurloe’s State
Papers.
he poor, but likewise charitably administered to their wants in other respects. In. 1671, he drew up in Latin, which he wrote with unusual elegance and purity, the
, physician in ordinary to king Charles II. was brother to the preceding, and born in 1619, at Wetherslack in Westmoreland. From the same grammar-school as his elder brother, he removed to St. John’s college in Cambridge in 1637, and continued there about six years. In 1642, being then in the twenty-fourth year of his age, he took his degree of bachelor of arts. In 1644, he was nominated by the bishop of Ely, to a fellowship of St. John’s, in his gift, but the usurper being then in power, he never availed himself of it. Probably, indeed, he had left the college before he obtained this presentation, and perhaps about the same time his brother did, which was in the foregoing year. It is uncertain, whether, at that time, he had made any choice of a profession; so that being invited into Leicestershire, in order to become tutor to Ferdinando Sacheverell, esq. of Old Hayes in that county, a young gentleman of great hopes, he readily accepted the proposal, and continued with him for some time. In 1647, he returned to Cambridge, and took his degree of master of arts, applying himself then assiduously to the study of physic, and ahout the same time, Mr. Sacheverell died, and bequeathed our author an annuity of twenty pounds. How he disposed of himself for some years, does not very clearly appear, because he who so elegantly recorded the loyal services of his brother, has studiously concealed his own. It is, however, more than probable, that he was engaged in the service of his sovereign, since it is certain that he was at Worcester in 1651, where he had access to his royal master king Charles II. who testified to him a very kind sense of the fidelity of his family. In 1655, he was created doctor of physic, and two years afterwards, he took a house in St. Paul’s church-yard, and much about the same time, married the widow of Mr. Sayon, an eminent merchant. Being thus settled, he soon gained a very great repute in the city, for his skill in his profession, and among the learned, by his judicious defence of Dr. Harvey’s discovery of the Circulation of the Blood, which was then, and is still, admired as one of the best pieces written upon that subject. At this house he entertained his brother Dr. John Barwick, who repaired at his own expence an oratory he found there, and daily read the service of the established church, and with a few steadyroyalists, prayed for his exiled master. After the restoration in 1660, he was made one of the king’s physicians in ordinary, and in the year following, received a still stronger proof of his majesty’s kind sense of his own and his brother’s services by a grant of arms expressive of their loyalty. In 1666, being compelled by the dreadful fire to remove from St. Paul’s church yard, where, much to his honour, he was one of the few physicians who remained all the time of the plague, and was very active and serviceable in his profession, he took another house near Westminster-abbey, for the sake of being near that cathedral, to which he constantly resorted every morning at six o'clock prayers. He was a very diligent physicum, and remarkably successful in the small-pox, and in most kinds of fevers. Yet he was far from making money the main object of his care; for during the many years that he practised, he not only gave advice and medicines gratis to the poor, but likewise charitably administered to their wants in other respects. In. 1671, he drew up in Latin, which he wrote with unusual elegance and purity, the life of the dean his brother, and took care to deposit it, and the original papers serving to support the facts mentioned, in the library in St. John’s college at Cambridge. Another ms. he gave to Dr. Woodward, and one he left to his family. Twenty years after this, when our author was in the seventy-fourth year of his age, and his eye-sight so much decayed, that he was forced to make use of the hand of a friend, he added an appendix in defence of the Ewwv BacrimKti, against Dr. Walker, who was very well known to him, and of whom in that treatise he has given a very copious account. This piece of his is written with a good deal of asperity, occasioned chiefly by the frequency of scurrilous libels against the memory of Charles I. In 1694, being quite blind, and frequently afflicted with fits of the stone, he gave over practice, and dedicated the remainder of his life to the service of God, and the conversation of a few intimate friends, amongst whom was Dr. Busby, the celebrated master of Westminster-school. He died Sept. 4, the same year, in the eighty-sixth year of his age, and by his own. direction, was interred without any monument, as well as with great privacy, near the body of his dear wife, in the parish church of St. Faith’s, under St. Paul’s. He was a man of a very comely person, equally remarkable for the solidity of his learning, and for a wonderful readiness as well as elegance in expressing it. His piety was sincere, his reputation unspotted, his loyalty and his modesty most exemplary. In all stations of life he was admired and beloved, and of a chearful and serene mind in all situations. He was happy in the universal approbation of all parties, as he was himself charitable to all, and never vehement but in the cause of truth. He left behind him an only daughter, Mary, who married sir Ralph Dutton of Sherbounie in Dorsetshire, bart. The life of his brother was published, in Latin, 1721, 8vo, and in English, with an account of the writer, 1724. Mr. Hilkiah Bedford was editor of both.
ey are called, or those members of the Romish church, throughout the East, who perform their service in Latin. On this he went into the Morea, where the metropolitan
, a learned divine of the seventeenth century, was born in 1607, in the island of Jersey, according to Wood, which an annotator on the Biog. Britannica contradicts without informing us of the place of his nativity. Grey, in his ms notes, says he was born at Rouen, in Normandy, but quotes no authority, nor do we know in what school or university he received his education. For some time, he was master of the college or free-school at Guernsey, and became chaplain to Thomas Morton bishop of Durham, who gave him the rectory of Stanhope, and the vicarage of EgglesclifF, b.oth in the county of Durham. In July 1640, he had the degree of doctor of divinity conferred upon him at Cambridge, by mandate; and was incorporated in the same at Oxford, the November following, about which time he was made chaplain in ordinary to king Charles I.; Dec. 12, 1643, he was installed into the seventh prebend of Durham, to which he was collated by his generous patron bishop Morton. The next year, August 24, he was also collated to the archdeaconry of Northumberland, with the rectory of Howiek annexed. But he did not long enjoy these great preferments, as in the beginning of the civil wars, being sequestered and plundered, he repaired to king Charles at Oxford, before whom, and his parliament, he frequently preached. In 1646, he had a licence granted him under the public seal of the university, to preach the word of God throughout England. Upon the surrender of the Oxford garrison to the parliament, he resolved with all the zeal of a missionary to propagate the doctrine of the EngJish church in the East, among the Greeks, Arabians, &c. Leaving therefore his family in England, he went first to Zante, an island near the Morea, where he made some stay; and had good success in spreading among the Greek inhabitants the doctrine of the English church, the substance of which he imparted to several of them, in a vulgar Greek translation of our church-catechism. The success of this attempt was so remarkable, that it drew persecution upon him from the Latins, as they are called, or those members of the Romish church, throughout the East, who perform their service in Latin. On this he went into the Morea, where the metropolitan of Achaia prevailed upon him to preach twice in Greek, at a meeting of some of his bishops and clergy, which was well received. At his departure, he left with him a copy of the catechism above mentioned. From thence, after he had passed through Apulia, Naples, and Sicily again (in which last, at Messina, he officiated for some weeks on board a ship) he embarked for Syria; and, after some months stay at Aleppo, where he had frequent conversation with the patriarch of Antioch, then resident there, he left a copy of our church-catechism, translated into Arabic, the native language of that place. From Aleppo he went in 1652 to Jerusalem, and so travelled over all Palestine. At Jerusalem he received much honour, both from the Greek Christians and Latins. The Greek patriarch (the better to express his desire of communion with the church of England, declared by the doctor to him) gave him his bull, or patriarchal seal, in a blank, which is their way of credence, and shewed him other instances of respect, while the Latins received him courteously into their convent, though he did openly profess himself a priest of the church of England. After some disputes about the validity of our English ordinations, they procured him entrance into the temple of the sepulchre, at the rate of a priest, that is half of the sum paid by a layman; and, at his departure from Jerusalem, the pope’s vicar gave him his diploma in parchment, under his own hand and public seal, styling him, a priest of the church of England, and doctor of divinity, which title occasioned some surprise, especially to the French ambassador at Constantinople. Returning to Aleppo, he passed over the Euphrates and went into Mesopotamia, where he intended to send the church-catechism in Turkish, to some of their bishops, who were mostly Armenians. This Turkish translation was procured by the care of sir Thomas Bendyshe, the English ambassador at Constantinople. After his return from Mesopotamia, he wintered at Aleppo, where he received several courtesies from the consul, Mr. Henry Riley. In the beginning of 1653, he departed from Aleppo, and came to Constantinople by land, being six hundred miles, without any person with him, that could speak any of the European languages. Yet, by the help of some Arabic he had picked up at Aleppo, he performed that journey in the company of twenty Turks, who used him courteously, because he acted as physician to them and their friends: a study (as he says) to which the iniquity of the times and the opportunity of Padua drove him. After his arrival at Constantinople, the French Protestants there desired him to be their minister, and though he declared to them his resolution to officiate according to the English liturgy (a translation whereof, for want of a printed copy, cost him no little labour) yet they orderly submitted to it, and promised to settle on him, in three responsible men’s hands, a competent stipend: and all this, as they told him, with the express consent of the French ambassador, but still under the roof and protection of the English ambassador. Before he quitted the Eastern parts, he intended to pass into Egypt, in order to take a survey of the churches of the Cophties, and confer with the patriarch of Alexandria, as he had done already with the other three patriarchs, partly to acquire the knowledge of those churches, and partly to publish and give them a true notion of the church of England; but whether he accomplished his design, is not certain. He went next into Transilvania, where he was entertained for seven years by George Ragotzi the Second, prince of that country; who honoured him with the divinity-chair in his new founded university of Alba Julia (or Weissenburg) and endowed him, though a mere stranger to him, with a very ample salary. During his travels he collated the several confessions of faith of the different sorts of Christians, Greeks, Armenians, Jacobites, Maronites, &c. which he kept by him in their own languages. His constant design and endeavour, whilst he remained in the East, was, to persuade the Christians of the several denominations there, to a canonical reformation of some errors; and to dispose and incline them to a communion or unity with the church of England, but his pious intentions were afterwards defeated by the artifices of court of France. Upon the restoration of king Charles II. Dr. Easier was recalled by his majesty to England, in a letter written to prince Ragotzi. But this unfortunate prince dying 'soon after, of the wounds he received in a battle with the Turks at Gyala, the care of his solemn obsequies was committed to the doctor by his relict, princess Sophia, and he was detained a year longer from England. At length returning in 1661 9 he was restored to his preferments and dignities; and made chaplain in ordinary to king Charles II. After quietly enjoying his large revenues for several years, he died on the 12th of Oct. 1676, in the 69th year of his age-, and was buried in the yard belonging to the cathedral of Durham, where a tomb was erected over his grave, with an inscription. His character appears to have been that of a learned, active, and industrious man; a zealous supporter of the church of England; and a loyal subject. His son, John Basire, esq. who had been receiver general for the four western counties, died ou the 2d of June 1722, in the 77th year of his age.
nd learning, that, in 1732, she was honoured with a Doctor’s degree, after, having disputed publicly in Latin, and her reputation became afterwards completely established
, the wife of Dr.
Joseph Verati, a very ingenious lady, was born in 1712,
and died at Bologna, of which she was a native, in 1778.
Such were her acknowledged talents and learning, that,
in 1732, she was honoured with a Doctor’s degree, after,
having disputed publicly in Latin, and her reputation
became afterwards completely established by a course of
lectures on experimental philosophy, which she delivered
from 1745 to the time of her death. Madame tie Bocage,
in her “Letters on Italy,
” informs us that she attended
one of those lectures, in which Madame Bassi developed
the phenomena of irritability, with precision and depth.
The greater part of the literati of Europe, to whom she
was well known, bore testimony to her learning, particularly in the Greek, Latin, French, and Italian; nor was
she less distinguished for her numerous exertions of charity
to the poor and the orphan. We do not find that she published anything, but was the theme of much poetical praise.A collection of these tributes of applause appeared in 1732,
with her portrait, and an inscription, “L. M. C. Bassi,
Phil. Doct. Coll. Academ. Institut. Scientiar. Societ. Ætat.
Ann. xx.
” and with the following allusion to Petrarch’s
Laura:
me papers communicated to him by the lord-chancellor Hyde, afterwards earl of Clarendon, was printed in Latin at London in 1661, at Amsterdam the year following in
His principal work is an account of the rebellion, with a
narrative of the regal and parliamentary privileges, printed
under the title of “Elenchus Motuum nuperorum in Anglia, simul ac Juris Regis el Parliamentarii brevis narratio,
”
Paris, Elenchus,
” also in Latin, by Dr. Thomas Skinner, a physician,
but is inferior to the former. In 1685, the whole was
translated by A. Lovel, M. A. of Cambridge. The only
answer to Dr. Bate’s work, entitled “Elenchus Elenchi,
”
was written by Robert Pugh, an officer in the king’s army,
and printed at Paris in 1664, 8vo, to which Bate replied;
but we do not find that his reply was published. Dr. Bate
wrote likewise, 1. “The Royal Apology; or, the declaration of the Commons in parliament, Feb. 11, 1647,
” De Rachitide, sive morbo puerili, qui vulgo the
Rickets dicitur,
” Lond. 1650, 8vo. Mr. Wood tells us, the
doctor was assisted in this work by Francis Glisson and Ahasuerus Regemorter, doctors of physic, and fellows of the
college of physicians, and that it was afterwards translated
into English by Philip Armin, and printed at London,
1651, 8vo and about the same time translated by Nicolas
Culpepper, who styles himself ‘ student in physic and astrology.’ 3. After Dr. Bate’s death came out a dispensatory in Latin, entitled “Pharmacopoeia Batcana; in qua
octoginta circiter pharmaca plcraque omnia e praxiGeorgii
Batei regi Carolo 2clo proto-medici excerpta,
” Lond. Bate’s Dispensatory,
” and was
long a very popular work. There was another George
Bate, who wrote the “Lives of the Regicides,
” London,
nent persons, princes, and men of rank, churchmen, and men of learning, amounting to thirty-two, all in Latin, under the title of “Vitse selectorum aliquot virorum
the imagination, and abounded in heroic sentiments of honour and virtue. Dr. Bates’s works, however esteemed
about a century ago, are not among those which have been
of late years revived among the dissenters by republication.
Besides those included in the folio edition, he was the
editor of a valuable collection of lives of eminent persons,
princes, and men of rank, churchmen, and men of learning,
amounting to thirty-two, all in Latin, under the title of
“Vitse selectorum aliquot virorum qui doctrina, dignitate,
aut pietate inclaruere,
” Lond. 4to, Batesii Vitse selects.
”
It is now, although scarce, much less valued than such a
collection deserves.
larm, rather than from any principle of reproving, or intention of applying an illiberal punishment. In Latin poetry, Ovid was his favourite classic. One of his pupils
, a distinguished wit, and Latin
poet, was descended of an ancient family, and was born at
Howthorpe, a small hamlet in Northamptonshire, in the parish of Thedingworth, near Market-Harborough in Leicestershire, in 1620. He received the first part of his education at the free-school in Coventry, where his father
seems to have resided in the latter part of his life. His
mother was Elizabeth Villiers, daughter and coheir of Edward Villiers, esq. of the same place. They had issue
thirteen sons, and four daughters. Six of the sons lost
their lives in the service of king Charles I. during the grand
rebellion: the rest, besides one who died young, were
Ralph (of whom we now treat), Villiers, Edward, Moses,
Henry, and Benjamin, father of the late earl Bathurst, the
subject of the preceding article. At Coventry school our
author made so quick a progress in the classics, that at the
age of fourteen he was sent to Oxford, and entered October 10, 1634, in Gloucester hall, now Worcester college;
but was removed in a few days to Trinity college, and probably placed under the immediate tuition of his grandfather Dr. Kettel, then president, in whose lodging he
resided (still known by the name of Kettel-hall), and at
whose table he had his diet, for two years. He was elected
scholar of the house, June 5., 1637, and having taken the
degree of A. B. January 27th following, he was appointed
fellow June 4, 1640. He commenced A. M.April 17, 1641,
and on March 2, 1644, conformably to the statutes of his
college, he was ordained priest by Robert Skinner, bishop
of Oxford, and read some theological lectures in the college hall in 1649. These, which he called “Diatribae
theologicEc, philosophies, et philological,
” are said to discover a spirit of theological research, and an extensive
knowledge of the writings of the most learned divines. He
likewise kept his exercise for the degree of B. D. but did
not take it. The confusion of the times promising little
support or encouragement to the ministerial function, like
his friend, the famous Dr. Willis, he applied himself to
the study of physic, and accumulated the degrees in that
faculty, June 21, 1654. Before this time he had sufficiently recommended himself in his new profession, and
had not been long engaged in it, when he was employed
as physician to the sick and wounded of the navy, which
office he executed with equal diligence and dexterity, to
the full satisfaction of the sea-commanders, and the commissioners of the admiralty. We find him soon after settled at Oxford, and practising physic in concert with his
friend Dr. Willis, with whom he regularly attended Abingdon market every Monday. He likewise cultivated every
branch of philosophical knowledge: he attended the lectures of Peter Sthael, a chymist and rosicrucian, who had
been invited to Oxford by Mr. R. Boyle, and was afterwards operator to the royal society about 1662. About the
same time he had also a share in the foundation of that society; and when it was established, he was elected fellow,
and admitted August 19, 1663. While this society was at
Gresham college in London, a branch of it was continued
at Oxford, and the original society books of this Oxford
department are still preserved there in the Ashmolean Museum, where their assemblies were held. Their latter Oxford meetings were subject to regulations made among
themselves; according to which Dr. Bathurst was elected
president April 23, 1688, having been before nominated
one of the members for drawing up articles, February
29, 1683-4. Nor was he less admired as a classical scholar;
at the university a.cts, in the collections of Oxford verses,
and on every public occasion, when the ingenious were
invited to a rival display of their abilities, he appears to
have been one of the principal and most popular performers. Upon the publication of Hobbes’s treatise of “Human Nature,
” &c. Splendid Shilling
” was a piece of solemn ridicule suited to his
taste. Among his harmless whims, he delighted to surprize the scholars, when walking in the grove at unseasonable hours; on which occasions he frequently carried a
whip in his hand, an instrument of academical correction,
then not entirely laid aside. But this he practised, on account of the pleasure he took in giving so odd an alarm,
rather than from any principle of reproving, or intention
of applying an illiberal punishment. In Latin poetry, Ovid
was his favourite classic. One of his pupils having asked
him what book among all others he chose to recommend
he answered, “Ovid’s Metamorphoses.
” The pupil, in
consequence of this advice, having carefully perused the
Metamorphoses, desired to be informed what other proper
book it wouldbe necessary to read after Ovid, and Dr.
Bathurst advised him to read “Ovid’s Metamorphoses
” a
second time. He had so mean an opinion of his performances in divinity, that in his will he enjoins his executors
entirely to suppress all his papers relating to that subject,
and not to permit them to be perused by any, excepting
a very few such friends as were likely to read them with
candour. We are told, however, that on Sunday, March
20, 1680, he preached before the house of commons at St.
Mary’s, the university church, and gave much satisfaction.
His manner was nearly that of Dr. South, but with more
elegance and felicity of allusion. His Life, written by
Mr. Thomas Warton, is perhaps one of the most correct
of that author’s performances, and contains Dr. Bathurst’s
miscellaneous works, which, though they have great merit
in their particular way, and may be read with much pleasure, are not written in such a taste as entitles them to
imitation. This is acknowledged by Mr. Warton. “His
Latin orations,
” says that ingenious Biographer, “are wonderful specimens of wit and antithesis, which were the delight of his age. They want upon the whole the purity
and simplicity of Tully’s eloquence, but even exceed the
sententious smartness of Seneca, and the surprising turns
of Pliny. They are perpetually spirited, and discover an
uncommon quickness of thought. His manner is concise
and abrupt, but yet perspicuous and easy. His allusions
are delicate, and his observations sensible and animated.
His sentiments of congratulation or indignation are equally
forcible: his compliments are most elegantly turned, and
his satire is most ingeniously severe. These compositions
are extremely agreeable to read, but in the present improwriiient of classical taste, not so proper to be imitated.
They are moreover entertaining, as a picture of the times,
and a history of the state of academical literature. This
smartness does not desert our author even on philosophical
subjects.
” Among Dr. Bathurst’s Oratiuncuhe, his address to the convocation, about forming the barbers of Oxford into a company, is a most admirable specimen of his
humour, and of that facetious invention, with which few
vice-chancellors would have ventured to enforce and
eiiliven such a subject. We doubt, indeed, whether a parallel to this exquisite piece of humour can be found. With
regard to the doctor’s Latin poetry, though his hexameters
have an admirable facility, an harmonious versification,
much terseness and happiness of expression, and a certain
original air, they will be thought, nevertheless, too pointed
and ingenious by the lovers of Virgil’s simple beauties.
The two poems which he hath left in iambics make it to
be wished tiiat he had written more in that measure. “That
pregnant brevity,
” says Mr. Warton, “/which constitutes
the dignity and energy of the iambic, seems to have been
his talent.
” Dr. Bathurst’s English poetry has that roughness of versification which was, in a great degree, the fault
of the times.
Baudius was a man of considerable learning, and wrote in Latin with great purity and elegance. But he was conceited and
Baudius was a man of considerable learning, and wrote in Latin with great purity and elegance. But he was conceited and ambitious beyond all just claims, and disgraced his latter years by intemperance, and vagrant amours, although a married man. This exposed him to ridicule, and injured his reputation in the republic of letters. He died at Leyden, August 22, 1613.
, in Latin Balduinus, a famous civilian, was born at Arras the first
, in Latin Balduinus, a famous civilian, was born at Arras the first of January, 1520. He studied for six years in the university of Louvain, after which he was some time at the court of Charles V. with the marquis de Bergue, and then he went to France, where he gained the friendship of the most learned men, and among others of Charles du Moulin, at whose house he lodged. The curiosity of knowing the most famous ministers induced him to travel into Germany; where he became acquainted with Calvin at Geneva, Bucer at Strasburgh, and others of the reformed clergy. On his return to Paris he was invited to a professorship of civil law at Bourges, which office he filled for seven years with reputation enough to alarm the jealousy of his colleague Duarenus, and then went to Tubing, where he likewise intended to have taught civil law; but hearing that Du Moulin designed to return to that university, he remained at Strasburgh, and gave lectures for about a year. Thence he went to Heidelberg, and was professor of civil law and history near five years, until he was sent for by Anthony of Bourbon, king of Navarre, who made him preceptor to his natural son. About this time an idea was entertained of reconciling the Romish and Protestant churches, and Baudouin was recommended to the king of Navarre, as likely to promote such an attempt, which however did not succeed, and only served to involve Baudouin in disputes with the reformers, who saw at once the impracticability of the scheme, without injuring the reformation already successfully begun. Baudouin carried his pupil to Trent, but on the king of Navarre’s death, returned to France with him, and found his estate and library pillaged.
f observations in geography. He returned to France in 1677, and composed his geographical dictionary in Latin. In 1691 he attended the cardinal of Camus, who was bishop
, a celebrated French geographer, was born at Paris the 28th of July, 1633. His father, Stephen Baudrand, was first deputy of the procurator-general of the court of aids, treasurer of France for Montauban, and master of the requests of his royal highness Gaston of France, and his mother’s name was Frances Caule. He began his studies in the year 1640. His inclination for geography was first noticed when he studied at the Jesuits college of Clermont under father Briet, who was famous for his geography, which was then printing, the proof sheets of which were corrected by our author. After he had finished his course of philosophy at the college of Lisieux under Mr. Desperier, cardinal Antonio Barberini took him as his secretary at Rome, and he was present with his eminence at the conclave, in which pope Alexander VII. was elected; and afterwards at thaHn which Clement IX. was chosen pope. Upon his return to France, he applied himself to the revisal of Ferrarius’s Geographical Dictionary, which he enlarged by one half, and published at Paris, 1671, fol. In the same year he attended the marquis of Dangeau, who was employed by the king in the management of his affairs in Germany, and also went to England with the duchess of York, who was afterwards queen of England. His travels were of great advantage to linn in furnishing him with a variety of observations in geography. He returned to France in 1677, and composed his geographical dictionary in Latin. In 1691 he attended the cardinal of Camus, who was bishop of Grenoble, to Rome, and went with him into the conclave on the 27th of March, where he continued three months ancha half, till the election of pope Innocent XII. on July 12th, the same year. Upon his return to Paris he applied himself to the completing of his French geographical dictionary, but he was prevented from publishing it by his death, which happened at Paris the 29th of May 1700. He had been prior of Rouvres and Neuf-Marche. He left all his books and papers to the Benedictine monks of the abbey of St. Germain des Prez.
actitioner. Haller pronounces him “latromechanicus, sed ex cautioribus.” His works, which are partly in Latin and partly in French, were, 1. “Systema generale philosophise,”
, a learped French physician and medical writer, was royal professor of philosophy in the university of Toulouse, where he died, Sept. 24, 1709, in the
eighty-seventh year of his age. He was a member of the
Floreal academy, and a man of integrity, always more ready
to discern merit in others than in himself, a strict disciplinarian, and, through many unpleasant vicissitudes, a truly
Christian philosopher. As to his profession, it appears
from his works that he was a good theorist, as well as a successful practitioner. Haller pronounces him “latromechanicus, sed ex cautioribus.
” His works, which are partly
in Latin and partly in French, were, 1. “Systema generale
philosophise,
” Toulouse, Tractatus de
Apoplexia,
” ib. Dissertationes Medicae tres,
” Toulouse, Dissertationes Physicae,
” Hague, Dissertationes de experientia et ratione conjnngenda in Physica, Medicina, et Chirurgia,
” Paris, Problemata Physica et Medica,' 7 ib. 1678, 12mo. 7.
” Histoire Anatomique d'une grossesse de 25 ans,“Toulouse, 1678, 12mo. 8.
” Instructiones Physicee ad usum
scholarum accommodate,“ibid. 1700, 3 vols. 4to. 9.
” Dissertatio quaestiones nonnullas PhysicasetMedicasexplanans,“ibid. 1688, 12mo. 10.
” Opuscula," ibid. 1701,
4to.
s, that you will henceforth take the trouble of sending me all curious books that shall be published in Latin, French, Spanish, or Italian, on whatever subject or science,
“But you shall not get off so cheap as you imagine. I
will enjoin you a penance which is, that you will henceforth take the trouble of sending me all curious books that
shall be published in Latin, French, Spanish, or Italian,
on whatever subject or science, provided they are worthy
of being looked into; I do not even except romances or
satires: and above all, if there are any books of chemistry,
I desire you may send them to me as soon as possible. Do
not forget likewise to send me your ‘ Journal.’ I shall
order that you be paid for whatever you lay out, do but
send me an account of it. This will be the most agreeable and most important service that can be done me.
May God prosper you. Christina Alexandra.
”
Vie de M. Frai^ois D'Estaing, eveque de Rhodez,” Clermont, 1655, 4to, and an abridgment of the same in Latin, 12mo. 6. “Historia de vita. Bartholomaei de Martyribus,”
, a learned French Jesuit,
and classical antiquary, was born in 160U, in the conitat
Yenaissin, and entered among the Jesuits in 1619. He
taught rhetoric for seven years at Toulouse, and was afterwards rector of the college of Rhodez. He died in the
college of Montpellier, July 26, 1670. His works, which
discover much valuable literary research, are, 1. “Diatribac dux-, prima de partibus templi Atiguralis; altera, de
mense-et die victoria? Pharsalica;,
” Toulouse, Diatriba de Pharsalici conflictus mense et
die, cum accessionibus et prefatione Henrici Leonard!
Schurztleischii,
” Wirtembcrg, Breviculiim cxpeditionis Hispaniensis Ludovici XIII.
” Toulouse,
164:2, 4 to. 4. “Otia regia Ludovici XIV. regis Christianissimi, sive Polyoenus Gallicus de veterum et recentium
Gallorum stratagematibus,
” Clermont, 1658, 8vo, Francfort, 1661, 8vo. 5. “La Vie de M. Frai^ois D'Estaing,
eveque de Rhodez,
” Clermont, Historia de vita.
Bartholomaei de Martyribus,
” Paris, 4to. 7. “Speculum
veri antistitis in vita Alphonsi Torribii archiepiscopi Litnensis in Peru via,
” Paris, 4to.
, in Latin Belcarius Plguilio, bishop of Metz, a man of some note
, in Latin Belcarius Plguilio, bishop of Metz, a man of some note
in the sixteenth century, was born April 15, 1514, of one
of the most ancient families of the Bourbonnois. The progress he male in polite literature induced Claude de Lorraine, the h'rst duke of Guise, to choose him to be preceptor to cardinal de Lorraine, his second son, an appointment which very naturally, we will not say very justly, attached him to the family of Guise, and made him too partial in his writings to their character. He attended his
pupil to Rome, where he became acquainted with Paul
Jovius, in whose history he afterwards pointed out some
errors. On his return from Italy, the cardinal of Lorraine
procured him in 1555 the bishopric of Metz, but according
to Beza (Hist. Ecclesiast. lib. xvi. p. 439), this was little
more than a titular preferment, the cardinal reserving the
revenues, or the greater part of them, to himself. According to the same author, Beaucaire, with two other
bishops, came to Metz, and occasioned an alarm among
the inhabitants of the reformed religion, some of whom
thought proper to retire for safety from the city. Beza,
however, adds that Beaucaire only wrote a small tract in
Latin on “Sanctification,
” and “The Baptism of Infants,
” which was soon answered. Some time after his
promotion, his patron, the cardinal, carried him with him
to the council, on the day that the fathers of the council
had appointed as a thanksgiving for the battle of Dreux,
fought Jan. 3, 1563, and here Beaucaire pronounced an
oration, which was much applauded, and is inserted at the
end of the thirtieth book of his “History of his own times.
”
This work he began in Rerum Gallicarum Coramentaria, ab. A. 1462 usque ad A. 1566,
” Lyons, Traité des enfans morts dans le sein de
leurs meres,
”
, otherwise named Bever, and in Latin Fiber, Fiberius, Castor, and Castorius, was a Benedictine
, otherwise named Bever, and in Latin
Fiber, Fiberius, Castor, and Castorius, was a Benedictine
monk in Westminster-abbey, and nourished about the
beginning of the fourteenth century. He was a man of quick
parts, and of great diligence and ingenuity: and applied
himself particularly to the study of the history and antiquities of England. Among other things, he wrote a
“Chronicle of the British and English Affairs,
” from the
coming in of Brute to his own time, now among the Cottonian Mss. Hearne issued proposals for publishing it in
1735, which his death prevented. He also wrote a book
“De Rebus ccenobii Westmonasteriensis,
” of Westminsterabbey, and the several transactions relating thereto. Leland commends him, as an historian of good credit; and he
is also cited with respect by Stowe in his Survey of London
and Westminster. Bale says he does not give a slight or
superficial account, but a full and judicious relation, of
things; and takes proper notice of the virtues and vices of
the persons mentioned in his history.
le to disarm his wrath, and therefore he preferred war to an insecure peace. 5. “Penses de Seneque,” in Latin and French, in 12mo, after the manner of the “Pensees
He now cultivated literature in peace, and settled himself in the comforts of domestic life by marrying the
daughter of M. Lavaisse, an advocate of great practice at
Thoulouse. A lady of the court called him to Paris about
the year 1772, and wished to fix him there, by procuring
him the place of librarian to the king; but he did not long
enjoy this* promotion; a dropsy in the chest proved fatal
the following yean. He left a son and a daughter. His
works are: 1. “A Defence of Montesquieu’s ' Esprit des
Loix,
” against the author of the “Nouvelles Ecclesiastiques,
” which is inferior to that which the president de
Montesquieu published himself, but for which that writer
expressed his thanks. 2. “Mes Pense*es, ou, Le Qu'en
dira-t-on?
” There have been better poets than
Voltaire; but none have been ever so well rewarded. The
king of Prussia heaps his bounty on men of talents exactly
from the same motives as induce a petty prince of Germany to heap his bounty on a buffoon or a dwarf.
” 3. “The
<f Memoirs of Madame de Maintenon,
” Letters to M. de Voltaire,
” Age of Louis XIV.
” Voltaire
refuted these remarks in a pamphlet entitled “Supplement
to the age of Louis XIV.
” in which he shews it to be an
odious thing to seize upon a work on purpose to disfigure
it. La Beaumelle in 1754 gave out an “Answer to this
Supplement,
” which he re-produced in 1761, under the
title of “Letters.
” To this Voltaire made no reply; but
shortly after stigmatized it in company with several others,
in his infamous poem the “Pucelle,
” where he describes
la Beaumelle as mistaking the pockets of other men for
his own. The writer, thus treated, endeavoured to cancel
the calumny by a decree of the parliament of Thoulouse
but other affairs prevented him from pursuing this. Voltaire, however, had some opinion of his talents; and the
writer of this article has seen a letter of his in which he
says’: “Ce pendard a bien de Pesprit.
” “The rascal has
a good deal of wit.
” La Beaumelle, on the other hand,
said: “Personne n'ecrit mieux que Voltaire.
” “No one
writes better than Voltaire.
” Yet these mutual acknowledgments of merit did not prevent their passing a considerable part of their life in mutual abuse. The abb
Irail informs us, that la Beaumelle being one day asked
why he was continually attacking Voltaire in his books
“Because,
” returned he, “he never spares me in his and
my books sell the better for it.
” It is said, however, that
la Beaumelle would have left off writing against the author
of the Henriade; and even would have been reconciled
with him, had he not imagined that it would be impossible
to disarm his wrath, and therefore he preferred war to an
insecure peace. 5. “Penses de Seneque,
” in Latin and
French, in 12mo, after the manner of the “Pensees de
Ciceron,
” by the abbe d'Olivet, whom he has rather imitated than equalled. 6. “Commentaire sur la Henriade,
”
Paris, Miscellanies,
” also in ms.
among which are some striking pieces. The author had
a natural bent towards satire. His temper was frank and
honest, but ardent and restless. Though his conversation
was instructive, it had not that liveliness which we perceive
in his writings.
, surnamed Panormita, from his native country, Palermo, in Latin Panormus, vvas born 'there in 1394, and at the age of
, surnamed Panormita, from his native country, Palermo, in
Latin Panormus, vvas born 'there in 1394, and at the age
of six was sent to the university of Bologna, to study law,
after which he was taken into the court of the duke of MiIan, Philip-Maria-Visconti. He vvas afterwards professor
of the belles-lettres at Pavia, but without leaving the court,
in which he enjoyed a revenue of eight hundred crowns of
gold. The emperor Sigismond, when on a tour in Lombardy in 1432, honoured him with the poetic crown at
Parma. Beccadelli then went to the court of Naples,
where he passed the remainder of his life, always accompanying Alphonso, the king, in his expeditions and travels,
who loaded him with favours, gave him a beautiful country
house, enrolled him among the Neapolitan nobility, intrusted him with political commissions of great importance,
and sent him as ambassador to Geneva, Venice, to the
emperor Frederic III. and to some other princes. And
after the death of Alphonso, he was not less a favourite
with king Ferdinand, who made him his secretary, and
admitted him of his council. He died at Naples, in 1471.
While in the service of Alphonso, he wrote his history
“De dictis et factis Alphonsi regis, lib. IV.
” Pisa, 1485,
4to, and often reprinted. He was rewarded by his sovereign with a thousand crowns of gold for this performance.
His five books of letters, orations, poems, tragedies, &c.
were published at Venice, 1553, 4to, under the title
“Epistolarum lib. V. Orationes II. Carmina praeterea
quasdam, &c.
” But the most extraordinary of his productions was his “Hermaphroditus,
” which long remained in
obscurity. This is a collection divided into two books of
small poems, grossly indecent, and yet dedicated to Cosmo
de Medicis, who is not said to have resented the insult.
What renders this production the more extraordinary, is,
that it was written when the author was advanced in life,
and at a time when his character seemed to derive dignity
from the honourable employments he held, and his reputation in the learned world. Of this work, written with
great purity of Latin style, some copies got abroad, and
^excited the just indignation of the age. Filelfo and Laurentius Valla attacked it in their writings; the clergy
preached against it, and caused it to be burnt; and the
author was burnt in effigy at Ferrara and Milan. Valla
even goes so far as to wish that he had been burnt in person. Even Poggio, not the most chaste of Italian writers,
reproached his friend with having gone too far. Beccadelli defended himself by the example of the ancients, and
Guarino of Verona quotes the example of St. Jerome, but
sense and decency went against them, and these poems
were confined to the Laurentian library strictly, as Mr,
Koscoe says, but surely a more certain method might have
been devised to consign them to perpetual oblivion. A copy,
however, was by some means preserved, and printed at
Paris in 1791, when the revolution had brought on a general dissolution of morals and public decency. “The
editor,
” says Ginguene, “no doubt thought that our
morals were so confirmed as to have nothing to fear, and
the book is now in every shop.
”
ation of the Celestines, with the lives of the most distinguished men among them. This work, written in Latin, was published at Paris, 1719, 4to. In 1721 he published
, a native of Paris, where he
was born in 1654, became a monk of the Celestine order,
and was for forty years their librarian at Paris. He was a
man of considerable taste, well acquainted with books an.d
authors, and wrote Latin and French with great purity. He
died at Paris, Jan. 20, 1730. His principal work is a history of the congregation of the Celestines, with the lives of
the most distinguished men among them. This work, written in Latin, was published at Paris, 1719, 4to. In 1721
he published in French, a pamphlet, entitled “Supplement
et remarques critiques sur le vingt-troisieme chapitre du vi.
tome de Phistoire des ordres monastiques et militaires, par
le P. Heliot.
” Where he speaks of the Celestines, Becquet
corrects his errors, and throws considerable light on the
history of St. Celestin and the order. In the Trevoux memoirs, where this piece is inserted, Becket wrote also
some remarks on Baillet’s lives of the saints, and on the
abbe Fleuri’s Ecclesiastical History. He is said to have
employed some years on a “Roman Martyrology,
” with
notes biographical, critical, and astronomical, but this has
not been published, nor is it certain it was completed.
ne; so it was passed over. But the Irish discharged a volley of shot at his interment, and cried out in Latin, “Requiescat in pace ultimus Anglorum,” ‘ May the last
The bishop was very moderate in his sentiments, and in.
his methods of enforcing them; he loved to bring men into
the communion of the church of England, but he did not
like compelling them; and it was his opinion, that Protestants would agree well enough if they could be brought to
understand each other. These principles induced him to
promote Mr. Drury’s design, of endeavouring to reconcile
the Lutherans to the Calvinists, a project which had beea
encouraged by many other worthy persons, and towards
which he subscribed twenty pounds a year, to defray the
expences of Mr. Drury’s negociations. The bishop himself, it must be mentioned, was a Calvinist, which Burnet
thinks was the cause of his having so little preferment in
England. He gave another instance, not only of his charity towards, but his ability in, reconciling those of other
communions, to the churches of England and Ireland.
There were some Lutherans at Dublin, who, for not coming to church and taking the sacrament, were cited into the
archbishop’s consistory, upon which they desired time to
write to their divines in Germany, which was given them,
and when their answers came, they contained some exceptions to the doctrine of the church, as not explaining the
presence of Christ in the sacrament, suitable to their sentiments; to which bishop Bedell gave so full and clear, and
withal so moderate and charitable, an answer, as entirely
satisfied their objections, insomuch that those divines advised their countrymen to join in communion with the
church, which they accordingly did. In this mild and prudent way our prelate conducted his charge, with great reputation to himself, and with the general approbation of all
good men, who were perfectly pleased with his doctrine,
and edified by his example. When the bloody rebellion
broke out in October 1641, the bishop did not at first feel
the violence of its effects; for even those rebels, who in
their conduct testified so little of humanity, professed a
great veneration for him, and openly declared he should be
the last Englishman they would drive out of Ireland. His
was the only English house in the county of Cavan that was
unviolated, notwithstanding that it, and its out-buildings,
the church, and the church-yard, were filled with people
who fled to him for shelter, whom, by his preaching and
prayers, he encouraged to expect and endure the worst
with patience. In the mean time, Dr. Swiney, the Popish
titular bishop of Kilmore, came to Cavan, and pretended
great concern and kindness for bishop Bedell. Our prelate had converted his brother, and kept him in his house
till he could otherwise provide for him; and Dr. Swiney
desired likewise to lodge in his house, assuring him in the
strongest terms of his protection. But this bishop Bedell
declined, in a very civil and well-written Latin letter, urging the smallness of his house, the great number of people
that had taken shelter with him, the sickness of some of his
company, and of his son in particular, but above all, the
difference in their ways of worship, which could not but be
attended with great inconveniency. This had some effect
for a time; but about the middle of December, the rebels,
pursuant, to orders they had received from their council of
state at Kilkenny, required him to dismiss the people that
were with him, which he absolutely refused to do, declaring that he would share the same fate with the rest. They
signified to him upon this, that they had orders to remove
him; to which he answered, in the words of David, “Here
I am, the Lord do unto me as seemeth good to him; the
will of the Lord be done.
” Upon this they seized him, his
two sons, and Mr. Clogy, who had married his step-daughter, and carried them prisoners to the castle of Cloughboughter, surrounded by a deep water, were they put
them all but the bishop in irons. They did not suffer any
of them to carry any thing with them; and the moment the
bishop was gone, Dr. Swiney took possession of his house
and all that belonged to it, and said mass in the church the
Sunday following. After some time the rebels abated of
their severity, took the irons off the prisoners, and suffered
them to be as much at their ease as they could be in so
wretched a place; for the winter was very rigorous, and
the castle being old and ruinous, they would have been exposed to all the severity of the weather, if it had not been
for an honest carpenter who was imprisoned there before
them, and who made use of a few old boards he found there,
to mend a part of the roof, the better to defend them from
the snow and sleet. While thus confined, the bishop, his
sons, and Mr Clogy, preached and prayed continually to
their small and afflicted congregation, and upon Christmas
day his lordship administered the sacrament to them. It is
very remarkable, that.rude and barbarous as the Irish were,
they gave them no disturbance in the performance of divine
service, and often told the bishop they had no personal
quarrel to him, but that the sole cause of their confining
him was, his being an Englishman. After being kept in
this manner for three weeks, the bishop, his two sons, and
Mr. Clogy, were exchanged for two of the O'Rourkes; but
though it was agreed that they should be safely conducted
to Dublin, yet the rebels would never suffer them to be
carried out of the country, but sent them to the house of
Dennis Sheridan, an Irish minister, and convert to the
Protestant religion, to which though he steadily adhered,
and relieved many who fled to him for protection, yet the
Irish suffered him to live quietly among them, on account
of the great family from which he was descended. While
our prelate remained there, and enjoyed some degree of
health, he every Sunday read the prayers and lessons, and
preached himself, though there were three ministers with
him. The last Sunday he officiated was the 30th of Jan.
and the day following he was taken ill. On the second day
it appeared that his disease was an ague; and on the fourth,
apprehending a speedy change, he called for his sons and
his sons’ wives, spoke to them a considerable time, gave
them much spiritual advice, and blessed them, after which
he spoke little, but slumbered out most of his time, only
by intervals he seemed to awake a little, and was then very
cheerful. At length, on the 7th of February, 1641, about
midnight, he breathed his last, in the seventy-first year of
his age, his death being chiefly occasioned by his late imprisonment, and the weight of sorrows which lay upon his
mind. The only care now remaining to his friends was, to
see him buried according to his desire; and since that
could not be obtained but by the new intruding bishop’s
leave, Mr. Clogy and Mr. Sheridan went to ask it, and Mr.
Dillon was prevailed with by his wife, to go and second
their desire. They found the bishop in a state of beastly
intoxication, and a melancholy change in that house, which
was before a house of prayer. The bishop, when he was
awakened out of his drunkenness, excepted a little to their
request, and said the church-yard was holy ground, and
was no more to be defiled with heretics’ bodies; yet he
consented to it at last. Accordingly, February L>, he was
buried next his wife’s coffin. The Irish did him unusual
honours at his burial, for the chief of the rebels gathered
their forces together, and with them accompanied his body
from Mr. Sheridan’s house to the church-yard of Kilmore in
great solemnity, and they desired Mr. Clogy to bury him
according to the office prescribed by the church. But
though the gentlemen were so civil as to offer it, yet it was
not thought advisable to provoke the rabble so much, as
perhaps that might have done; so it was passed over. But
the Irish discharged a volley of shot at his interment, and
cried out in Latin, “Requiescat in pace ultimus Anglorum,
” ‘ May the last of the English rest in peace;’ for
they had often said, that as they esteemed him the best of
the English bishops, so he should be the last that should be
left among them. What came from Edmund Farilly, a Popish priest, at the interment of the bishop, is too remarkable, and is too well attested, to be passed over, who cried
out, “O sit anima mea cum Bedello,
” ‘ I would to God
my soul were with Bedell’s.’ Our prelate had long before
prepared for death, as appears by his will, dated the 15th of
February, 1640, in which there are several legacies, that
shew he had recollected all the memorable passages of his
life before he made it, and seriously considered the several
blessings which God had bestowed upon him. He married
a lady of the ancient and honourable family of L‘Estrange,
who was the widow of the recorder of St. Edmundsbury, a
woman exemplary in her life, humble and modest in her
behaviour, and singular in many excellent qualities, particularly in an extraordinary reverence to him. She bore
him three sons and a daughter. One of the sons and the
daughter died young; only William and Ambrose survived,
for whom he made no provision, but a benefice of eighty
pounds a-year for the eldest and worthy son of such a father, and an estate of sixty pounds a-year for the youngest,
who did not take to learning. This was the only purchase
he made. His wife died three years before the rebellion
broke out, and he preached her funeral sermon himself,
with such a mixture both of tenderness and moderation,
that he drew tears from all his auditors. He was an enemy
to burying in the church, thinking that there was both superstition and pride in it, and believing it was a great annoyance to the living, to have so much of the steam of dead
bodies rising about them. One of the canons in his synod
was against burying in churches, and he often wished that
burying’ places were removed out of all towns. He chose
the least frequented place of the church-yard of Kilmore
for his wife to lie in, and by his will ordered, that he should
be placed next to her, with this inscription:
held in such high estimation, that the poets of that age celebrated him in their poems, calling him in Latin, Bohemus. He was certainly a man of much genius, and possessed
, an engraver of Nuremberg, who flourished about the middle of the sixteenth
century, was either instructed, or became an imitator of
Henry Aldegrever, and Albert Durer, and like them, engraved on wood as well as copper, and also etched some
few plates; but these last, by far the most indifferent, are
also the smallest part of his works. If his style of engraving
be not original, it is at least an excellent and spirited imitation of that which was adopted by the preceding masters
of the country in which he resided. His pictures, for he
was a painter, as well as his engravings, were held in such
high estimation, that the poets of that age celebrated him
in their poems, calling him in Latin, Bohemus. He was
certainly a man of much genius, and possessed great fertility of invention. But the Gothic taste which so generally prevailed in Germany at this time, is much too
prevalent in his works. His draperies are stiff, and loaded
with a multiplicity of short, inelegant folds. His drawing
of the naked figure, which he is fond of introducing,
though mannered, is often very correct, and sometimes
masterly. His heads, and the other extremities of his
figures, are carefully determined, and often possess much
merit. Of his numerous works, the following may be
mentioned as specimens; on wood, a set of prints for a
book entitled “Biblicae Histories artinciossissimce depictae,
”
Francfort, History of the creation
and fall of man:
” “The labours of Hercules:
” “The
virtues and vices,
” &c. He had a brother, Bartholomew
Beham, who resided principally at Rome. He was also
an engraver, and from such of his prints as have been ascertained, which is somewhat difficult, he appears to have
been a very excellent artist, and one of the superior
scholars of Marc Antonio, whose style of engraving he
imitated with great success. His drawing is correct and
masterly; his beads are characteristic, and the other extremities of his figures well marked.
, in Latin, Becanus, a canon of the church of Utrecht, who lived
, in Latin, Becanus, a
canon of the church of Utrecht, who lived about the middle of the fourteenth century, wrote a chronicle of his
church, embracing its history from St. Willibrod, first
bishop of Utrecht, to 1346. There are various editions of
this chronicle, continued down by another hand to 1393,
the worst of which, according to Vossius, is that of Furmerius, and the best that of Buchellius, Utrecht, 1643, fol.
entitled “De Episcopis Ultrajectinis.
”
hurch-yard of Malahidert, about five miles from that city. During his retirement in France, he wrote in Latin, in two books, “Vindiciarum Catholicorum Hiberniae,” under
, was born in 1613, atBelingstown, in the barony of Balrothery in the county of Dublin,
the son of sir Henry Beling, knight, and was educated in
his younger years at a grammar-school in the city of Dublin, but afterwards put under the tuition of some priests of
his own religion, which was Popish, who so well cultivated
his good genius, that they taught him to write in a fluent
and elegant Latin style. Thus grounded in the polite
parts of literature, his father removed him to Lincoln’s Inn,
to study the municipal laws of his country, where he abode
some years, and returned home a very accomplished
gentleman, but it does not appear that he ever made the
law a profession. His natural inclination inclining him to
arms, he early engaged in the rebellion of 1641, and though
but about twenty-eight years old, was then an officer of
considerable rank. He afterwards became a leading member in the supreme council of the confederated Roman
catholics at Kilkenny, to which he was principal secretary, and
was sent ambassador to the pope and other Italian princes in
1645, tocraveaid for the support of their cause. He brought
back with him a fatal present in the person of the nuncio,
John Baptist Rinuccini, archbishop and prince of Fermo;
who was the occasion of reviving the distinctions between
the old Irish of blood, and the old English of Irish birth,
which split that party into factions, prevented all peace
with the marquis of Ormond, and ruined the country he
was sent to save. When Mr. Beling had fathomed the
mischievous schemes of the nuncio and his party, nobody
was more zealous than he in opposing their measures, and
in promoting the peace then in agitation, and submitting
to the king’s authority, which he did with such cordiality,
that he became very acceptable to the marquis of Ormond,
who intrusted him with many negociations. When the
parliament army had subdued the royal army, Mr. Beling
retired to France, where he continued several years. His
account of the transactions of Ireland during the period of
the rebellion, is esteemed by judicious readers more worthy
of credit than any written by the Romish party, yet he is
not free from a partiality to the cause he at first embarked
in. He returned home upon the restoration, and was repossessed of his estate by the favour and interest of the duke
of Ormond. He died in Dublin in September 1677, and
was buried in the church-yard of Malahidert, about five
miles from that city. During his retirement in France, he
wrote in Latin, in two books, “Vindiciarum Catholicorum
Hiberniae,
” under the name of Philopater Irenacus, the first
of which gives a pretty accurate history of Irish affairs, from
1641 to 1649, and the second is a confutation of an epistle
written by Paul King, a Franciscan friar and a nunciotist,
in defence of the Irish rebellion. This book of Mr. Beling’s being answered by John Ponce, a Franciscan friar
also, and a most implacable enemy to the Protestants of
Ireland, in a tract entitled “Belingi Vindiciae eversae,
”
our author made a reply, which he published under the
title of “Annotationes in Johannis Poncii librum, cui titulus, Vindiciae Eversae: accesserunt Belingi Vindiciae,
” Parisiis, Innocentiae suae impetitae per Reverendissimum
Fernensem vindiciae,
” Paris, The Eighth Day,
” which has escaped our searches.
When a student, however, at Lincoln’s Inn, he wrote and
added a sixth book to sir Philip Sidney’s Arcadia, which
was printed with that romance, London, 1633, folio, with
only the initials of his name.
ors, yet in several particulars he followed the opinions of St. Augustin. He wrote most of his works in Latin, the principal of which is his body of controversy, consisting
It is generally allowed that Bellarmin did great honour
to his order, and that no man ever defended the church of
Rome and the pope with more success. The Protestants
have so far acknowledged his abilities, that during the
space of forty or fifty years, there was scarce any considerable divine amongst them, who did not think it necessary
to write against Bellarmin, and some of his antagonists accused him without much foundation, in their publications,
a circumstance from which his party derived great advantage. Bellarmin, however, though a strenuous advocate
for the Romish religion, did not agree with the doctrine of
the Jesuits in some points, particularly that of predestination, nor did he approve of many expressions in the Romish litanies; and notwithstanding he allowed many passages in his writings to be altered by his superiors, yet in
several particulars he followed the opinions of St. Augustin.
He wrote most of his works in Latin, the principal of which
is his body of controversy, consisting of four volumes in
folio; the best edition that of Cologne, 1615. He there
handles the questions in divinity with great method and
precision, stating the objections to the doctrines of the Romish church with strength and perspicuity, and answering
them in the most concise manner. Some of the Roman
Catholics have been of opinion, that their religion has
been hurt by his controversial writings, the arguments of
the heretics not being confuted with that superiority and
triumph, which, they imagined, the goodness of the cause
merited. Father Theophilus Raynaud acknowledges some
persons to have been of opinion, that Bellarmin’s writings
ought to be suppressed, because the Protestants might
make an ill use of them, by taking what they found in
them for their purpose, and the Catholics might be deluded by not understanding the answers to the objections.
Hence it was that our countryman, sir Edward Sandys, not
being able to meet with Bellarmin’s works in any bookseller’s shop in Italy, concluded that they were prohibited,
lest they should spread the opinions which the author confutes. Besides his body of controversy, he wrote also several other books. He has left us a “Commentary on the
Psalms;
” “A biography of Ecclesiastical Writers;
” “A
discourse on Indulgences, and the Worship of Images;
”
Two treatises in answer to a work of James I. of England;
“A dissertation on the Power of the Pope in temporal
matters,
” against William Barclay; and several treatises
on devotion, the best of which is that on the duties of
bishops, addressed to the bishops of France.
ilities and genius as a writer. The most remarkable of his works was the “History of his own times,” in Latin: of this, however, nothing remains except a few fragments,
He was also a man of learning, and gave proofs of his
abilities and genius as a writer. The most remarkable of
his works was the “History of his own times,
” in Latin:
of this, however, nothing remains except a few fragments,
sand three or four books, which Martin du Bellay, William’s brother, has inserted in his memoirs.
Poissons,” 1551, 4to, with plates. 5. “De la nature et diversity des Poissons,” 1555, 8vo. The same in Latin. He was preparing other works for the press, when he was
, M. D. of the faculty of Paris, was born
about 1518, in the Maine. He travelled into Judea, Greece,
and Arabia and published in 1555, in 4to, a relation of
whatever he had remarked most worthy of notice in those
countries. He composed several other works, now rare,
which were much esteemed at the time, for their correctness, and the erudition with which they abound. The
chief of them are, 1. “De Arboribus coniferis,
” Paris,
Histoire de la nature des
Oiseaux,
” Portraits d'Oiseaux,
” Histoire des Poissons,
” De
la nature et diversity des Poissons,
”
s of Lascaris. During this residence in Sicily, which lasted more than two years, he composed a work in Latin, entitled “P. Bembi de vEtna ad Angelum Chabrielem liber,”
, in Lat. Petrus Bembus, one of the
restorers of polite literature in Italy, was born at Venice in
1470, of an ancient and honourable family. His father,
Bernardo, who died in 1518, was an accomplished scholar,
and distinguished statesman, who maintained a friendly intercourse with many illustrious and learned persons of the
age, and is honourably spoken of by various writers. On
one of his embassies to Florence he carried his son, then
in his eighth year, to improve him in the Italian language,
which was supposed to be spoken and written in that city
with the greatest purity. Atter two years, he returned
home with his father, and was placed under the tuition of
Joannes Alexander Urticius, and continued to apply to his
studies with great assiduity, acquiring in particular a critical knowledge of the Latin tongue. Being solicitous of
acquiring a knowledge also of the Greek, the study of
which was at that time confined to very few, he resolved to
undertake a voyage to Messina, and avail himself of the
instructions of the celebrated Constantino Lascaris. Accordingly he set out in 1492, accompanied by Agnolo Gabrielii, a young Venetian of distinction, his friend and fellow-student, and profited greatly by the instructions of
Lascaris. During this residence in Sicily, which lasted
more than two years, he composed a work in Latin, entitled “P. Bembi de vEtna ad Angelum Chabrielem liber,
”
which was published the same year in which he returned,
1495, 4to, and is said to have been the first publication
from the Aldine press “in literis rotundis.
” His compositions both in Latin and Italian soon began to extend his
reputation, not only through the different states of Italy,
but also to distant countries. His father, flattered with the
approbation bestowed on his son, was desirous of employing his talents in the service of his country in some public
station, and for some time Bembo occasionally pleaded as
an advocate with success and applause, until being disappointed in obtaining a place which was given to a rival
much inferior in merit, he discovered that reluctance for
public life, which, in obedience to his father, he had but
imperfectly concealed, and determined to devote his whole
attention to literature, as connected with the profession of
the church. About this time, it is said, that his resolution
was confirmed by accidentally going into a church when
the officiating priest was reading a portion of the evangelical history, and had just come to the words, “Peter, follow
me,
” which Bembo looked upon as a divine admonition.
There is nothing in his character, however, that can give
much credibility to this story, which, it ought to be mentioned, some say occurred long after, when he was hesitating whether he should accept the office of cardinal.
The letters which Bembo wrote in Latin in the name of Leo X. were published with the rest of
The letters which Bembo wrote in Latin in the name of Leo X. were published with the rest of his epistles. Among other commissions of importance in which he was engaged, he undertook at the pope’s instance an embassy to Venice, for the purpose of detaching his countrymen from their alliance with the king of France, and engaging them to take a part in the coalition formed against that monarch by the emperor, the king of Spain, and the pope.
, in Latin Marcus Mantua Benavidius, an eminent lawyer, the son of
, in Latin Marcus Mantua Benavidius,
an eminent lawyer, the son of John Peter Benavidio, a physician, was born at Padua, in 1489. He
excelled in the study of polite literature and the civil and
canon law, which last he taught for sixty years at Padua,
with distinguished approbation. During this honourable
career, he was often solicited to leave his situation for
higher preferment, particularly by the university of Bologna, the king of Portugal, the pope, and other sovereigns, but he preferred living in his own country, where
he received and deserved so much respect. He was three
times honoured by the title of chevalier, by the emperor
Charles V. in 1545, by Ferdinand 1. in 1561, and by pope
Pius IV. in 1564. He died March 28, 1582, in the ninety-third year of his age. His principal works are: 1. “Dialogus de concilio,
” Venice, Epitome illustriumjurisconsultorum,
” Padua,
Illustrium jurisconsultorum
imagines,
” Rome, Observationes legales,
” Venice, Polymatbise Libri duodecim,
” Venice, Collectanea super jus Csesareum,
” Venice, Observationes legales,
” is said to have been in compliment to
his father, who was a native or' that city.
1657, printed on one side of a large sheet of paper. 6. “De Sacra Amicitia,” printed with the former in Latin verse and prose. 7. “Threnothriambeuticon, or Latin poems
Among his poetical pieces Wood mentions the following,
1. “Sphinx Theologica, seu Musica Templi, ubi discordia
concurs,
” Camb. Honorifica armorurii
cessatio, sive pacis et fidei associatio,
” Feb. 11, 1643, 8vo.
3. “Theophila, or Love-Sacrifice,
” a divine poem, Lond.
A summary
of Divine Wisdom,
” London, A glance at
the glories of Sacred Friendship,
” London, De Sacra Amicitia,
” printed with the former in Latin verse and prose.
7. “Threnothriambeuticon, or Latin poems on king Charles
II.'s Restoration,
” London, 1660, printed on a side of a
large sheet of paper. A few were printed on white satin,
one copy of which, in a frame suitable to it, he gave to the
public library at Oxford. 8. “Oxonii Encomium,
” Oxon.
Oxonii Elogia,
” Oxon. Oxonii Elegia
” II. “Academicis Serenitas
” III. “Academicis Temperantia
” IV. “Studiosis
Cautela,
” and some other pieces. 10. “Magia Caelestis,
”
Oxon. Echo veridica joco-seria,
”
Oxon. Truth’s touch-stone,
” consisting of an hundred distichs, printed on one side of a long sheet of paper,
and dedicated to his niece Mrs. Phiiippa Blount. 13. “Annotations for the better confirming the several truths in the
said poem;
” uncertain when printed. 14. Mr. Bendlowes
wrote a “Mantissa
” to Richard 'Fenn’s “Panegyricon Inaugurale,
” entitled, “De celeberrima et florentiss. Trinobantiados Augustoe Civ. Praetori, reg. senatui populoque,
”
Lond. Turmae Equestris in Com. Essex. Prsefectus.
” These
writings, according to Wood, acquired Mr. Bendlowes the
name of a Divine Author, but we fear the value of that character is considerably suok; although we cannot agree with
Pope, that “Bendlowes, propitious to blockheads, bows,
”
nor with his commentator Warburton, that “Bendlowes
was famous for his own bad poetry, and for patronising bad
poets.
” In his “Theophila
” there are many uncommon
and excellent thoughts, but it must be allowed that his metaphors are often strained and far-fetched, and he sometimes loses himself in mystic divinity. Granger, who
thinks his Latin verses better than his English, quotes a
passage from his prayer in “Theophila,
” which has been
deservedly admired for piety and sense.
afterwards archbishop of Bologna. The twelfth is a “Treatise on Diocesan Synods.” All the above are in Latin. Caraccioli published his life at Paris, 1784, 12mo. It
, whose name was Prosper Lambertini, was
born in 1675, at Bologna. He was appointed canon of the Basilicon, or great church of St. Peter, then successively archbishop of Theodosia, and bishop
of Ancona. He received the cardinal’s hat in 1728, was
deputy of the congregation of the holy office the same year,
became archbishop of Bologna in 1731, and succeeded
pope Clement XII. August 17, 1740. He then took the
name of Benedict XIV. zealously endeavoured to calm the
dissensions which had arisen in the church, patronised arts
and sciences, founded several academies at Rome, and declared openly in favour of the Thomists. This pope did
justice to the memory of the celebrated cardinal Noris; published the bull “Omnium sollicitudinum
” against certain
ceremonies, and addressed a brief to cardinal Saldanha for
the reformation of the Jesuits, which was the foundation
of their destruction. He had also established a congregation to compose a body of doctrine, by which the troubles
of the church might be calmed. This pontiff was a very
able canonist, and well acquainted with ecclesiastical history and antiquities. Though he governed with great wisdom, and was very zealous for religion, he was lively in his
conversation, and fond of saying bonmots. He died 1758,
aged 83. His works were published before his death in
16 vols. 4to, by Azevedo. The four last contain his briefs,
bulls, &c. The five first are, “A treatise on the Beatification and Canonization of haints,
” in which the subject is exhausted; an abridgement of it was published in
French, 1759, 12mo. The sixth contains the actions of
the saints whom he canonized. The two next consist of
supplements, and remarks on the preceding ones. The
ninth treats on the “Sacrifice of the Mass,
” and the tenth
on the “Festivals instituted in honour of Jesus Christ and
the Holy Virgin.
” The eleventh is entitled “Ecclesiastical Institutions;
” an excellent work, containing his instructions, mandates, letters, &c. while he was hishop of
Ancona, and afterwards archbishop of Bologna. The
twelfth is a “Treatise on Diocesan Synods.
” All the above
are in Latin. Caraccioli published his life at Paris, 1784,
12mo. It was begun in the life time of Benedict, and part
of it submitted to him by the author, to whom the pope
said, “If you were a historian, instead of a panegyrist, I
should thank you for the picture you have drawn, and with
which I am perfectly satisfied.
”
the Pastor Fido of Guajini. These pieces were in Italian; but he has left a greater number of works in Latin, among which are, 1. “Commentarii in 6 lib. priores Virgilii.”
, professor of eloquence in the university
of Padua, was a native a of Candia, where he was born in
1553, and whence he was brought in his infancy to Gubio
in the duchy of Urbino. He was in the society of Jesuits
for some time, but quitted them upon their refusing him
permission to publish a commentary on the banquet of
Plato. He was fond of critical controversy, and maintained
a dispute with the academy della Crusca of Florence, publishing a treatise against their Italian dictionary, under the
title of “Anti-Crusca.
” He had likewise another contest
with the same academy with respect to Tasso, whose defence he undertook, and published two pieces on this subject. In one of these he compares Tasso to Virgil, and
Ariosto to Homer, in some particulars giving Tasso the
preference to these two ancients: in the other he answers
the critical censures which had been made against this author. He published also some discourses upon the Pastor
Fido of Guajini. These pieces were in Italian; but he
has left a greater number of works in Latin, among which
are, 1. “Commentarii in 6 lib. priores Virgilii.
” 2. “
Commentarii in Aristotelis poeticarn et lib. Rhetor.
” 3. “Cominentarii in Sullustium.
” 4. “Platonis Poetica ex dialogis
collecta.
” 5. “Dispensatio de Baronii annalibus.
” 6. “Disputatio de historia.
” 7. “Disputatio de auxiliis.
” 8. “Orationes 75.
” 9. “Decades tres in Platonis Timeeum;
” all
collected in 5 vols. fol. Venice, 1622. He died the J 2t'i
of February 1625. He was undoubtedly a man of extensive learning, but loquacious and prolix.
: some call him Stephen, some Beneneus, others Beona, and by an Irish termination of the word Benin, in Latin Benignus. It is probable that St. Patrick baptized him
, archbishop of Armagh in Ireland, was
the immediate successor of St. Patrick in that see, anno 455
though it must be confessed, that this is a point which lias
afforded some controversy. Writers differ as to his name:
some call him Stephen, some Beneneus, others Beona, and
by an Irish termination of the word Benin, in Latin Benignus. It is probable that St. Patrick baptized him by the
name of Stephen, and that he obtained the name of Benin
from his sweet disposition, and his great affection to St.
Patrick, the word bin, in the Irish language, signifying
sweet; and that from thence the other names flowed. He
was the son of Sesgnen, a man of wealth and power in
Meath, who, in the war in 433, hospitably entertained St.
Patrick in his journey from the port of Colp, where he
landed, to the court of king Leogair at Tarah, and, with
his whole family, embraced Christianity and received baptism. The youth grew so fond of his father’s guest, that
he could not be separated from his company. St. Patrick
took him away with him at his departure, and taught him
his first rudiments of learning and religion: Benin profited
greatly under such a master, and became afterwards a man
eminent for piety and virtue, whom St. Patrick thought
worthy to fill the see of Armagh, which he resigned to him
in the year 455. Benin died in the year 468, on the ninth
of November, having also resigned his see three years before his death. The writers of the dark ages, however different they are from one another in other particulars, yet
in the main agree as to the succession of St. Benin in the
government of the see of Armagh, but there is some discordance among them as to the place of his death and burial, which we shall not attempt to reconcile; some contending he died and was buried at Armagh, and others at
Glastonbury. The following writings are ascribed to him
1 “A book partly in Latin, and partly in Irish, on the
virtues and miracles of St. Patrick
” to which Jocelin confesses he was indebted. 2. “An Irish Poem, written on
the Conversion of the people of Dublin to the Christian
Faith.
” 3. “The Minister Book of reigns,
” called by some
Leabhar Bening, or Bening’s Book, and by others Leabhar
na Geart, qu. d. the book of Genealogy, which is ascribed
to him by Nicolson.
rticles of Religion, agreed on in 1562, and revised in 1571, wherein (the text being first exhibited in Latin and English, and the minutest variations of eighteen the
, an eminent divine in the
eighteenth century, was born at Salisbury, May 7, 1673,
and educated in the free-school there; where he made so
great a progress in learning, that he was sent to St. John’s
college, Cambridge, in the beginning of 1688, before he
was full fifteen years of age. He regularly took the degrees of bachelor and master of arts; the latter in 1694,
when but twenty-one years old; and was chosen fellow of
his college. In 1695, he wrote a copy of Hebrew verses
on the death of queen Mary, printed in the collection of
poems of the university of Cambridge upon that occasion.
The first of his publications was “An answer to the dissenters pleas for Separation, or an abridgment of the London cases; wherein the substance of those books is digested into one short and plain discourse,
” Lond. A confutation of Popery, in three parts,
”
Canibr. 8vo. About the same time, he was engaged in
a controversy with some dissenters, which produced
the following book of his, “A discourse of Schism
shewing, 1 What is meant by schism. 2. That schism is
a damnable sin. 3. That there is a schism between the
established church of England and the dissenters. 4. That
this schism is to be charged on the dissenters’ side. 5. That
the modern pretences of toleration, agreement in fundamentals, &c. will m;t excuse the dissenters from being
guilty of schism. Written by way of letter to three
dissenting ministers in Essex, viz. Mr. Gilson and Mr. Gledhili ol Colchester, and Mr. Shepherd of Brain tree. To
which is annexed, an answer to a book entitled
” Thomas
against Bennet, or the Protestant dissenters vindicated from
the charge of schism,“Cambr. 1702, 8vo. This book
being animadverted upon by Mr. Shepherd, our author
published
” A defence of the discourse of Schism; in
answer to those objections which Mr. Shepherd has made in
his three sermons of Separation, &c.“Cambr. 1703, 8vo.
And, towards the end of the same year,
” An answer to
Mr. Shepherd’s considerations on the defence of the discourse of Scnism,“Cambr. 8vo. As also a treatise entitled
” Devotions, viz. Confessions, Petitions, Intercessions, and
Thanksgivings, for every day in the week and also before,
at, and after, the Sacrament with occasional prayers for
all persons whatsoever,“8vo. In 1705, he published
” A
confutation of Quakerism; or a plain proof of the falsehood of what the principal Quaker writers (especially Mr. R. Barclay, in his Apology and other works) do
teach concerning the necessity of immediate revelation
in order to a saving Christian faith, &c.“Cambr. 8vo.
In 1707 he caused to be printed in a small pamphlet,
12mo,
” A discourse on the necessity of being baptized
with Water and receiving the Lord’s Supper, taken out of
the confutation of Quakerism,“Cambr. For the sake of
those who wanted either money to purchase, or time to peruse, the Confutation of Quakerism, the year following he
published
” A brief history of -the joint use of precomposed set forms of Prayer,“Cambr. 8vo. The same year
he published likewise
” A discourse of joint Prayer,“Cambr. 8vo. Towards the end of the same year he published
” A paraphrase with annotations upon the book of
Common Prayer, wherein the text is explained, objections
are answered, and advice is humbly offered, both to the
clergy and the laity, for promoting true devotion in the use
of it,“Lond. 8vo. The next thing he printed was
” Charity Schools recommended, in a sermon preached in St.
James’s church in Colchester, on Sunday, March 26, 1710,“8vo. The same year he wrote
” A letter to Mr. B. Robinson, occasioned by iiis * Review of the case of Liturgies,
and their imposition';“and
” A second letter to Mr. B.
Robinson, &c. on the same subject,“Lond. 1710, 8vo. In
17 11 he published
” The rights of the Clergy of the Christian church; or, a discourse shewing that God has given and
appropriated to the clergy, authority to ordain, baptize,
preach, preside in church-prayer, and consecrate the Lord’s
supper. Wherein also the pretended divine right of the
laity to elect either the persons to be ordained, or their own
particular pastors, is examined and disproved,“London,
1711, 8vo. He had begun a second part of this work, but
it was never published, in which he intended to shew, that
the clergy are, under Christ, the sole spiritual governors of
the Christian church, and that God has given and appropriated to them authority to enact laws, determine controversies, inflict censures, and absolve from them. The pre^tended divine institution of lay elders was also disproved,
and the succession of the present clergy of the established
church vindicated. And to this was annexed a
” Discourse
of the Independency of the Church on the State, with an
account of the sense of our English laws, and the judgment
of archbishop Cranmer touching that point.“About this
time he took the degree of D. D. In 1714 he published
<c Directions for studying, I. A general system or body of
divinity; II. The thirty-nine articles of religion. To which
is added St. Jerom’s epistle to Nepotianus,
” London, 8vo.
The year following was published his “Essay on the thirty-nine articles of Religion, agreed on in 1562, and revised
in 1571, wherein (the text being first exhibited in Latin and English, and the minutest variations of eighteen the most ancient and authentic copies carefully noted) an account is given of the proceedings of convocation in framing
and settling the text of the articles, the controverted clause
of the twentieth article is demonstrated to be genuine, and
the case of subscription to the articles is considered in point
of law, history, and conscience; with a prefatory epistle to
Anthony Collins, esq. wherein the egregious falsehoods and
calumnies of the author of ‘Priestcraft in perfection’ are
exposed,
” London, The Non juror’s separation
from the public assemblies of the church of England examined, and proved to be schismatical upon their own
principles,
” London, 8vo. And “The case of the Reformed Episcopal Churches in Great Poland and Polish
Prussia, considered in a sermon preached on Sunday, November 18, 1716, at St. Lawrence-Jewry, London, in the
morning, and St. Olave’s, Southwark, in the afternoon,
”
London, 8vo. Soon after, he was presented by the dean
and chapter of St. Paul’s, to the vicarage of St. Giles’s,
Cripplegate, London, which afforded him a plentiful income of nearly five hundred pounds a-year. But he had
little quiet enjoyment of it; for, endeavouring to recover
some dues that unquestionably belonged to that church,
he was obliged to engage in tedious law-suits, which, hesides the immense charges they were attended withal, gave
him a great deal of vexation and uneasiness, and very much
embittered his spirits; however, he recovered a hundred
and fifty pounds a-year to that living. After he was settled
in it, in 1717, he married Mrs. Elizabeth Hunt of Salisbury,
a gentlewoman of great merit, and by her he had three
daughters. The same year he published “A Spital sermon preached before the lord mayor, aldermen. &c. of
London, in St. Bridget’s church, on April 24, 1717,
” London, 8vo; and in A discourse of the ever-blessed
Trinity in Unity, with an examination of Dr. Clarke’s Scripture doctrine of the Trinity,
” London, 8vo. But, from this
time, the care of his large parish, and other affairs, so engrossed his thoughts, that he had no time to undertake any
new work, except an Hebrew grammar, which was published at London in 1726, 8vo, a,ud is reckoned one of the
best of the kind. He mentions, indeed, in one of his books
written about 1716, that he had then “several tasks
” in
his hands, “which would find him full employment for
many years;
” but whatever they might be, none of them
were ever finished or made public. He died of an apoplexy at London, October 9th, 1728, aged fifty-live years,
five months, and two days, and was buried in his own
church.
bers, making in the whole two volumes in 8vo; the titles of which are “The odes and epodes of Horace in Latin and English, with a translation of Dr. Bentley’s notes.
On the 4th of July, 1.689, being already M.A. in the
university of Cambridge, he was incorporated as such in
the university of Oxford, in Wadham college, and is mentioned by Anthony Wood (though then but a young man, a good deal under thirty) as a genius that was promising,
and to whom the world was likely to be obliged, for his future studies and productions. In 1691 he published a Latin epistle to John Mill, D.D. containing some critical
observations relating to Johannes Malala, Greek historiographer, published at the end of that author, at Oxon, in
1691, in a large 8vo. This was the first piece that our
author published. Nor was religion less indebted to him
than learning, for in 1691-2, he had the honour to be
selected as the first person to preach at Boyle’s lectures
(founded by that honourable gentleman, to assert and vindicate the great fundamentals of natural and revealed religion), upon which occasion he successfully applied sir Isaac
Newton’s “Principia Mathematica,
” to demonstrate the
being of God, and altogether silenced the Atheists, who, in
this country, have since that time, for the most part, sheltered themselves under Deism. The subject of his discourses was the folly of atheism, even with respect to the
present life, and that matter and motion cannot think; or a
confutation of atheism from the faculties of the soul, from
the structure and origin of human bodies, and the origin
and trame of the world itself; and though he was bnt
young, and even only in deacon’s orders, he laid the basis
and foundation upon which all the successors to that worthy
office have since built. Though this was a task of great
extent, and no small difficulty, yet Mr. Bentley acquitted
himself with so much reputation, that the trustees not only
publicly thanked him for them, but did moreover, by especial command and desire, prevail upon him to make the
said discourses public, upon which he gave the world a volume, 1693, 4to, containing eight sermons, which have not
only undergone a number of editions, but have been translated abroad into several languages. On the 2d of October, 1692, he was installed a prebendary of Worcester by
bishop Stillingfleet. Upon the death of Mr. Justel, Mr.
Bentley was immediately thought upon to succeed him, as
keeper of the royal library at St. James’s; and accordingly,
a few months after his decease, he had a warrant made out
for that place, from the secretary’s office, December 23,
1693, and had his patent for the same in April following.
Soon after he was nominated to that office, before his patent was signed, by his care and diligence he procured no
less than a thousand volumes of one sort or other, which
had been neglected to be brought to the library, according
to the act of parliament then subsisting, which prescribed
that one copy of every book printed in England, should
be brought and lodged in this library, and one in each
university library. It was about this time and upon this
occasion of his being made library-keeper, that the famous
dispute between him and the honourable Mr. Boyle, whether the epistles of Phalaris were genuine or riot, in some
measure, at first took rise, which gave occasion to so maiw
books and pamphlets, and has made so much noise in the
world. This controversy upon a point of learning, in itself
not very entertaining, was managed with a wit and humour
which rendered it interesting to the public. The world
was at that time a little biassed in favour of the production
of the young nobleman, at least as to the genteel raillery
of his pieces; for as to the dispute itself, viz. the genuineness of the Epistles of Phalaris, the best judge^s almost universally now give the preference to Dr. Bentley; nor does
he much, if at all, fall short of Mr. Boyle, in throwing a deal
of life and spirit into the controversy, particularly in his
answer to Mr. Boyle, which is interspersed, as well as Mr.
Boyle’s piece, with abundance of wit and humour, and is,
upon the whole, reckoned much the best book. When, in
1696, he was admitted to his degree of D. D. he preached,
on the day of the public commencement, from 1 Peter iii.
15. “Be ready always to give an answer to every man
that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you.
”
About this time the university entered upon a design of
publishing some editions, in 4to, of some classic authors,
for the use of the duke of Gloucester. Dr. Bentley, who
was consulted upon the occasion, advised Laughton, to
whose care the edition of Virgil was committed, to follow
Heinsius very close, but his advice was not complied
with. Terence was published by Leng, Horace byTalbot,
and Catullus, Tibnllus, and Propertius, by Mr. Annesley,
afterwards earl of Anglesey. Dr. Bentley procurecUfrom
Holland the types with which these books were printed.
At the express desire of his friend Mr. Graevius, he published his “Animadversions and remarks on the poet Callimachus,
” making, at the same time, a collection of some
scattered pieces or fragments of that author. These he
finished and sent over to Mr. Grarmus, towards the latter
end of his dispute with Mr. Boyle, and Mr. Graevius published them abroad in 1697. in 1700, upon the death of
Dr. Montague, he was by the crown presented to the mastership of Trinity-college, Cambridge, which is reckoned
worth near 1000l. per annum, upon obtaining which preferment he resigned his prebend of Worcester; but June
12, 1701, on Dr. Say well’s death, he was collated archdeacon of Ely. What next employed his critical genius
were the two first comedies of Aristophanes. Upon these
he made some curious annotations, which were published at
Amsterdam in 1710; as was much about the same time, at
Rheims, his emendations, &c. on the fragments of
Menancler and Philemon, in the feigned name of “Philcleutherus
Lipsiensis.
” Under this character he appeared again, in
The odes and epodes of Horace
in Latin and English, with a translation of Dr. Bentley’s
notes. To which are added notes upon notes, done in the
Bentleian style and manner.
” In the preface they “humbly hope that the reader will encourage the following
essays, upon several accounts. First, as they are designed
to shew him the best author of Augustus’s age in his native
purity. Secondly, to give him a further proof how far all
attempts to render him into English, even after the best
version now extant has succeeded no better, must fall short
of the original. Thirdly, to convince him how ridiculous
it is to presume to correct Horace without authority, upon
the pretended strength of superior judgment in poetry.
And lastly, how easily such a presumption may be turned
upon the authors, and sufficiently expose them in their
own way.
” This last paragraph seems indeed to express
the greatest part of the design of this work, which is executed with a great deal of spirit and humour. On the 5th
of November, 1715, the doctor preached a sermon before
the university against popery, on which somebody soon
after published remarks, which occasioned Dr, Bentley’s
answer, entitled “Reflections on the scandalous aspersions
cast on the Clergy, by the author of the Remarks on Dr.
Bentley’s Sermon on Popery, &c.
” This was printed in
The time, manner, and
other circumstances of these proposals,
” says he, “make
it but too evident, that they were hastened out to serve
quite different ends than those of common Christianity;
and I think it my duty to obviate, as far as I am able, the
influence they might have on some, whom big words, and
bold attempts, are apt to lead implicitly into an high opinion and admiration of the merit and abilities of the undertaker.
” Dr. Middleton then proceeds to criticise, paragraph by paragraph, Dr. Bentley’s proposals. Soon after
these Remarks, paragraph by paragraph, the Proposals
appeared, with a pamphlet entitled “A full answer to all
the Remarks of a late pamphleteer, by a member of Trinity
college, Cambridge,
” Remarks, &c. containing a full answer to the editor’s late defence -of his
Proposals, as well as all his objections there made against
my former remarks, by Conyers Middleton, D. D.
” As
also, an anonymous letter to the reverend master of Trinity
college, Cambridge, editor of a new Greek Testament.
We also find, under the Catalogue of the doctor’s works in
the Bibliotheca Bodleiana,-much about this time, another
publication, somewhat analogous, and relating to this affair,
viz. “An enquiry into the authority of the primitive Complutensian edition of the New Testament, in a letter to
archdeacon Bentley,
” that some noise should be made
in the world in his favour, to support his declining character by something great and popular, to recover esteem and
applause to himself, and throw an odium and contempt
upon his prosecutors, &c.
” In 1725, at a public commencement on the 6th of July, the doctor made an elegant
Latin speech, on creating seven doctors of divinity, in
which, at the several periods, by little notes below, is set
forth the whole form of the creation of a doctor of divinity.
This piece is usually joined to his edition of Terence and
Phsedrus: at least it is added to the Amsterdam edition of
them in 1727, a very neat edition, corrected for the press by
the doctor. To these notes on Terence, he has also added
those of the learned Gabriel Faernius, and taken great
pains in amending and correcting the author, not only from
those ancient manuscripts which Gabriel Faernius had procured, but also from whatever manuscripts the royal library, those of Cambridge, or any of his friends, could
afford; some of which, he assures us, were of great antiquity, and at least next, and very little inferior, to those of
Faernius, the orthography of which, as the most ancient
manuscript, he altogether follows. He has likewise altered the text in abundance of places, and assigns in the
notes the reason for such alteration. Then follows the
Schediasma of the metre and accents of Terence, by which
the doctor proves that Terence is written all in Verse.
This, however', was a matter of some controversy betw-een
the learned bishop Hare and our author; and during the
warmth of the debate. Will. Whiston remarked how intolerable it was, that while Grotius, Newton, and Locke, all
laymen, were employing their talents on sacred studies, such
clergymen as Dr. Bentley and bishop Hare were fighting
about a play-book. About 1732, the doctor published his
Milton’s “Paradise Lost,
” when he was, as he says in his
preface, about seventy years old. This is a very elegant
and beautiful edition of that poem, but cannot be said to
have contributed much to the editor’s deputation. Dr.
Bentley tells us, that he had prepared a new edition of the
poet Manillas for the press, which he would have published,
had not the clearness of paper, and the want of good types,
and some other occasions, hindered him. He had also
some design of publishing an edition of Hesychius, as we
find by Mr. Graevius’s letter to him, and assured Dr. Mill,
he could, if he pleased, correct five thousand faults in that
author. His emendations on the Tusculan Questions of
Cicero are adjoined to Mr. Davis’s edition of that author.
From this produce of his studious, we must now pass to
that of his more active, life, in the memorable complaints
of rrial -administration urged against him by the college,
which were the occasion of a long suit, whether the Crown‘
or the bishop of Ely was general visitor. A party in the
college, displeased at some of his regulations, began to
talk of the fortieth statute, de Magistri (si res exigat)
Amotionc, and meditated a complaint to the bishop of Ely.
The master hearing this, went to bishop Patrick, then at
Ely, who told him, he had never heard before, that, as
bishop of Ely, he had any thing to do in the royal college
of Trinity; called his secretary to him, and bid him seek
if there was any precedent for it in the bishop’s archives;
but not one was found, nor so much as a copy of Trinity
college statutes. Upon that, the doctor lent him one; and
during that bishop’s time the matter was dropped. But in
his successor Dr. Moore’s time, the party were encouraged to apply to the bishop, in 1709, and avast number
of articles about dilapidations, but not one of immorality,
bribery, or fraud, were exhibited against the master.
These were, however, the subject of many pamphlets on
both sides. His lordship received the charge, intending
to proceed upon it, which he conceived himself sufficiently
authorised to do, and required Dr. Bentley’ s answer, which
he declined for some time to give, pleading want of form
in the charge; because other members of the college,
besides the seniors, had joined in the accusation, and the seniors themselves, as he alleged, had never yet admonished
him; from whence he inferred, that all proceedings on
such a charge, and whatsoever should follow on the same
foot, would be ipso facto null and void. The bishop, however, did not, it seems, think this plea to be material; for
he insisted upon Dr. Bentley’s answer to the charge; who,
upon that, began to question what authority his lordship had over him; and, by a petition presented to queen
Anne, prayed “that her majesty would take him and the
college into her protection, against the bishop’s pretensions, and maintain her sole power and jurisdiction
over her royal foundation, and the masters thereof.
”
This petition was referred to the then attorney and solicitor-general, and they were ordered fully to consider the
matter, and report their opinions. Notice was given at
the same time to the bishop, that her majesty having taken
this affair into her cognizance, his lordship was to stay
proceedings till the queen’s pleasure was farther known.
Mr. attorney and solicitor-general took some time to consider; and were of opinion, the bishop had power over the
master. But this report not proving satisfactory to some
persons then in administration, a letter was brought to the
bishop from Mr. secretary St. John, dated 18th June, 1711,
acquainting him, “that the matter of the petition of Dr.
Richard Bentley, master of Trinity-college in Cambridge,
together with the report of Mr. attorney and Mr. solicitorgeneral, being then before the queen, and ordered to be
taken into consideration by my lord keeper, assisted by
her majesty’s counsel learned in the law, her majesty
thought it to be a business of such weight and consequence,
that she had commanded him (the secretary) to signify her
pleasure to his lordship, that he should stop all further
proceedings, according to her majesty’s direction.
” But
the master seeing that all discipline and studies would be
lost in the college, if that controversy were not one way
or other decided, requested of the ministry that he might
be permitted to take his trial under any visitor the queen
should appoint; or if none could be so appointed, that he
might have leave, salvo jure regio, to be voluntarily tried
under the bishop. Upon this the inhibition was taken off
by Mr. secretary St. John, by order of the queen, signifying, “that his lordship was at liberty to proceed, so far as
by the law he might.
” But his lordship did not think fit to
proceed, till he was served uith a rule of court from the
king’s-bench, in Easter-term 1714, to shew cause why a
writ of mandamus should not issue out against him. The
bishop, being then at Ely, was applied to by joint messengers on both sides, to go to the college, where he might
have ended the matter in two days. But this was not
thought so proper, and Ely-house at London was pitched
on, where, instead of two days, the trial lasted at least six
weeks, and the college paid a thousand pounds for it;
three learned lawyers, who could know but very little of
the matter, being admitted on each side, to make eloquent
harangues, answers, and replies, upon questions arisingfrom above fifty articles, in which there was scarcely any
thing material that might not easily be determined upon a
bare inspection of the college statutes, registers, and books
of accounts. The trial being ended, and the cause ripe
for sentence, the bishop’s death prevented his giving judgment. Thus the matter dropped for the present; but was
afterwards revived in 1728, when new articles of complaint
against Dr. Bentley, charging him with having in many
instances made great waste of the college revenue, and
violated the statutes, all founded on the 40th of Elizabeth,
were again exhibited to the bishop of Ely, as specially authorised and appointed to receive the same, and to proceed thereupon; though the matter had been long before
decided in favour of the crown, as having the general visitatorial power. Upon this, a petition was subscribed by
the college, and presented to his majesty under the common-seal, the 10th of August 1728, and the cause carried
before the king in council for the college itself now engaged as party in the cause against the bishop, and above
fifteen hundred pounds out of the revenues of the college,
were spent in carrying it on. This being referred to a
committee of his majesty’s most honourable privy-council,
Dr. Fleetwood, the lord bishop of Ely, on the 2nd of November, 1728, also presented a petition to his majesty, to
be heard touching his right, which was likewise referred
to the said committee. The lords committee, just before
the clay appointed for a hearing, viz. March 13, 1728, had
a printed pamphlet put into their hands, entitled, “The
Case of Trinity-college; whether the Crown or the Bishop
of Ely be General Visitor;
” at the end of which, as well
as in their petition, the college applied to the king, to take
the visitatorial power (as by the opinion of council he might with their consent) into his own hands, that they might b0
only visited by the crown, but not with a view or intent of
avoiding a visitation or inquiry into the state of the society,
for which they were very pressing, both in their petition,
and at the end of this pamphlet. On the fifteenth the cause
came on before the lords of the committee of privy-council,
but was from thence referred to the king’s bench, where
the May following it was tried by way of prohibition, and
after a long pleading, the judges unanimously determined
it in favour of the bishop, as to his visitatorial power over
the doctor; and the June following, the fellows exhibited
their articles of complaint against him before the bishop of
Ely, his lordship having two assistants, viz. sir Henry Penrice, and Dr. Bettesworth. But it being urged, that the
bishop was going to exercise a general visitatorial power,
another petition was preferred to his majesty and council,
by the master and fellows, and a farther hearing appointed
in the cause, in the court of king’s bench, in November,
1729, &c. and in November, 1731, we find the cause had
gone against the bishop of Ely, by his taking out a writ of
error, for carrying the' cause by appeal into the house of
lords. The crown, however, at last, to put an end to the
dispute and disturbance, (as fully impowered to do) took
both college and master, according to their petition, into
its own jurisdiction and visitation, and here the matter
ended.
Upsal, where he died in 1758. He was succeeded in the archbishopric by his brother Jacob, who wrote in Latin, an abridgment of theology, and a description of Palestine,
, archbishop of Upsal, and brother tc the preceding, was born at Strengnes in 1689, and
studied at Upsal. During his subsequent travels he happened to arrive at Bender, where Charles XII. was. This
prince, who had more taste for the pursuit of scientific
knowledge than is generally supposed, was desirous at this
tim to send some men of learning to the East, and Benzehus was one whom he applied to, and who accordingly
began his travels in 1714, visiting Syria, Palestine, and
Egypt, and returning to Sweden through Italy, Germany,
and Holland. The journal of this tour is preserved in manuscript at Upsal but a considerable part of Benzelius’s
observations were printed in a Latin collection, under the
title of “Syntagma dissertationum in Academia Lundensi
habitarum,
” Leipsic,
522, Erasmus dedicated to him his work “De conscribendis epistolis.” Berauld published various works in Latin, of which the principal are, 1. “Oratio de pace restituta
, was born at Orleans in 1475, and died in 1550. According to the custom of that age, he Latinized his name into Beraldus
Aurelius, and it is under that name that his friend Nicolas Bourbon celebrates him in one of his Latin poems.
Berauld, according to Moreri, was preceptor to cardinal
Coligni, his brother the admiral, and to Chatillon. Erasmus, in many parts of his works, acknowledges the kind
hospitality of Berauld, when, in 1500, he was travelling
by the way of Orleans into Italy, and highly praises the
elegance of his style. In 1522, Erasmus dedicated to him
his work “De conscribendis epistolis.
” Berauld published various works in Latin, of which the principal are,
1. “Oratio de pace restituta et de fcedere sancito apud
Cameracum,
” Paris, Metaphrasis in oeconomicon Aristotelis,
” Paris, 4to, without date. In Greek and Latin Dictionary,
” that of Crafton, with additions, a preface, and notes. 3. “Syderalis /ibyssus,
”
Paris, Dialogus quo rationes explicantur quibus dicendi ex tempore facultas parari potest, &c.
” Lyons,
De jurisprudentia vetere ac novitia oratio,
”
Lyons, Enarratio in psalmos LXXI. et
CXXX.
” Paris, 1529, 4to. Berauld was greatly respected by Stephen Poucher, bishop of Paris, and afterwards
archbishop of Sens, a celebrated patron of learning and
learned men. Berauld’s son, Francis, born at Orleans,
embraced the principles of Calvin he was esteemed a very
learned man and a good Greek and Latin poet. He was
particularly eminent for his knowledge of Greek, which he
taught at Montbelliard, Lausanne, Geneva, Montargis, of
which last college he was principal in 1571, and at Rochelle. Henry Stephens employed him to translate part
of Appian, and preferred his translation to that of Coslius
Secundus Curio.
, the author of a poem, in praise of printing, written in Latin hexameters and pentameters, has escaped tlfe researches
, the author of a poem,
in praise of printing, written in Latin hexameters and pentameters, has escaped tlfe researches of biographers as to
much personal history. It is, however, conjectured, that
his proper name was Arnold or Arnold i, and that he was
called Bergellauus from his country. It is supposed also
that he came to Mentz, and was employed there, either?
as a workman, or as a corrector of the press. John Conrad
Zeltner, who is of this last opinion, has accordingly asigned him a short article in his Latin history of the correctors of the press, p. 79, 80, where he calls him John
Anthony, instead of John Arnold. Struvius (Introd. in not. rei litterariae, p. 892) considers Bergellanus as the
first historian of printing, but in this he is mistaken. Mentel, in his “Paraenesis de vera origine Typographic, p. 52,
says that Bergellanus’s poem was printed in 1510, which
could not be the case, as mention is made in it of Charles
V, who was not emperor until 1519. Walkius, who wrote
in 1608, asserts that Bergellanus wrote or published his
poem eighty years before, which brings us to 1528, but in
tact it was not written or published until 1540 and 1541, as
appears clearly by the author’s dedication to cardinal Albert, archbishop of Mentz and marquis of Brandebourg.
There have been six editions of it, separate or joined to
other works on the subject. The two last are by Prosper
Marchand in his History of Printing, Hague, 1740, 4to,
and by Woltius in his
” Monumenta typographica."
prince Arthur. All the pieces now to be found, which he wrote in the character of poet laureat, are in Latin. Among them are, an “Address to Henry VIII. for the most
, successively poet laureate of
Henry VII. and VIII. kings of England, was a native of
Tholouse, and an Augustine monk. By an instrument in
Rymer’s Foedera, Vol. XII. p. 317, pro Potta laureafo,
dated 1486, the king grants to Andrew Bernard, poet& laureato, which, as Mr. Warton remarks, we may construe
either “the laureated poet,
” or “a poet laureat,
” a salary of ten marks, until he can obtain some equivalent appointment. He is also supposed to have been the royal
historiographer, and preceptor in grammar to prince Arthur. All the pieces now to be found, which he wrote in
the character of poet laureat, are in Latin. Among them
are, an “Address to Henry VIII. for the most auspicious
beginning of the tenth year of his reign,
” with “An epithrflamium on the Marriage of Francis the dauphin of
France with the king’s daughter.
” These were formerly
in the possession of Mr. Thomas Martin of Palgrave, the
antiquary; - A New Year’s gift for 1515,“in the library
of New college, Oxford and
” Verses wishing prosperity to his Majesty’s thirteenth year,“in the British museum. He has also left some Latin hymns, a Latin life of
St. Andrew, and many Latin prose pieces, which he wrote
as historiographer to both monarchs, particularly a
” Chronicle of the life and achievements of Henry VII. to the
taking of Perkin Warbeck," and other historical commentaries on thq reign of that king, which are all in the
CotIonian library. He was living in 1522, but is not mentioned by Bale, Pits, or Tanner.
itudes of the fixed Stars.” 2. “The Obliquity of the Ecliptic from the observations of the ancients, in Latin.” 3. “A Latin letter to Mr. John Flamsteed, containing
In 1683, he went again to Leyden, to be present at the
sale of Nicholas Heinsius’s library; where he purchased,
at a great price, several of the classical authors, thut had
been either collated with manuscripts, or illustrated with
the original notes of Joseph Scaliger, Bonaventure Vulcanius, the two Heinsiuses, and other celebrated critics.
Here he renewed his acquaintance with several persons of
eminent learning, particularly Gruevius, Spanheim, Triglandius, Gronovius, Perizonius, Ryckius, Gallaeus, Rulaeus, and especially Nicholas Witsen, burgomaster of Amsterdam, who presented him with a Coptic dictionary,
brought from Egypt by Theodore Petraeus of Holsatia;
and afterwards transmitted to him in 1686, the Coptic and
Ethiopic types made of iron, for the use of the printingpress at Oxford. With such civilities he was so much
pleased, and especially with the opportunities he had of
making improvements in Oriental learning, that he would
have settled at Leyden, if he could have been chosen professor of the Oriental languages in that university, but not
being able to compass this, he returned to Oxford. He
began now to be tired of astronomy, and his health declining, he was desirous to resign but no other preferment
offering, he was obliged to hold his professorship some
years longer than he intended; in 1684 he took his degree of D. D. and in 1691, being presented to the rectory
of Brightwell in Berkshire, he quitted his professorship,
and was succeeded by David Gregory, professor of mathematics at Edinburgh. In 1692, he was employed in drawing up a catalogue of the manuscripts in Great Britain and
Ireland, which was published at Oxford 1697, fol. Dr.
Bernard’s share in this undertaking was the drawing up a
most useful and complete alphabetical Index to which he
prefixed this title, “Librorum manuscriptorum Magnae
Britanniae et Hibernise, atque externarum aliquot Bibliothecarum Index secundum alphabetum Edwardus Bernardus construxit Oxonii.
” In this Index he mentions a
great number of valuable Greek manuscripts, which are to
be found in several foreign libraries, as well as our own.
Towards the latter end of his life, he was much afflicted
with the stone, yet, notwithstanding this and other infirmities, he took a third voyage to Holland, to attend the
sale of Golius’s manuscripts. After six or seven weeks absence, he returned to London, and from thence to Oxford.
There he fell into a languishing consumption, which put
an end to his life, Jan. 12, 1696, before he was quite
fifty-nine years of age. Four days after, he was interred
in St. John’s chapel, where a monument of white marble
was soon erected for him by his widow, to whom he had
been married only three years. In the middle of it there
is the form of an Heart carved, circumscribed with these
words, according to his own direction a little before he
died, Habemus Cor Bernard!: and underneath
E. B. S. T. P. Obiit Jan. 12, 1696. The same is also repeated on a small square marble, under which he was
buried. As to this learned man’s character, Dr. Smith,
who knew him well, gives him a very great one. “He
was (says he) of a mild disposition, averse to wrangling
and disputes and if by chance or otherwise he happened
to be present where contests ran high, he would deliver
his opinion with great candour and modesty, and in few
words, but entirely to the purpose. He was a candid
judge of other men’s performances; not too censorious
even on trifling books, if they contained nothing contrary
to good manners, virtue, or religion and to those which
displayed wit, learning, or good sense, none gave more
ready and more ample praise. Though he was a true son
of the Church of England, yet he judged favourably and
charitably of dissenters of all denominations. His piety
and prudence never suffered him to be hurried away by an
immoderate zeal, in declaiming against the errors of others.
His piety was sincere and unaffected, and his devotions
both in public and private very regular and exemplary.
Of his great and extensive learning, the works he published, and the manuscripts he has left, are a sufficient evidence.
” This character is supported by the concurring
evidence of all his learned contemporaries. The works
he published were 1. “Tables of the longitudes and latitudes of the fixed Stars.
” 2. “The Obliquity of the Ecliptic from the observations of the ancients, in Latin.
”
3. “A Latin letter to Mr. John Flamsteed, containing observations on the Eclipse of the Sun, July 2, 1684, at
Oxford.
” All these are in the Philosophical Transactions,
4, “A treatise of the ancient Weights and Measures,
”
printed first at the end of Dr. Edward Pocock’s Commentary on Hosea, Oxford, 1685, fol. and afterwards reprinted
in Latin, with very great additions and alterations, under
this title, “De mensuris & ponderibus antiquis, libri tres,
”
Oxon. Private Devotions, with a brief
explication of the Ten Commandments,
” Oxford, Orbis eruditi Literatura a charactere Samaritico deducta
” printed at Oxford from a copper-plate,
on one side of a broad sheet of paper: containing at one
view, the different forms of letters used by the Phoenicians,
Samaritans, Jews, Syrians, Arabs, Persians, Brachmans,
and other Indian philosophers, Malabarians, Greeks,
Cophts, Russians, Sclavonians, Ethiopians, Francs, Saxons,
Goths, &c. all collected from ancient inscriptions, coins,
and manuscripts together with the abbreviations used by
the Greeks, physicians, mathematicians, and chymists.
7. “Etymologicum Britannicum, or derivations of the
British and English words from the Russian, Sclavonian,
Persian, and Armenian languages printed at the end of
Dr. Hickes’s Grammatica Anglo- Saxonica & Moeso-Gotthica,
” Oxon. Misnoe pars prima, ordinis primi Zeraim tituli
septem,
” Oxon. Chronologiae Samaritanae
Synopsis,
” in two tables the first containing the most
famous epochas, and remarkable events, from the beginning of the world the second a catalogue of the Samaritan High Priests from Aaron, published in the “Acta Eruditqrum Lipsiensia,
” April Notse in fragmentum
Seguierianum Stephani Byzantini
” in the library of monsieur Seguier, chancellor of France part of which, relating
to Dodone, were published by Gronovius, at the end' of
his “Exercitationes de Dodone,
” Leyden, Adnotationes in Epistolam S. Barnabce,
” published in bishop
Fell’s edition of that author, Oxon. 1685, 8vo. 12. “Short
notes, in Greek and Latin, upon Cotelerius’s edition of
the Apostolical Fathers, printed in the Amsterdam edition
of them. 13.
” Veterum testimonia de Versione LXXII
interpretum," printed at the end of Aristeae Historia LXXII
interpretum, published by Pr. Henry Aldrich, Oxon.
1692, 8vo. 14. He translated into Latin, the letters of
the Samaritans, which Dr. R. Huntington procured them
to write to their brethren, the Jews in England, in
1673|while he was at Sichem. Dr. Smith having obtained a
copy of this translation, gave it to the learned Job LudoL
fus, when he was in England, who published it in the collection of Samaritan Epistles, written to himself and other
learned men. Besides these works, he also assisted several
learned men in their editions of books, and collated manuscripts for them and left behind him in manuscript many
books of his own composition, with very large collections
which, together with the books enriched in the margin
with the notes of the most learned men, and collected by
him in France and Holland, were purchased by the curators of the Bodleian library, for the sum of two hundred
pounds. They likewise bought a considerable number of
curious and valuable books out of his library, which were
wanting in the Bodleian, for which they paid one hundred
and forty pounds. The rest of his books were sold by
auction, all men of letters striving to purchase those which
had any observations of Dr. Bernard’s own hand.
applied with enthusiasm to scientific pursuits, and was scarcely twenty years old when he published in Latin and French, Besson’s “Theatre of mathematical and mechanical
, son to the preceding, was born at Paris, April 28, 1558, and educated
in the principles of the reformed religion, but after his
father’s death, returned to those of the church of Rome,
and became an ecclesiastic, having in 1593 obtained a
canonry of St. Gatien of Tours. From his youth he applied with enthusiasm to scientific pursuits, and was
scarcely twenty years old when he published in Latin and
French, Besson’s “Theatre of mathematical and mechanical instruments,
” with explanations. At that time, if he
may be credited, he had made many discoveries in mathematics, was an expert watchmaker and goldsmith, and his
knowledge of the classics would have recommended him to
the place of tutor to the son of a person of rank: but he
was extremely vain, and perpetually flattering himself that
he possessed invaluable secrets, and had discovered the
philosopher’s stone, perpetual motion, and the quadrature
of the circle. His works certainly show that he had accumulated a considerable stock of various knowledge, but he
was very deficient in judgment His style is diffuse, and
so perplexed even in his poems, that his works have had
but few readers, and are in request only by the collectors
of curiosities. The greater part of these were collected
and published under the title of “Apprehensions spirituelles,
” Paris, Histoire
veritable, ou Le Voyage des Princes fortunes,
” Paris, Le Cabinet de Minerve, &c.
” Rouen, Moyen de parvenir,
” printed under the title of “Salrnigondis,
” and that of “Coup-cu de la Melancholic,
” a
collection of licentious tales, in much request with a certain description of collectors. Beroaide’s death is conjectured to have happened in 1612.
y fond of the study of medicine, physics, the belles-lettres, and the learned languages. He excelled in Latin and Greek, and took delight in travelling over France
, a native of Germany, was born March 11, 1538, at Annaberg, a little town of Misnia, near the river Schop, on the side of Bohemia. He waseducated with care, and made great progress in the sciences. He was particularly fond of the study of medicine, physics, the belles-lettres, and the learned languages. He excelled in Latin and Greek, and took delight in travelling over France and Italy for forming acquaintance with those who were in most reputation among the literati. On his return, he was successively professor of poetry and Greek at Wittemberg and Leipsic, but being unwilling to sign the formulary of concord, he was dismissed in 1580, and went into the territories of the priuce of Anhalt-Zerbst, where he died the 5th of October 1611, in the seventy-third year of his age. Bersmann put into verse the Psalms of David, and published editions of Virgil, 1581, Ovid, 1582, JEsop,1590, and of Horace, Lucan, Cicero, and other authors of antiquity. He was not less fertile in body than in mind having fourteen sons and six daughters by his marriage with a daughter of Peter Hellebron. Freyer, however, says that he had only four sons.
, in Latin Bertelius,
, in Latin Bertelius,
ter this piece Berti brought out several others, the principal of which is an ecclesiastical history in Latin, in 7 vols. 4to: it made however but little way out of
, a famous Augustine monk,
born May 28, 1696, at Serravezza, a small village in Tuscany, was called to Rome by his superiors, and obtained
the title of assistant-general of Italy, and the place of prefect of the papal library. His great proficiency in theological studies procured him these distinctions, and appeared
to advantage in his grand work, “De disciplinis theologicis,
” printed at Rome in 8 vols. 4to. He here adopts the
sentiments of St. Augustine in their utmost rigour, after
the example of Bellelli his brother- monk. The archbishop
of Vienna [Salmon], or rather the Jesuits who managed
him, published under his name in 1744, two pieces against
the two Augustine theologues, inveighing against them as
being too severely Augustine. The first is entitled,
“Ba'ianismus redivivus in scriptis pp. Bellelli et Berti,
” in
4to. The second bore this title “Jansenismus redivivus
in scriptis pp. Bellelli et Berti,
” in 4to. At the same time
father Berti was accused to pope Benedict XIV. as a disciple of Ba'ius and of Jansenitis. The prudent pontiff, without returning any answer to the accusers, advised Berti to
defend himself; which he accordingly did in a work of
two vols. 4to, 1749. In this apology, rather long, though
learned and lively, he laid down the difference there is
between Jansenism and Augustinianism. After this piece
Berti brought out several others, the principal of which is
an ecclesiastical history in Latin, in 7 vols. 4to: it made
however but little way out of Italy, by reason of the dryness of the historian, and of his prejudices in favour of
exploded tenets. He speaks of the pope, both in his theology and in his history, as the absolute monarch of kingdoms and empires, and that all other princes are but his
lieutenants. Berti wrote also dissertations, dialogues, panegyrics, academical discourses, and some Italian poems,
which are by no means his best productions. An edition
in folio of all his works has been printed at Venice. He
died at the age of 70, May 26, 1766, at Pisa, whither he
had been called by Francis I. grand duke of Tuscany.
rd general of the oratory. His life was written in French, by the abbé Cerisi, Paris, 1646, 4to, and in Latin by Doni d'Attichi, afterwards bishop of Autun, 1649, 8vo,
St. Francis de Sales, Caesar de Bus, cardinal Bentivoglio, &c. were among his friends and the admirers of his virtues. An edition of his controversial and spiritual works, published in 1644, 2 vols. folio, was reprinted in 1647, 1 vol. folio, by father Bourgoing, third general of the oratory. His life was written in French, by the abbé Cerisi, Paris, 1646, 4to, and in Latin by Doni d'Attichi, afterwards bishop of Autun, 1649, 8vo, and lastly by Carrac-r cioli, Paris, 1764, 12 mo.
nd the pope attended the funeral, an honour never bestowed before on any cardinal. He was celebrated in Latin by Platiua, and in Greek by Michael Apostoiius. Of PJatina’s
Bessarion was employed on four embassies of a delicate and difficult kind. Three of them he conducted with success, but the fourth was less fortunate. Being sent into France by Sixtus IV. to reconcile Louis XI. with the duke of Burgundy, and obtain assistance against the Turks, he not only failed in these undertakings, but it is said that the king, in full court, offered him the grossest personal indignities. Bessarion on this set out on his way to Rome, and died at Ravenna, Nov. 19, 1472, of chagrin, according to some authors, but more probably from age and infirmity, being now eighty-three years old, or at least, according to Bandini’s calculation, seventy-seven. His body was brought to Rome, and the pope attended the funeral, an honour never bestowed before on any cardinal. He was celebrated in Latin by Platiua, and in Greek by Michael Apostoiius. Of PJatina’s eloge there have been many editions, but that of Aposiolius was not published until 1793, by M. Fulleborn. Bessarion bequeathed his library to the senate of Venice. It was particularly rich in manuscripts, which he collected at a great expence from all parts of Greece. Tomasini drew up a catalogue of the whole.
on against Aristotle. George, however, far from following the example of this moderation, published, in Latin, under the title of “Comparatio Platonis et Aristotelis,”
Bessarion’s writings are numerous. Almost all those on
theological subjects remain in manuscript, except some
that are inserted in the acts of the council of Florence, in
vol. XIII. of Labbe’s collection, and in vol. IX. of Hardouin’s. Complete catalogues of his philosophical treatises,
discourses, an,d letters, may be consulted inFabricius’sBibl.
Grace, and in Body. His most celebrated works were his
Latin translations of Xenophon’s Memorabilia, and Aristotle’s Metaphysics, and his treatise “Contra calumniatorem Platonis.
” That calumniator was George of Trebisond, and Bessarion composed the work during the heat
of the violent contest supported about the middle of the
fifteenth century, between the followers of Plato and those
of Aristotle, of wHich Boivin wrote the history in the second volume of the Academy of Belles Lettres. Gemistus
Pletho, an enthusiastic admirer of Plato, wrote a small tract
in which he attacked the Peripatetic philosophy with virulent invective. Three learned Greeks of the age, Gennadius, George of Trebisond, and Theodore Gaza, had taken
up their pens in vindication of Aristotle. Bessarion endeavoured to reconcile the parties by shewing that Plato
and Aristotle were not so far removed from each other in
opinion as was usually thought and having a great respect
for these two sages, he rebuked, in strong terms, the inconsiderate zeal of young Apostoiius, who, without understanding the question, had written a violent and unreasonable declamation against Aristotle. George, however, far
from following the example of this moderation, published,
in Latin, under the title of “Comparatio Platonis et Aristotelis,
” a long dissertation, in which he endeavoured to
demonstrate the vast superiority of Aristotle, and inveighed,
with great violence, against Plato and his followers. Bessarion then wrote the treatise above-mentioned against this
calumniator of Plato, in which he endeavours to prove that
the doctrine of Plato is conformable to that of the Scriptures, and that his morals were as pure and irreproachable
as his doctrine. Having thus defended Plato, he attacks
George of Trebisond, proving that he had mistaken the
sense of a great many passages, and that he had no right
to give his opinion of a philosopher whose works he did not
understand. Of this book there have been three editions,
all of which are scarce the first was printed at Rome in
1469, and the others at Venice by Aldus, 1503 and 1516.
, whose name in German was Birck, is in Latin Betula, and hence Betuleius, was born at Memmingen, in
, whose name in
German was Birck, is in Latin Betula, and hence Betuleius, was born at Memmingen, in Suabia, Feb. 2, 1500,
and studied at Basil, chiefly philosophy and the belles lettres, both which he afterwards taught with distinguished
reputation. He was principal of the college of Augsburgh,
over which he presided for sixteen years, and where he
died June 19, 1554. His principal works are, 1. “Notes on
Lactantius,
” printed with the works of that father, at Basil,
Commentary
” on Cicero de natura Deorum, ibid. Humanitas Theologica,
”
Paris, Dramata sacra,
” Basil,
Novi Testament! Concordantia
Grseca,
” Basil, Oracula Sybillina Gr. cum castigationibus,
” Basil,
, in Latin Beverlacius, archbishop of York in the eighth century,
, in Latin Beverlacius, archbishop of York in the eighth century, was born of a noble
family among the English Saxons, at Harpham, a small
town in Northumberland. He was first a monk, and afterwards abbot of the monastery of St. Hilda. He was instructed in the learned languages by Theodore, archbishop
of Canterbury, and was justly esteemed one of the best
scholars of his time. Alfred of Beverly, who wrote his
life, pretends that he studied at Oxford, and took there
the degree of master of arts; but bishop Godwin assures
us this cannot be true, because such distinction of degrees
was not then known at Oxford, nor any where else. Our
abbot’s merit recommended him to the favour of Alfred,
king of Northumberland, who, in the year 685, advanced
him to the see of Hagustald, or Hexham, and, upon the
death of archbishop Bosa in 687, translated him to that of
York. This prelate was tutor to the famous Bede, and
lived in the strictest friendship with Acca, and other AngloSaxon doctors, several of whom he put upon writing comments on the scriptures. He likewise founded, in 704, a
college at Beverly for secular priests. After he had governed the see of York thirty-four years, being tired with
the tumults and confusions of the church, he divested himself of the episcopal character, and retired to Beverly;
and four years after died May 7, 721. The day of his
death was appointed a festival by a synod held at London
in 1416. Bede, and other monkish writers, ascribe several miracles to him. Between three and four hundred years
after his death, his body was taken up by Alfric, archbishop of York, and placed in a shrine richly adorned with
silver, gold, and precious stones. Bromton relates, that
William the conqueror, when he ravaged Northumberland
with a numerous army, spared Beverly alone, out of a religious veneration for St. John of that place. This prelate
wrote some pieces, 1. “Pro Luca exponendo;
” an essay
towards an exposition of St. Luke, addressed to Bede.
2. “Homiliee in Evangelia.
” 3. Epistolae ad Hildara Abbatissam.“4.
” Epistolse ad Herebaldum, Andenum, et
Bertinum.“- -Pits mentions another John of Beverly, so
called from the place of his nativity, who was a Carmelite
monk in the fourteenth century, and a very learned man,
and doctor and professor of divinity at Oxford. He flourished about 1390, in the reign of Richard II. and wrote,
1.
” Questiones in magistrum sententiarum“in four
books. 2.
” Disputationes ordinariae" in one book.
, in Latin Beverovicius, was born at Dort, Sept. 17, 1594, of a noble
, in Latin Beverovicius, was
born at Dort, Sept. 17, 1594, of a noble family. He
was brought up from his infancy under the eyes of Gerard
John Vossius, and visited several universities for acquiring
knowledge in the art of medicine, and took his doctor’s
degree at Padua. He practised in the place of his nativity, where he likewise filled several civic posts with distinction. He died Jan. 19, 1647, aged 51 and though
his course was not remarkably long, yet Daniel Heinsius,
in the epitaph he made Oil him, calls him “ViUe artifex,
mortis fugator.
” His principal works are: 1. “De terra i no vitse, fatali an mobili
” Rotterdam, De excellentia
sexus Fceminei,
” Dordrecht, Decalculo,
”
Leyden, Introductio ad Medicinam
indigenam,
” Leyden,
elf to the study of the history of his nation, which he examined with the utmost accuracy, and wrote in Latin “Annotations upon Nennius,” an “History of the actions
, a learned divine and historian
of the seventh century, was son of the preceding, and
born in Northumberland, but educated almost from his
infancy in the isle of Wight. He was a man of a very humane and mild disposition, a good historian, and well
skilled in geometry. He gave an accurate description of
the isle of Wight from his own observations, as well as
from the accounts of Ptolemy and Pliny. Upon his return
to his own country he studied under Elbode, a bishop
eminent for his uncommon sanctity and learning, by whose
instructions he made great progress both in profane and
sacred literature. At last he applied himself to the study
of the history of his nation, which he examined with the
utmost accuracy, and wrote in Latin “Annotations upon
Nennius,
” an “History of the actions of king Arthur in
Scotland,
” and an “Historical Itinerary.
” Leland is of
opinion that he was a monk, since all the learning which.
was then extant, was among those of that profession. He
flourished in the year 640, according to Bale; or 650, according to Pits. He had a very intimate friendship with
the famous Nennius, abbot of Bangor.
until his death, Oct. 8, 1548. Among his works, which are all on professional subjects, and written in Latin, are his, I. “Tractatus de indiciis homicidii ex proposito
, an Italian lawyer, was
born at Padua in 1498, and while eminent at the bar, and
in consultation, was not less distinguished for learning
and probity. In 1525 he was appointed, for the third time,
professor of imperial law in the university of Padua in
1532, a second time, professor of the decretals and lastly
in 1544 chief professor of criminal law, a situation which
he retained until his death, Oct. 8, 1548. Among his
works, which are all on professional subjects, and written
in Latin, are his, I. “Tractatus de indiciis homicidii ex
proposito conmiissi, &c.
” Venice, Practica criminalis aurea,
” with “Cautelse singulares
ad reorum defensam,
” ibid. Tractatus de
compromissis faciendis inter conjunctos, et de exceptionibus impeclientibus litis ingressum,
” Venice,
e “Memoirs of the academy of Paris,” 1702, 1766, and 1708. All the preceding, if we mistake not, are in Latin. 3. “Relazione della Hnea meridiana orizzontale e della
His works were numerous: the following list of the
principal is arranged, rather according to the connexion
of the subjects, than the chronological order, which in
general it is convenient to preserve. 1. Three memoirs
in the “Acta eruditorum,
” of Leipsic, for Memoirs of the academy of Paris,
” Relazione della Hnea meridiana orizzontale e
della ellissi polarefabbricata in Roma l'anno 1702,
” without
his name in the Journal “de‘ Letterati d’ltalia,
” vol. IV.
4. “Epistola de eclipsi soils die Maii, 1724,
” Rome,
Hesperi et Phosphori nova phenomena, sive
observationes circa planetam Veneris,
” Rome, Fr. Bianchini astronomicæ et geographicæ observationes selectæ ex ejus autographis, &c. cura et studio Eustachii Manfredi,
” Verona, De emblemate, nomine atque instituto Alethophilorum, dissertatio
publice habita in eorundem academia,
” Verona, Istoria universale provata con monument! e figurata
con simboli degli antichi,
” Rome, De Kalendario et
Cyclo Ciesaris ac de Paschali canone S. Hippolyti martyris,
dissertationes dusc,
” Rome, Memorie concernenti la citta d'Urbino,
” Rome, Camera et iscrizioni sepolcrali, &c.
” the history of
the discoveries he made in the sepulchral building before
mentioned, Rome, 1727, fol. 12. “Del palazzo de' Cesari, opera postuma,
” Verona, Dissertatio posthuma de tribus generibus instrumentorum musicse veterum orgatiicse,
” Rome, Opuscula
varia,
” Rome, Academici concordi,
” of Ravenna, published at Bologna, History of the Academy of the Sciences,
” for the
years
in Moorfields and a monument was erected over his grave, with an inscription. His life was published in Latin at London, 1682, by Mr. Farrington, of the Inner Temple,
In 1654 the parliament published a general act of oblivion, when Biddle was restored to his liberty. This he
improved among those friends he had gained in London,
in meeting together every Sunday for expounding the
Scripture, and discoursing thereupon; by which means
his opinions concerning the unity of God, Christ his only
son, and his holy spirit, were so propagated, that the
presbyterian ministers became highly offended. The same
year he published his “Twofold scripture catechism,
”
which was ably answered by Dr. Owen in his “Vindicise
Evangelicae,
” Oxford, Whether he wrote that
book?
” answered by asking, “Whether it seemed
reasonable, that one brought before a judgment seat as a criminal, should accuse himself?
” After some debates and
resolutions, he was, Dec. 13, committed close prisoner
to the Gatehouse. A bill likewise was ordered to be
brought in for punishing him but, after about six months
imprisonment, he obtained his liberty at the court of king’s
bench, by due course of law. About a year after, another
no less formidable danger overtook him, by his engaging
in a dispute with one Griffin, an anabaptist teacher. Many
of Griffin’s congregation having embraced Biddle' s opinions
concerning the Trinity, he thought the best way to stop
the spreading of such errors would be openly to confute
his tenets. For this purpose he challenges Biddle to a
public disputation at his meeting in the Stone chapel in
St. Paul’s cathedral, on this question, “Whether Jesus
Christ be the most high, or almighty God?
” Biddle
would have declined the dispute, but was obliged to accept of it and the two antagonists having met amidst a
ifumerous audience, Griffin repeats the question, asking
“if any man there did deny that Christ was God most
high
” to which Biddle resolutely answered, “I do deny
it
” and by this open profession gave his adversaries the
opportunity of a positive and clear accusation, which they
soon laid hold of. But Griffin being baffled, the disputation was deferred till another day, when Biddle was to
take his turn of proving the negative of the question.
Meanwhile, Griffin and his party, not thinking themselves
a match for our author, accused him of fresh blasphemies,
and procured an order from the protector to apprehend
him, July the 3d (being the day before the intended second disputation), and to commit him to the Compter.
He was afterwards sent to Newgate, and ordered to be
tried for his life the next sessions, on the ordinance against
blasphemy. However, the protector not chusing to have
him either condemned or absolved, took him out of the
hands of the law, and detained him in prison; till at length,
being wearied with receiving petitions for and against him,
he banished him to St. Mary’s castle, in the isle of Scilly y
where he was sent Oct. 1655. During this exile, he employed
himself in studying several intricate matters, particularly
the Revelation of St. John, and after his return to London, published an essay towards explaining it. In 1658,
the protector, through the intercession of many friends,
suffered a writ of habeas corpus to be granted out of the
king’s bench, whereby the prisoner was brought back, and,
nothing being laid to his charge, was set at liberty. Upon
his return to London, he became pastor of an independent
meeting but did not continue long in town for, Cromwell dying Sept. 3, 1658, his son Richard called a parliament, consisting chiefly of presbyterians, whom, of all
men, Biddle most dreaded he therefore retired privately
into the country. This parliament being soon dissolved,
he returned to his former employment till the restoration
of king Charles the Second, when the liberty of dissenters
was taken away, and their meetings punished as seditious.
Biddle then restrained himself from public to more private
assemblies, but, June 1, 1662, he was seized in his
lodging, where he and some few of his friends had met for
divine worship, and was, with them, carried before a justice of peace, who committed them all to prison, where they
lay till the recorder took security for their answering to the
charge brought against them at the next session. But the
court not being then able to find a statute whereon to form,
any criminal indictment, they were referred to the session
following, and proceeded against at common law; each
of the hearers was fined 20l. Biddle, 100l., and to lie in
prison till paid. By his confinement, however, he contracted a disease which put an end to his life, Sept. 22,
1662, in the 47th year of his age. He was buried in the
cemetery near Old Bethlem, in Moorfields and a monument was erected over his grave, with an inscription.
His life was published in Latin at London, 1682, by Mr.
Farrington, of the Inner Temple, who gives him a high
character for piety and morals, and by the Rev. Joshua
Toulmin, in 1789, 8vo, who styles him the Father of the
English Unitarians.
dded greatly to the reputation of' the school. He died there in 1772, leaving a vast number of works in Latin and German, published during his literary career, some
, a
very learned and voluminous German writer, was born
at Naumberg, April 5, 1705, and studied at Wittemberg,
where he was admitted to his master’s degree in 1717, and
soon after made librarian to the city. In 1732 he returned
to Naumberg, ancl was appointed co-rector of the public
school, in which office he continued for nine years, and
in 1741, on the death of John George Scutz, was promoted to be rector. In 1747, the place of rector of the
school of Friedburg becoming vacant, he was invited to
fill it, and accordingly, with the coiTsent of his patrons at
Nauinberg, he removed thither, and added greatly to the
reputation of' the school. He died there in 1772, leaving
a vast number of works in Latin and German, published
during his literary career, some of which involved him in
controversies with his contemporaries, carried on in the
German journals with a considerable degree of animosity.
Harles enumerates above an hundred and fifty articles of
his publication, separately, or in the literary journals, on
subjects of sacred criticism, philology, the arts, poetical
criticism, and some works of whim and imagination; the
following selection will probably afford a sufficient specimen 1. “De insolentia titulorum librariorum,
” Naumberg,
De religione eruditorum,
” ibid. Metelemata philologica,
” ibid. Cur homines montani male audiant?
” ibid.
De Latinitate maccaronica,
” ibid. 6. “De Isopsephis,
” ibid. 7. “Fabulosa de septem dormientibus historia,
” ibid. DearteObliviscendi,
”ibid. De
primis rei metallicae inventoribus,
” ibid. De
antiquitate sodinarum metallicarum,
” ibid. Acta
scholastica,
” Nova acta scholastica.
” 12. “Selecta scholastica,
” Otia litteraria,
” Freiburgh, De vita musica ad Plauti Mostellarium,
” act III.
sc. 2. v. 40, he has collected all that the ancients and
moderns have advanced against music and musicians but,
as this was founded on mistaking the sense of Plautus, it
ocsasioned a long literary contest, in which Bidermann
did not appear to the best advantage. Harles, indeed, allows that his judgment did not always keep pace with his
learning.
, in Latin Benenatus, was a bookseller and printer at Paris, in the
, in Latin Benenatus, was a bookseller and printer at Paris, in the sixteenth century, and
celebrated for the beauty and correctness of his editions.
He became a printer in 1566, and married in that year the
widow of Morel, likewise a Greek and Latin printer, of
distinguished reputation. Bienne by this alliance becoming possessed of Morel’s printing-house, completed
the works which his predecessor had begun, particularly
the Greek Demosthenes of 1570, fol. and published also
various very excellent editions, particularly “Lucretius,
”
by Lambin, Synesii Hymni,
” Theodoretus de providentia,
” Gr. and Lat.
Cailli and he has one singularity in all his poetieal productions, that he has not one piece, either in Latin or French, that exceeds twenty lines. Some of his countrymen
, a counsellor of the presklial of Rheims, was born there in 1709, and died at
Paris in 1775. He was well versed in ancient and modern,
literature We have by him, 1. “A collection of Latin
and French poems,
” Pensees et reflections philosophiques,
” L‘homme du.
Monde & L’homme de Lettres,
” has, however, its admirers
and its censurers, with respect to the method of writing set
phrases, and giving them as thoughts and maxims.
ry, 1576, in 8vo, and published learned “Observationes sacrse,” 1585, in folio. His life was written in Latin by Chatard, Paris, 1582, in 4to. It is also found at the
, was born at Guise in
Picardy, of which place his father was governor, in 1535,
and died at Paris at the house of Genebrard his friend,
the 25th of December 1581. He presided over the abbey
of St. Michel en PLerm, which John his brother had ceded
to him in order to become a Carthusian monk. There are
of his several pieces both in verse and prose; and especially
translations of the Greek fathers into Latin. The most
esteemed of them are, those of St. Gregory of Nazianzen,
of St. Isidore of Pelusium, and of St. John Damascenus.
Few of the learned have been more masters of the Greek
tongue. He distinguished himself in other departments of
literature. He composed several pieces of French poetry,
1576, in 8vo, and published learned “Observationes sacrse,
”
, in Latin Binius, was born at Randelraidt, in the country of Juliers,
, in Latin Binius, was born at Randelraidt, in the country of Juliers, and became canon and
professor of divinity at Cologn, where he died in 1641.
He is known, and not much to his credit, as the editor of
a “Collection of the Councils,
” Cologne, Contaminator Conciliorum.
”
s. Blackwell died does not appear. An improved edition of her Herbal was published by Trew, the text in Latin and German, Nuremberg, 1750 1760, fol. and at Leipsic
This ill-fated man, after his failure in physic and in
printing, became an unsuccessful candidate for the place
of secretary to the society for the encouragement of learning.
He was then made saperintendant of the works belonging
to the duke of Chandos at Cannons, and experienced those
disappointments incident to projectors. He also formed
schemes in agriculture, and wrote a treatise on the subject,
which, we are told, was the cause of his being engaged in
Sweden. In that kingdom he drained marshes, practised
physic, and was even employed in that capacity for the
king. At length he was involved in some state cabals, or,
as some accounts inform us, in a plot with count Tessin,
and was put to the torture, which not producing a confession, he was beheaded, Aug. 9, 1747. The British ambassador was recalled from Sweden in the same year, among
other reasons, for the imputations thrown on his Britannic
majesty in the trial' of Dr. Blackwell. Soon after this
event, appeared “A genuine copy of a Letter from a merchant in Stockholm, to his correspondent in London, containing an impartial account of Dr. Alexander Blackwell,
his plot, trial, character, and behaviour, both under
examination and at the place of execution, together with a
copy of a paper delivered to a friend upon the scaffold,
”
in which he denied the crime imputed to him. When
Mrs. Blackwell died does not appear. An improved edition of her Herbal was published by Trew, the text in
Latin and German, Nuremberg, 1750 1760, fol. and at
Leipsic was published in 1794, 8vo, “Nomenclator Linnaeanus in Blackvellianum Herbarium per C. G. Greening,
”
a proof of the estimation in which this work is still held on
the continent.
, and being by this means an eye-witness of most of his actions, he composed the history of his life in Latin verse. Of this a, fragment only is left, which was copied
, a monk of the order of St. Benedict,
was born in the county of Fife, in Scotland, in the reign
of king Alexander III. and educated with the celebrated
sir William Wallace, at the school of Dundee. He then
went over to France, where he studied for some time in
the university of Paris, and became a monk of the order
of St. Benedict. On his return to Scotland, he found his
country in great confusion, owing to the death of Alexander III. without issue, and the contests of various competitors for the throne. At first, therefore, he retired to
the house of the Benedictines at Dumfermline but when,
sir William Wallace was made governor or viceroy of the
kingdom in 1294, Blair became his chaplain, and being
by this means an eye-witness of most of his actions, he
composed the history of his life in Latin verse. Of this a,
fragment only is left, which was copied by sir James BaU
four out of the Cottonian library, and published in 1705,
by sir Robert Sibbald, the celebrated botanist. It appears to have been written in 1327 and what remains is
translated in Hume’s “History of the Douglasses.
” Blair,
the exact period of whose death is uncertain, is sometimes
called John, and sometimes Arnold, which latter name he
is said to have adopted when he retired into his monastery,
and which is also used by sir Robert Sibbald in his “Relationes quaedam Arnoldi Blair monachi de Dumfermelem
et Capellani D. Willelmi Wallas Militis. Cum Comment.
”
Edinb.
amburgh. There he himself was taught German, and a poor Bohemian Catholic gave him some instructions in Latin; he picked up also some knowledge of anatomy. Afterwards
, an eminent naturalist, and
a Jew hy birth, was born at Anspech, in 1723, of very
poor parents. He began to study very late at the age of
nineteen, he knew neither German or Latin, and had read
only some of the writings of the Rabbis, notwithstanding
which, he was employed as a tutor in the family of a Jew
surgeon at Hamburgh. There he himself was taught
German, and a poor Bohemian Catholic gave him some
instructions in Latin; he picked up also some knowledge
of anatomy. Afterwards he made rapid progress in regaining lost time, and having removed to live with some
relations he had at Berlin, he applied himself with eagerness and success to the study of anatomy and natural history, and received a doctor’s degree at Francfort on the
Oder, with which he returned to practise as a physician
at Berlin. Here the celebrated naturalist Martini procured
him to be elected a member of the society of the “Curious
in nature,
” and he soon became highly distinguished
among the scientific men of his time. He died Aug. 6,
1799, in the seventy-sixth year of his age. His principal
work was his “Natural history of Fishes, particularly those
of the Prussian states,
” four parts, Berlin, Natural history of
foreign Fishes,
” Berlin, The natural history
of German Fishes,
” Ichthyology, or the natural history of
Fishes,
” Berlin, Treatise on the generation of worms in the
intestines, and on the method of destroying them,
” which
gained the prize offered by the royal society of Denmark,
and was printed at Berlin, 1782, 4to, and a “Treatise on
the waters of Pyrmont,
” both in German, Hamburgh,
, called in Latin Blondus, or Blundus, a very eminent divine in the thirteenth
, called in Latin Blondus, or Blundus, a very eminent divine in the thirteenth century, was educated in the university of Oxford, and went afterwards for his improvement to Paris, where he quickly distinguished himself, among many of his learned contemporaries, by the vivacity of his wit. On his return into England, he again settled himself at Oxford, and read divinity lectures there with universal applause. Wood says he was the first that lectured on Aristotle both in Paris and Oxford. The reputation of his learning obtained him also several other preferments, particularly those of prebendary andhancellor in the church of York. In 1232, the archiepiscopal see of Canterbuiy being vacant by the death of Richard Wethershed, and the rejection of two of his successors, Ralph Nevil, bishop of Chichester and chancellor of England, and John, sub-prior of Canterbury, by the pope, Dr. Blount was, by the chapter of Canterbury, elected archbishop. He did not, however, enjoy that dignity; for the pope immediately objected to him, and after a summary inquiry into the validity of his election, declared it void, for several reasons, of which our historians take notice, though very probably Bale has hit upon the true, although not the ostensible cause, namely, that his abilities rendered him obnoxious to the court of Rome, or, as Bale expresses it, that he was more learned than that court wished an archbishop to be.
as most honoured in. his birth, or Portugal in his death r” On the same occasion various pieces both in Latin and Portuguese were recited to his memory. His works,
, a Theatine, was born at
London of French parents, Dec. 4, 1638, and became celebrated for his acquirements both in sacred and profane
learning. Having gone to Portugal, he learned the language of that country in six months, and preached several
times before the king and queen. He was also admitted
into the academy, and appointed to an office in the inquisition. His biographers tell us that when in England he
had been chaplain or preacher to Henrietta Maria queen to
Charles I. forgetting that he could not be ten years old
when that unhappy princess was expatriated. He died at
Lisbon, Feb. 13, 1734, in the ninety-fifth year of his age.
On the 28th of the same month his eloge was pronounced
in the academy, and two learned doctors gravely discussed
the question, “whether England was most honoured in.
his birth, or Portugal in his death r
” On the same occasion
various pieces both in Latin and Portuguese were recited
to his memory. His works, which must justify this high
panegyric, are, 1. “A Vocabulary or Dictionary, Portuguese and Latin,
” Coimbra, Oraculum utriusque Testament!, musseum Bluteavianum.
”
3. “A List of all Dictionaries, Portuguese, Castilian, Italian, French, and Latin,
” with the dates, &c. Lisbon, Primicias Evangelicas,
”
ment, were written in Italian, but now he began to compose on the subjects of literature aud history in Latin, and one of these treatises was the first modern work
Before this time, all his works, and they only works of amusement, were written in Italian, but now he began to compose on the subjects of literature aud history in Latin, and one of these treatises was the first modern work that gave any account of the mythological notions of the antients. We have already noticed that he was well acquainted with Greek, and brought with him, at his own expense, from Venice to Florence, Leontius Pilatus of Thessalonica, and entertained him in his house for three years. During this time he improved his knowledge of Greek, and Leontius went over the Iliad and Odyssey with him, translating it into Latin. Boccaccio wa_s the first who was at the expence of importing from Greece Mss. of both the Iliad and Odyssey, among many other valuable Mss. both Greek and Latin, by which he endeavoured to introduce a taste for these valuable remains of antiquity, and particularly for the Greek authors, in preference to the scholastic studies, which alone were at this time pursued in the schools.
Laurence Salviati, the Maecenas of his age. He died at Florence in 1618, leaving a great many works in Latin and Tuscan, among which are “Elogia virorurn Florentinorum,”
, one of the most voluminous writers
of Florence, was born in that city in 1548. His education
was superintended by his paternal uncle, under whose care
he made great progress in learning, and acquired the
esteem of Laurence Salviati, the Maecenas of his age. He
died at Florence in 1618, leaving a great many works in
Latin and Tuscan, among which are “Elogia virorurn
Florentinorum,
”
his countrymen as a man of most extensive learning, but as destitute of elegance as a writer, either in Latin or German, and as unacquainted with the art of enlivening
, a learned professor
of the university of Helmstadt, was born in 1722, at
Wernigerode. After having been educated at home, with
great care, by his father, who was judge of that city, and
counsellor to the count Stolberg of Wernigerode, he went
in 1739 to the school of Closter-Bergen, near Magdeburgh, then superintended by Steinmez, and in 1741, took
his leave of this school, in a Latin oration, “De societatibus hujus sevi notabilioribus.
” He then went to Halle,
and having early imbibed a taste for oriental languages
and sacred philology, he attached himself particularly to
the two Michaelis’s, father and son, who were then professors in that university. From Halle, he went to Leipsic, where he studied Arabic, Syriac, Chaldaic, Samaritan,
Ethiopian, and rabbinical Hebrew. On his return to Halle
in 1747, he maintained a thesis for his doctor’s degree,
under the presidency of Michaelis the father, “On the
antiquity of the Hebrew language
” and then opened a
course of lectures which were much admired. Notwithstanding this success, however, he left Halle, after a residence of two years, and settled at Helmstadt. Here he
became a most popular teacher, his lectures being attended
by an unusual number of students; and in 1754, the uniYersity secured his services by appointing him professor
extraordinary of oriental languages. About this time,
happening to meet with some works in which the study of
the Armenian, Coptic, and Turkish languages was recommended, he had a great desire to add these to his stock,
and not having been able to obtain the assistance of Jablonski for the Coptic, he determined to learn the others
without a master. Having begun this task at his lisure
hours, in 1756, he made such rapid progress as to be able
to publish, before the conclusion of the year, the first two
chapters of St. Matthew translated from the Turkish into
Latin, with a critical preface on the history and utility
of the Turkish language and the first four chapters of the
same evangelist translated from the Armenian into Latin,
with some considerations on the Armenian language.
These two little works, which were published, the first at
Bremen, and the other at Halle, were criticised with some
severity, perhaps not unjust; but the zeal and industry of
the author, although not altogether successful in these attempts, were still the subject of admiration, and were not
unrewarded. In 1760 he obtained a pension and in 1763,
lest he should accept of the offer of a professorship made
to him by the university of Giessen, that of Helmstadt
conferred on him the title of professor in ordinary of philosophy, with an augmentation of salary. His various
works in the mean time amply confirmed their choice, and
extended his reputation throughout Europe. Of his private life we have no further account, although it was prolonged for many years after this period, as he died of an apoplexy, March 7, 1796. His principal works are, 1. “Evangelium secundum Matthaeum ex versione Æthiopici interpretis in Bibliis polyglottis Anglicanis editum cum Graeco,
c.
” Halle, Evangelium secundum Matthaeum ex versione Persica, &c.
” Helmstadt, 17.50, 4to. 3. Persian translations of Mark, Luke,
and John, 1751, 4to. published separately. 4. “Evangelium secundum Marcum ex versione Arabica, &c.
”
Lerngow, Novum Testamentum ex versione jEthiopica, &c. in Latinum,
” Brunswick, Fragmenta Veteris Test, ex versione
Æthiopici interpretis, et alia quaedam opuscula Æthiopica,
”
Wolfenb. Pseudo-critica Millio-Bengeliana,
” Halle,
en reprinted, and more complete than the French, and several abridgements were published of it, both in Latin and French. His tables of law, entitled “Juris Universi
In 1576 he was chosen deputy to the states-general of
Blois, by the tiers-etat of Vermandois, and ably contended
for the rights of the people, and particularly opposed
those who would have all the king’s subjects constrained
to profess the Catholic religion, which we can easily suppose effectually prevented the king from being reconciled
to him. He after this appears to have resided at Laon,
where, in 1589, he persuaded that city to declare for the
league, and at the same time wrote to the president Brisson, a letter severely reflecting on Henry III. but this fault
he afterwards repaired by securing the allegiance of Laon
to Henry IV. He died of the plague at Laon, in 1596,
leaving a character more dubious than that of any man in
his time, and the light thrown upon it in his works is
certainly not of the most favourable kind. It may be said,
that although toleration was a word not known in his time,
he appears to have cherished some liberal notions on the
subject, but, as to religious principles, he had so little
steadiness, that he was by turns accounted, perhaps not
always justly, a Protestant, Papist, Deist, Sorcerer, Jew,
and Atheist; D'Aguessau, however, pronounces him a
worthy magistrate, a learned author, and a good citizen.
His first work was a commentary on Oppian’s “Cynogeticon,
” Paris, Methodus ad facilem Historiarum cognitionem,
” Paris, The Republic,
” a
work equally immethodical with the other, and abounding
in digressions and irrelevant matter, yet, for the time, an
extraordinary collection of facts and reflections on political government. It was soon translated into other languages, and was read with much interest in an age when
the principles of government were seldom discussed in
books. When in England with the duke of Alenc,on, we
are told that he found the English had made a Latin translation of it, bad enough, but, bad as it was, the subject
of lectures at London and Cambridge. Bodin reports
thus far himself; but that “it became a classic at Cambridge
” has been supplied by his biographers, who were
probably not aware that lectures on political government
were then no part of Cambridge education, and if his book
was explained and commented on there or at London, it
must have been by individuals. In this work he introduces
the influence of climate on the principles of government;
and as Montesquieu has done the same, La Harpe, the
French critic, terms Bodin’s book the “germ of the Spirit
of Laws,
” but this notion is far more ancient than either,
and not indeed of much consequence, whether old or new.
The first edition of these “Livres de la Republique
” was
printed at Paris, Juris Universi Distributio,
” were printed in to which was annexed
” A refutation of the book, de Lamiis,“of John Wier,
physician to the duke of Cleves, who had undertaken to
prove that the stories of witchcraft and sorcery have chiefly
arisen from imposture or delusions of fancy. The literary
character of Bodin, who defended this kind of superstition,
incurred reproach, and he himself was suspected of being
a magician. A work written by him, but never printed, and
entitled
” Heptaplomeron, sive de abditis rerum sublimium
arcanis,“is said to have been an attack upon religion, and
designed to invalidate the authority of revelation. By the
seeming advantages which he gave in this work to the
Jewish religion, he was suspected of being a convert to it;
but it is more probable that he was a sceptic with regard
to religion, and alike indifferent to all modes of faith. A
little while before his death he published a Latin treatise,
entitled
” Theatrum Universae Naturae," in which he professes to pursue the causes and effects of things to their
principles.
Boerhaave wrote in Latin a Commentary on his own Life, in which, in the third person,
Boerhaave wrote in Latin a Commentary on his own
Life, in which, in the third person, he takes notice of his
opinions, of his studies, and of his pursuits. He there
tells us, “that he was persuaded the Scriptures, as recorded in their originals, did iustrurt us in the way of sulvation, and afford tranquillity to the mind, when joined
with obedience to Christ’s precepts and example.
” He
complains, however, that many of those who make the
most unequivocal profession of our Saviour’s doctrine, pay
too little deference to his example recommended in one of
his precepts—“Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in
heart.
”
edition of Boethins “De Consolatione” was printed at Nurenberg, 1176, fol. hut there was an edition in Latin and German, printed at the same place in 1473. The best
The first edition of Boethins “De Consolatione
” was
printed at Nurenberg,
f his patron, he undertook to write his life, and those of his predecessors in that see. The work is in Latin, and entitled “Vitae Episcoporum Murthlacensium et Ab
, a celebrated Scotch historian, was born at Dundee, in the shire
of Angus, about 1470. After having studied at Dundee
and Aberdeen, he was sent to the university of Paris, where
he applied to philosophy, and became a professor of it
there. There also he contracted an acquaintance with several eminent persons, particularly with Erasmus, who kept
a correspondence with him afterwards. Elphinston, bishop
of Aberdeen, having founded the king’s college in that
city about 1500, sent for Boeis from Paris, and appointed
him principal. He took for his colleague Mr. William
Hay, and by their joint labour the kingdom was furnished
with several eminent scholars. Upon the death of his patron, he undertook to write his life, and those of his predecessors in that see. The work is in Latin, and entitled
“Vitae Episcoporum Murthlacensium et Aberdonensium,
”
Paris, unless the authors which he pretends to have seen be hereafter discovered, he will continue to be shrewdly suspected
for the contriver of almost as many tales as Jeoffrey of
Momnouth.
” His 18th book, however, is highly commended by Ferrerius, who says, “that he has treated of
things there in so comprehensive a manner, that he believes no one could have done it more fully or significantly
on the same subject.” His stylo, says another writer, has
all the purity of Caesar’s, and is so nervous both in the
reflections and diction, that he seems to have absolutely
entered into the spirit of Livy, and made it his own. Erasmus, who was intimately acquainted with him, says, in
one of his epistles, “that he was a man of an extraordinary happy genius, and of great eloquence.
” “He was
certainly,
” says another writer, “a great master of polite
learning, well skilled in divinity, philosophy, and history;
but somewhat credulous, and much addicted to the be->
lief of legendary stories. With regard to his other accomplishments, he was discreet, well-bred, attentive, generous,
affable, and courteous.“Dr. Johnson in his Tour in Scotland observes that Hector Boethius may be
” justly reverenced as one of the revivers of elegant learning. The
style of Boethins, though, perhaps, not always rigorously
pure, is formed with great diligence upon ancient models,
and wholly uninfected with monastic barbarity. His history is written with elegance and vigour, but his fabulousness and credulity are justly blamed. His fabulousness,
if he was the author of the fictions, is a fault for which no
apology can be made; but his credulity may be excused
in an age when all men were credulous. Learning was
then rising on the world; but ages, so long accustomed to
darkness, were too much dazzled with its light to see any
thing distinctly. The first race of scholars, in the fifteenth
century, and some time after, were, for the most part,
learning to speak, rather than to think, and were therefore more studious of elegance than of truth. The contemporaries of Boethius thought it sufficient to know what
the ancients had delivered. The examination of tenets
and of facts was reserved for another generation.”
much variety, action, and grace; and his “Art of Poetry,” which is in French what that of Horace is in Latin, the code of good taste. In these he expresses in harmonious
attacked, but gave him friends, or rather readers, among
that very numerous class of the public, who, through an
inconstancy cruelly rooted in the human heart, love to see
those humbled whom even they esteem the most. But
whatever favour and encouragement so general a disposition might promise Boileau, he could not avoid meeting
with censurers among men of worth. Of this number was
the duke de Montausier, who valued himself upon an inflexible and rigorous virtue, and disliked satire. But, as
it was of the greatest importance to Boileau to gain over
to his interest one of the first persons about court, whose
credit was the more formidable, as it was supported by
that personal consideration which is not always joined to
it, he introduced into one of his pieces a panegyrical notice of the duke de Montausier, which was neither flat nor
exaggerated, and it produced the desired effect. Encouraged by this first success, Boileau lost no time in giving
the final blow to the tottering austerity of his censurer,
by confessing to him, with an air of contrition, how humiliated he felt himself at missing the friendship of “the
worthiest man at court.
” From that moment, the
worthiest man at court became the protector and apologist
of the most caustic of all writers. Though we attach
less value to the satires of Boileau than to his other
works, and think not very highly of his conduct to his
patron, yet it must be allowed that he never attacks bad
taste and bad writers, but with the weapons of pleasantry;
and never speaks of vice and wicked men but with indignation. Boileau, however, soon became sensible that in
order to reach posterity it is not sufficient to supply some
ephemeral food to the malignity of contemporaries, but
to be the writer of all times and all places. This led him
to produce those works which will render his fame perpetual. He wrote his “Epistles,
” in which, with delicate
praises, he has intermixed precepts of literature and morality, delivered with the most striking truth and the happiest precision; and in 1674 his celebrated mock-heroic, the
“Lutrin,
” which, with so small a ground of matter, contains
so much variety, action, and grace; and his “Art of Poetry,
”
which is in French what that of Horace is in Latin, the
code of good taste. In these he expresses in harmonious
verse, full of strength and elegance, the principles of
reason and good taste; and was the first who discovered
and developed, by the union of example to precept, the
highly difficult art of French versification. Before Boileau, indeed, Malherbe had begun to detect the secret,
but he had guessed it only in part, and had kept his knowledge for his own use; and Corneille, though he had written “Cinna
” and “Polieucte,
” had no other secret than
his instinct, and when this abandoned him, was no longer
Corneille. Boileau had the rare merit, which can belong
only to a superior genius, of forming by his lessons and
productions the first school of poetry in France; and it
may be added, that of all the poets who have preceded
or followed him, none was better calculated than himself
to be the head of such a school. In fact, the severe and
decided correctness which characterizes his works, renders
them singularly fit to serve as a study for scholars in poetry.
In Racine he had a disciple who would have secured him
immortality, even if he had not so well earned it by his
own writings. Good judges have even asserted, that the
pupil surpassed the master; but Boileau, whether inferior
or equal to his scholar, always preserved that ascendancy
over him, which a blunt and downright self-love will ever
assume over a timid and delipate self-love, such as that of
Racine. The author of “Phaedra
” and of “Athaliah
”
had always, either from deference or address, the complaisance to yield the first place to one who hoasted of
having been his master. Boileau, it is true, had a merit
with respect to his disciple, which in the eyes of the latter
must have been of inestimable value, that of having early
been sensible of Racine’s excellence, or rather of what he
promised to become; for it was not easy, in the author of
the “Freres Ennemis,
” to discover that of “Andromache
”
and “Britannicus,
” and doubtless perceiving in Racine’s
first essays the germ of what he was one day to become,
he felt how much care and culture it required to give it
full expansion.
mber of works in a peculiar style, some of which were not remarkable for decency; but these he wrote in Latin, “lest the bishops,” he said, “should condemn them.” He
He is well known by a number of works in a peculiar style,
some of which were not remarkable for decency; but these
he wrote in Latin, “lest the bishops,
” he said, “should
condemn them.
” He was not more a friend to the Jesuits
than his brother; and he described them as “men who
lengthened the creed, and shortened the commandments.
”
As dean of the chapter of Sens, he was appointed to
harangue the celebrated prince of Conde, when he 'passed
through the city. This great commander took particular
pleasure on these occasions in disconcerting his panegyrists; but the doctor, perceiving his intention, counterfeited great confusion, and addressed him in the following
manner: “Your highness will not be surprised, I trust,
at seeing me tremble in your presence at the head of a
company of peaceful priests; I should tremble still more,
if I was at the head of 30,000 soldiers.
” He manifested a
contempt of fanaticism, as well as of decorum, by his
“Historia Flagellantium, &c.
” or, an account of the extravagant, and often indecent, practice of discipline by
flagellation, in the popish church. It was translated
into French; and not many years ago (viz. 1777, 4to. and again in 1782, 8vo.) by M. de Lolme, into English. In
his treatise “De antiquo jure presbyterorum in regimine
ecclesiastico,
” he endeavours to shew, that in the primitive times the priests participated with the bishops in the
government of the church. He was also the author of several other publications, displaying much curious learning
and a satirical turn, which are now consigned to oblivion.
anied it evince great sagacity in discerning what is true from what is false. His history is written in Latin, and the style is pure and elegant.
, of the Oratory, a native of Orleans,
was born in 1629, and died July 15, 1696. He succeeded
father le Cointe his friend in the place of librarian to the
house of St. Honore, and inherited his papers, which were
not useless in his hands. He revised the eighth volume of
the “Ecclesiastical Annals of France,
” and published it in.
ensorian epistle, prefixed by sir Henry Savile, knt. to his edition of some of our oldest historians in Latin, dedicated to the late queen Elizabeth. That according
, an ingenious
writer and antiquary, in the beginning of the seventeenth
century, was a retainer to the great George Villiers, duke
of Buckingham, under whom he probably enjoyed some
office. He was a Roman catholic; and distinguished Himself by the following curious writings; l.“The Life of
king Henry II.
” intended to be inserted in Speed’s Chronicle; but the author being too partial to Thomas Becket,
another life was written by Dr. Barcham. 2. “The Elements of Armories,
” Lond. Prosopopoeia Basilica,
” a ms. in the Cottonian library. 4.
An English translation of Lucius Florus’s Roman History.
5. “Nero Cæsar, or Monarchic depraved. An historicall
worke, dedicated with leave to the duke of Buckingham,
lord-admiral,
” Lond. Vindiciae Britannicae, or London righted
by rescues and recoveries of antiquities of Britain in general, and of London in particular, against unwarrantable
prejudices, and historical antiquations amongst the learned;
for the more honour, and perpetual just uses of the noble
island and the city.
” It consists of seven chapters. In
the first, he treats “of London before the Britann rebells
sackt and fired it in hatred and defiance of Nero.
” In the
second he shows, that “London was more great and famous in Nero’s days, than that it should be within the
description, which Julius Cæsar makes of a barbarous Britann town in his days.
” In the third, he proves, “that
the credit of Julius Cæsar’s writings may subsist, and yet
London retain the opinion of utmost antiquity.
” In the
fourth, “the same fundamental assertion is upholden with
other, and with all sorts of arguments or reasons.
” The
fifth bears this title, “The natural face of the seat of
London (exactly described in this section) most sufficiently
proved, that it was most antiently inhabited, always presupposing reasonable men in Britain.
” The sixth contains
“a copious and serious disquisition about the old book of
Brute, and of the authority thereof, especially so far forth
as concerns the present cause of the honour and antiquity
of London, fundamentally necessary in general to our national history.
” The last chapter is entitled, <; Special, as
well historical, as other illustrations, for the use of the
coins in my Nero Cæsar, concerning London in and before
that time.“This ms. (for it never was printed) was in the
possession of Hugh Howard, esq and afterwards sold among
Thomas Rawiinson’s to Endymion Porter. Mr. Bolton was
also author of
” Hypercritica, or a rule of judgement for
writing or reading our histories. Delivered in four supercensorian addresses by occasion of a censorian epistle,
prefixed by sir Henry Savile, knt. to his edition of some
of our oldest historians in Latin, dedicated to the late
queen Elizabeth. That according thereunto, a complete
body of our affairs, a Corpus Rerum Anglicarum may at
last, and from among our ourselves, come happily forth in
either of the tongues. A felicity wanting to our nation,
now when even the name thereof is as it were at an end.“It was published by Dr. Hall, at the end of
” Triveti Annales,“Oxford, 1722, 8vo. Bolton likewise intended to
compose a
” General History of England, or an entire and
complete body of English affairs;“and there is in the
Cottonian collection, the outline of a book entitled
” Agon
Heroicus, or concerning Arms and Armories," a copy of
which is in the Biog. Britannica. The time and place of
his death are unknown.
s pupil. His grammar, “Urbani Grammatica Græca,” Venice, 1497, 4to, was the first attempt to explain in Latin the rules of the Greek tongue, and was received with such
, one of the revivers
of letters in the fifteenth century, was born in 1440, and
is said by his nephew Pietro Valeriano to have been the
earliest instructor of Leo X. in the knowledge of the Greek
tongue. Although an ecclesiastic of the order of St. Francis, he quitted the walls of his monastery with the laudable
curiosity of visiting foreign parts; and, having had an
opportunity of accompanying Andrea Gritti, afterwards
doge of Venice, on an embassy to Constantinople, he thence
made an excursion through Greece, Palestine, Egypt,
Syria, Arabia, and other countries; always travelling on
foot, and diligently noting whatever appeared deserving of
observation. His nephew adds, that he travelled also into
Sicily, where he twice ascended the mountain of yEtna,
and looked down its crater. The disinterestedness of Urbano is also strongly insisted on by his nephew, who informs us that he rather chose to suffer the inconveniencies
of poverty, than to receive a reward for those instructions
which he was at all times ready to give, and that he always
persevered in refusing those honours and dignities which
Leo X. would gladly have conferred upon him. His activity, temperance, and placid disposition, secured to him
a healthful old age; nor did he omit to make frequently
excursions through Italy, until he was disqualified from
these occupations by a fall in his garden whilst he was
pruning his trees. His principal residence was at Venice,
where he not only assisted Aldus in correcting the editions
which he published of the ancient authors, but gave in-'
structions in the Greek language to a great number of
scholars; and there was scarcely a person in Italy distinguished by his proficiency in that language who had not at
some time been his pupil. His grammar, “Urbani Grammatica Græca,
” Venice,
. “History of the Church of the Vatican; with the plans both antient and modern,” Rome, 1696, folio, in Latin. 3. “Collection of the Medals of the popes, from Martin
, a learned Jesuit, who died at
Rome in 1725, at the age of eighty-seven, after having
honourably filled different posts in his order, left several
works of various kinds, principally relating to natural history, which was his favourite pursuit. He was engaged in
1698 to put in order the celebrated cabinet of father Kircher; and he continued to employ himself in that business
and the augmentation of it till his death. The chief of his
works are, 1. “Recreatio mentis et oculi in observatione
Animalium Testaceorum,
” Rome, History of the Church of the Vatican; with the plans
both antient and modern,
” Rome, Collection of the Medals of the popes, from Martin
V. to Innocent XII.
” Rome, 1699, 2 vols. fol. in Latin.
4. “Catalogue of the Orders, Religious, Military, and
Equestrian, with plates representing their several habiliments,
” in Latin and in Italian, Korne, Observationes circa viventia in non viventibus,
” Rome, Musaeum collegii Romani Kircherianum,
” Rome,
A Treatise on Varnishes,
” in Italian, Paris, Gabinetto armonico,
”
the Oration of Stephen Gardiner, bishop of Winchester, concerning true Obedience. Printed at London, in Latin, 1534, 1535, and at Hamburgh in 1536, 8vo. Translated
Upon queen Elizabeth’s accession, Bonner went to meet
her at Highgate, with the rest of the bishops; but she
looked on him as a man stained with blood, and therefore
would shew him no mark of her favour. For some months,
however, he remained unmolested; but being called before the privy council on the 30th of May 1359, he
refused to take the oath of allegiance and supremacy: for
which reason only, as it appears, he was deprived a second
time of his bishopric the 29th of June following, and committed to the Marshalsea. After having lived in confinement some years, he died September 5, 1569, and three
days after he was buried at midnight, in St. George’s churchyard, Southwark, to prevent any disturbances that might
have been made by the citizens, who hated him extremely.
He had stood excommunicated several years, and might
have been denied Christian burial; but of this no advantage was taken. As to his character, he was a violent, furious,
and passionate man, and extremely cruel in his nature;
in his person he was very fat and corpulent, the consequence of excessive gluttony, to which he was much addicted. He was a great master of the canon law, being
excelled in that faculty by very few of his time, and well
skilled in politics, but understood little of divinity. Several pieces were published under his name, of which the
following is a list 1. Preface to the Oration of Stephen
Gardiner, bishop of Winchester, concerning true Obedience. Printed at London, in Latin, 1534, 1535, and at
Hamburgh in 1536, 8vo. Translated into English by Mi-,
chael Wood, a zealous Protestant, with a bitter preface to
the reader, and a postscript, Roan, 1553, 8vo. It is also
inserted in J. Fox’s book of Martyrs. In the preface Bonner speaks much in favour of king Henry the VHIth’s
marriage with Ann Boleyn, and against the tyranny exercised by the bishop of Rome in this kingdom. 2. Several
letters to the lord Cromwell. 3. A declaration to lord
Cromwell, describing to him the evil behaviour of Stephen
(bishop of Winchester), with special causes therein contained, wherefore and why he misliked of him. 4. Letter
of his about the proceedings at Rome concerning the king’s
divorce from Catherine of Arragon. 5. An admonition and
advertisement given by the bishop of London to all readers
of the Bible in the English tongue. 6. Injunctions given
by Bonner, bishop of London, to his clergy (about preaching, with the names of books prohibited). 7. Letter to
Mr. Lechmere. 8. Responsum & exhortatio, Lond. 1553,
8vo. Answer and exhortation to the clergy in praise of
priesthood: spoken by the author in St. Paul’s cathedral,
the 16th October, 1553, after a sermon preached before
the clergy, by John Harpesfield. 9. A letter to Mr.
Lechmere, 6th September, 1553. 10. Articles to be enquired
of in the general visitation of Edmund bishop of London,
exercised by him in 1554, in the city and diocese of London, &c. To ridicule them, John Bale, bishop of Ossory,
wrote a book, entitled, A declaration of Edmund Bonner’s
articles, concerning the clergy of London diocese, whereby
that execrable anti-christ is in his right colours revealed,
1554, and 1561, 8vo. 11. A profitable and necessary doctrine, containing an exposition on the Creed, seven Sacraments, ten Commandments, the Pater Noster, Ave Maria,
with certain homilies adjoining thereto, for the instruction
and information of the diocese of London, Lond. 1554-5,
4to. This book was drawn up by his chaplains John
Harpesfield and Henry Pendleton; the former part of it,
which is catechism, is mostly taken out of the Institution
of a Christian man, set out by king Henry VIII. only varied in some points. 12. Several letters, declarations, arguings, disputes, &c. of his are extant in John Fox’s
book of Martyrs, vol. last. 13. His objections against the
process of Robert Horn, bishop of Winchester, who had
tendered the oath of supremacy to him a second time, are
preserved by Mr. Strype in his Annals of the Reformation.
The character of bishop Bonner is so familiar to our readers as to require little illustration, or any addition to the
preceding account from the former edition of this Dictionary; yet some notice may be taken of the defence set up
by the Roman Catholic historians. Dodd, alluding to his
cruelties, says, that “Seeing he proceeded according to
the statutes then in force, and by the direction of the legislative power, he stands in need of no apology on that
score.
” But the history of the times proves that Bonner’s
character cannot be protected by a reference to the statutes, unless his vindicator can likewise prove that he had
no hand in enacting those statutes; and even if this were
conceded, his conduct will not appear less atrocious, because, not content with the sentence of the law carried into
execution by the accustomed officers, Bonner took frequent opportunities to manifest the cruelty of his disposition by anticipating, or aggravating, the legal punishments.
He sometimes whipped the prisoners with his own hands,
till he was tired with the violence of the exercise; and on
one occasion he tore out the beard of a weaver who refused
to relinquish his religion; and that he might give him a
specimen of burning, he held his hand to a candle, till
the sinews and veins shrunk and burst . The fact is, that
Bonner was constitutionally cruel, and delighted in the
sufferings he inflicted. Granger very justly says, that
“Nature seems to have designed him for an executioner,
”
and as, wherever he could, he performed the character, how
can he be defended by an appeal to the statutes? The
most remarkable circumstance in his history is the lenity
shown to him after all this bloody career. There seems
no reason to think that he would have even been deprived of his bishopric, had he consented to take the oaths
of allegiance and supremacy, a circumstance which is
surely very extraordinary. His compliance, had he taken,
that step, could have been only hypocritical, and what an
object it would have been to have seen the duties and
power of a protestant prelate intrusted to such a monster,
and in that diocese, where so many families preserved the
bitter remembrance of his cruelty.
, or as he styles himself in Latin, Andreas Perforatus, was a very singular character, and
, or as he styles himself in Latin, Andreas Perforatus, was a very singular
character, and the reputation he acquired among his contemporaries must be considered in a great measure as a
proof of the ignorance and credulity of the times. He was
born at Pevensey in Sussex about 1500, and was educated
at Oxford; but before he had taken a degree, entered
among the Carthusians in or near London. He afterwards
left them, and studied physic at Oxford; and then travelled over most parts of Europe and Africa. On his return he settled at Winchester, where he practised physic
with considerable reputation, and in this capacity he is said
to have served Henry VIII. In 1541 and 1542 he was at
Montpellier, where he probably took the degree of doctor,
in which he was soon after incorporated at Oxford. He
lived then for some time at Pevensey, and afterwards returned to Winchester, still observing all the austerities of
the order to which he formerly belonged; though he has
been accused of many irregularities. It is certain that his
character was very odd and whimsical, as appears from the
books he wrote; yet he is said to have been a man of great wit
and learning, and an “especial physician.
” That he was not
of consequence eminent enough to rank with the first of his
profession, may be inferred from his dying insolvent in the
Fleet, April 1549. Bale intimates that he hastened his end
by poison on the discovery of his keeping a brothel for his
brother bachelors. His works are very various in their
subjects; one of the most considerable is intituled, “A
book of the introduction of knowledge,
” black letter, imprinted by William Coplande, without date. He there professes to teach all languages, the customs and fashions of
all countries, and the value of every species of coin. This
is a motley piece, partly in verse and partly in prose; and
is divided into thirty-nine chapters, before each of which is
a wooden cut, representing a man in the habit of some particular country. His well known satire on the Englishman,
who, to express the inconstancy and mutability of his
fashions, is drawn naked with a cloth and a pair of sheers in
his hand, is borrowed from the Venetians, who characterised
the French in that manner. Before the 7th chapter is the
effigies of the author, under a canopy, with a gown, a laurel on his head, and a book before him. The title of this
chapter shews how the author dwelt in Scotland and other
islands, and went through and round about Christendom.
An edition of this singular work was printed in London in
1542. His “Breviary of Health,
” which is a very trifling,
coarse, and weak performance, was published in 1.547, and
is supposed by Fuller to be the first medical piece written
in English. As a specimen of the style, take what follows,
which is the beginning of the Prologue, addressed to physicians: “Egregious doctors and maisters of the eximious
and arcane science of physicke, of your urbanity exasperate
not yourselves against me for making this little volume.
”
This work, with a second part called the “Extravagants,
”
was reprinted in 4to, Compendyouse Regimente, or Dietary of
Healthe made in Mounte Pyllor,
” an edition of which was
printed several years after his death, in 1562. A famous
jest book called the “Merrye tales of the madmen of Gotham;
” “The historye of the miller of Abingdon and the
Cambridge scholars,
” the same with that related by
Chaucer in his Canterbury Tales; a book of “Prognostics,
”
and another of Urines, &c. It is said that the phrase
“Merry Andrew
” is derived from him.
ions by Boscovich. His countryman, Benedict Stay, after having published the philosophy of Descartes in Latin verse t attempted the same with regard to the more modern
Father Noceti, another Jesuit, and one of his early preceptors, had composed two excellent poems on the" rainbow and the aurora borealis, which were published in 1747, with learned annotations by Boscovich. His countryman, Benedict Stay, after having published the philosophy of Descartes in Latin verse t attempted the same with regard to the more modern and more true philosophy, and has executed it with wonderful success. The first two volumes of this elegant and accurate work were published in 1755, and 1760, with annotations and supplements by Boscovich. These supplements are short dissertations on the most important parts of physics and mathematics. In these he affords a solution of the problem of the centre of oscillation, to which Huygens had come by a wrong method; confutes Euler, who had imagined that the vis inertiæ was necessary in matter; and refutes the ingenious efforts of Riccati on, the Leibnitzian opinion of the forces called living.
at Bassano, in the Venetian state, where he published his opuscules, in five volumes, 4to, composed in Latin, Italian, and French, and containing a variety of elegant
But, notwithstanding these discouragements, Boscovich
applied assiduously to the improvement of astronomy and
optics; revised and extended his former ideas, and struck
out new paths of discovery. His solution of the problem
to determine the orbit of a comet from three observations,
is remarkable for its elegant simplicity; being derived
from the mere elementary principles of trigonometry.
Not less beautiful are his memoirs on the micrometer, and
on achromatic telescopes. But his situation becoming
more irksome, in 1783, he desired and obtained leave of
absence. Two years he spent at Bassano, in the Venetian
state, where he published his opuscules, in five volumes,
4to, composed in Latin, Italian, and French, and containing a variety of elegant and. ingenious disquisitions connected with astronomical and optical science. During that
time he lived with his editor Remondini, and occupied
himself in superintending the press. After finishing his
task, he came to Tuscany, and passed some months at the
convent of Valombrosa. Thence he went to Milan, and
issued a Latin prospectus, in which he proposed to reprint
the remaining two volumes of the philosophical poem of
Stay, enriched with his annotations, and extended to ten,
books. But very few subscribers appeared; his opuscules
experienced a slow sale; and the Imperial minister neither
consulted nor employed him in some mathematical operations which were carrying on; all symptoms that he was no
more a favourite of the Italian public. These mortifications preyed upon his spirits, and made the deeper impression, as his health was much disordered by an inflammation of the lungs. He sunk into a stupid, listless melancholy, and after brooding many days, he emerged into
insanity, but not without lucid intervals, during which religion suggested topics of consolation, and he regretted
having spent his time in curious speculation, and considered the calamity with which he was visited as a kind of
chastisement of heaven for neglecting the spiritual duties
of his profession. In this temper of resignation, he expired on the 13th of February, 1787. He was interred
decently, but without pomp, in the parochial church of
S. Maria Pedone. “Such was the exit,
” says Fabroni,
“of this sublime genius, whom Rome honoured as her
master, whom all Italy regarded as her ornament, and to
whom Greece would have erected a statue, had she for
want of space been obliged even to throw down some of
her heroes.
”
verani, a priest of the oratory. Father Aringhi, another of the oratory, translated and published it in Latin, 1651, 2 vols. fol. an edition in more request than the
, and the inheritor of his property,
was educated by him, studied law, and by his uncle’s interest was appointed agent to the order of Malta. He
was a very little man, of a dark countenance, resembling
that of his mother, who had been an African slave, whom
his father married. In his youth he was very wild, but reformed, lest his uncle should disinherit him, and addicted
himself to the study of antiquities, producing the “Roma
Sottefanea,
” Rome, 1632, fol. a description of the tombs
and the epitaphs of the early Christians which are found in
the catacombs at Rome. For this purpose he investigated
them with great care, often remaining five or six days
together under ground, but he did not live to put the finishing hand to the work, which was published by John
Severani, a priest of the oratory. Father Aringhi, another
of the oratory, translated and published it in Latin, 1651,
2 vols. fol. an edition in more request than the original, and
more full and correct.
destructive of Religion; being Remarks on Mr. Bowman’s Sermon; exposing that gentleman’s deficiency in Latin and Greek, in ecclesiastical history, and true reasoning.”
Very highly to his own and his father’s satisfaction, he
entered, on the 9th of October, 1728, into the marriage
state, with Anne Prudom, his mother’s niece. His happiness, however, with this accomplished woman, lasted
bait little more than three years; he being deprived of her,
by death, on the 17th of October, 1731. Of two sons,
venom he had by her, William died an infant, and Thomas
survived him. His friends Mr. Clarke and Mr. Chishull
wrote him very affectionate and Christian letters on this
melancholy event.
In 1729, he ushered into the world a curious treatise,
entitled “A Pattern for young Students in the University,
set forth in the Life of Mr. Ambrose Bonwicke, some
time scholar of St. John’s college, Cambridge.
” (See Bonwicke). This little volume was generally ascribed to our
learned printer, though it was in reality the production of
Mr. Amtyruse Bonwicke the elder, but the preface was probably Mr. Buwyer’s. About the same time, it appears,
from a letter of Mr. Clarke, that Mr. Bowyer had written a
pamphlet against the Separatists; but neither the title nor
the occasion of it are at present recollected. Through the
friendship of the right honourable Arthur Onslow, he was,
likewise, appointed, in 1729, printer of the Votes of the
House of Commons; an office which he held, under three
successive speakers, for nearly fifty years. In 1730, he
was avowedly the editor of “A Discourse concerning the
Confusion of Languages at Babel, proving it to have been
miraculous, from the essential difference between them,
contrary to the opinion of M. Le Clerc and others. With
an Enquiry into the primitive language before that wonderful event. By the late learned William Wotton, D. D.
&c.
” In The Traditions of the Clergy destructive of Religion, with an Enquiry into the Grounds and Reasons of
such Traditions.
” This performance, which was charged
with containing some of the sentiments that had been advanced by Dr. Tindal in his “Rights of the Christian
Church,
” and by Mr. Gordon in his “Independent Whig,
”
excited no small degree of offence; and several answers
were written to it, and strictures made upon it, both of a
serious and ludicrous nature. Mr. Bowyer, upon this occasion, printed a pamphlet, called “The Traditions of
the Clergy not destructive of Religion; being Remarks
on Mr. Bowman’s Sermon; exposing that gentleman’s deficiency in Latin and Greek, in ecclesiastical history, and
true reasoning.
” The dispute, like many others of a
similar kind, is now sunk into oblivion. In 1733, he published “The Beau and Academick,
” two sheets, in 4to;
a translation from “Bellus Homo & Academicus, &c.
” a poem
recited that year at the Cornitia in the Sheldonian theatre,
and afterwards printed in his Tracts. On the 7th of July,
1736, Mr. Bowyer was admitted into the Society of Antiquaries, of which he had been chosen printer in May
preceding; and he was an active, as well as an early member
of that respectable body, regularly attending their meetings, and frequently communicating to them luatters of
utility and curiosity, which were reprinted in his “Tracts.
”
In conjunction with Dr. Birch, he was, also, materially
concerned in instituting “The Society for the Encouragement of Learning.
” Of this Mr. Nichols has given an interesting account. It was certainly well-meant, but injudicious, and became dissolved by its own insufficiency.
On the 27th of December, 1737, Mr. Bowyer lost his father, at the age of seventy-four; and it is evident, from his
scattered papers, that he severely felt this affliction; applying to himself the beautiful apostrophe of Æneas to
Anchises, in Virgil:
it’s extraordinary production were published about the same time, in a letter to Mr. Bowyer, written in Latin. In 1767, he was appointed to print the Journals of the
In 1744, Mr. Bowyer is supposed to have written a small
pamphlet on the present state of Europe, taken principally
from Pufendorff. In 1746, he projected, what during his
whole life he had in view, a regular edition of Cicero’s
Letters, in a chronological order, on a plan which it is to
be lamented that he did not complete; as an uniform series
thus properly arranged would have formed a real history of
Tully’s life, and those which cannot be dated might be
thrown to the end without any inconvenience. In the same
year he published “The Life of the Emperor Julian,
”
translated from the French of M. Bleterie, and improve^
with twelve pages of curious notes, and a genealogical
table. The notes were not entirely Mr. Bowyer’s, but
were drawn up, in part, by Mr. Clarke and other learned
men. The translation, by Miss Anne Williams (Dr. Johnson’s inmate), and the two sisters of the name of
Wilkinson, was made under Mr. Bowyr’s immediate inspection.
In this year also, he printed, and is supposed to have assisted in thp composition of, “A Dissertation, in which the
objections of a late pampinet (by bishop Ross) to the writings of the anci nits, after the mariner of Mr. Maryland,
are clearly answered: those passages in Tuily corrected,
on which some of the objections are founded; with
Amendments of a few pieces of criticism in Mr. Maryland’s
Epistola Critica,
” 8vo. On the 2d of August, 1747, Mr.
Bowyer entered a second time into the matrimonial state,
with a most benevolent and worthy woman, Mrs. Elizabeth
Bill, by whom he had no children. In 1750, he had the
honour of sharing, with Dr. Burton, in the invectives most
liberally bestowed by Dr. King, in his “Elogium Famse
inserviens Jacci Etouensis, sive Gigantis: or, the Praises
of Jack of Eaton, commonly called Jack the Giant.
” Dr.
King’s abuse was probably owing to his having heard that
our learned printer had hinted, in conversation, his doubts
concerning the doctor’s Latiriity. Mr. Bowyer drew up
strictures in his own defence, which he intended to insert
at the conclusion of a preface to Montesquieu’s Reflections, &c.; but, in consequence ol Mr. Clarke’s advice, they
were omitted. In the same year, a prefatory critical dissertation, and some valuable notes, were annexed, by our
author, to Kuster’s Treatise “De vero usu Verborum
Mediorum;
” a new edition of which work, with further
improvements, appeared in 1773. He wrote, likewise,
about the same time, a Latin preface to Leedes’s “Veteres
Poeta? citati, &c.
” Being soon after employed to print an
edition of colonel Bladen’s translation of Cæsar’s Commentaries, that work received considerable improvements from.
Mr. Bowyer’s hands, and the addition of such notes in it
as are signed Typogr. In the subsequent editions of this
work, though printed by another person, and in our author’s life-time, the same signature, contrary to decorum,
and even justice, was still retained. In 1751, he wrote a
long preface to Montesquieu’s “Reflections on the Rise
and Fall of the Rouian Empire;
” translated the Dialogue
between Sylla and Socrates; made several corrections to
the work from the Baron’s “Spirit of Laws,
” and improved
it with his own notes. A new edition, with many; new
notes, was printed in 1759. He gave likewise to the
public, in 1751, with a preface, the first translation that
was made of Rousseau’s paradoxical oration on the effects
of the arts and sciences, which gained the prize at the academy of Dijon, in 1750; and which first announced that
singular genius to the attention and admiration of Europe.
On the publication of the third edition of lord Orrery’s
“Remarks on the Life and Writings of Dr. Swift,
” in Two Letters from Dr. Bentley in the shades below, to
lord Orrery in a land of thick darkness.
” The notes
signed B, in the ninth quarto volume of Swift’s works, are
extracted from these Letters, which are reprinted at large
in his “Tracts.
” In Vindication of the Histories of the Old and New Testament, in answer to the Objections of Lord Bolingbroke,
”
Mr. Bowyer drew up an analysis of the same, with an intention of sending it to the Gentleman’s Magazine: it is now
printed in Mr. Nichols’s “Anecdotes.
” In Remarks on a Speech made in Common Council,
on the Bill for permitting persons professing the Jewish Religion to be naturalized, so far as Prophecies are supposed
to be affected by it.
” The design of this sensible little tract,
which was written with spirit, and well received by those
who were superior to narrow prejudices, was to shew, that
whatever political reasons might be alleged against the
Bill, Christianity would in no degree be prejudiced by
the indulgence proposed to be gVanted to the Jews. In
the same year, some of Mr. Bowyer’s notes were annexed
to bishop Clayton’s translation of “A Journal from Grand
Cairo to Mount Sinai, and back again.
” In Commentary on the Book of Wisdom,
” and enriched it with the remarks of Mr. Markland.
Upon the death of Mr. Richardson, in 1761, Mr. Bowyer,
through the patronage of the late earl of Macclesfield, was
appointed printer to the Royal Society; and, under the
friendship of five successive presidents, had the satisfaction
of continuing in that employment till his death. In the
same year (1761), appeared “Verses on the Coronation
of their late majesties, king George the Second and queen
Caroline, October 4, 1727, spoken by the Scholars of
Westminster school (some of them now the ornaments of the Nation) on January 15th following, being the Day of
the Inauguration of Queen Elizabeth, their foundress
with a Translation of all the Latin copies The whole
placed in order of the transactions of that important day.
Adorned with the Coronation Medals pf the Royal Pair,
and a bust of our present king. To which is subjoined
the Ceremonial of the august Procession, very proper to
be compared with the approaching one; and a Catalogue
of the Coronation Medals of the Kings and Queens of England.
” The original part of this pamphlet, in which a great
deal of humour is displayed, was entirely Mr. Bowyer' s:
the Latin verses were translated partly by him, but principally by Mr. Nichols. Our learned printer’s next publication was of a more serious and weighty nature, an excellent edition of the Greek Testament, in two volumes,
1763, 12mo, under the following title: “Novum Testamentum Greecum, ad Fidem GrascorUm solum Codicum
Mss. nunc primum expressum, adstipulante Joanne Jacobo Wetstenio, juxta Sectiones Jo. Albert! Bengelii divisum; et nova Interpunctione saepius illustratum. Accessere in altero Volumine Emendationes conjecturales virorum doctorum undecunque collectse.
” This sold with
great rapidity; though Mr. Bowyer, in his advertisements
of it in the public papers, was pleased to add, that it
boasted neither elegance of type nor paper, but trusted to
other merits. The conjectural emendations are a very
valuable addition to the Greek Testament, and were extremely well received by the learned. In a letter of thanks,
from the president and fellows of Harvard college, in Cambridge, New-England, to Mr. Bowyer, in 1767, for several benefactions of his to that college, they express themselves as follows: “It is a particular pleasure to us to
mention your very curious edition of the Greek Testament, in two volumes, with critical notes, and many happy
conjectures, especially as to the punctuation, an affair of
the utmost importance as to ascertaining the sense. This
work, though small in bulk, we esteem as a rich treasure
of sacred learning, and of more intrinsic value than many
large volumes of the commentators.
” A second edition of
the Conjectures on the New Testament, with very considerable enlargements, was separately published, in one
volume, 8vo, in 1772, a third in 4to, 1782, and a fourth
from the interleaved -copy of Dr. Owen, which he bequeathed to the honourable and right reverend Dr. Shute
Barrington, bishop of Durham, is just published (1812).
Bishop Wavbnrton having censured apassage in the first edition, Mr. Bowyer sent him a copy of the second, with a conciliatory letter. In 1765, at the request of Thomas Hollis,
esq. our learned printer wrote a short Latin preface to Dr.
Wallis’s “Grammatica Linguae Anglicanse.
” A larger English preface, which was written by him, and intended for
that work, is printed in his “Tracts.
” Some copies of this
book were sent by him to the rev. Edward Clarke, when,
chaplain to the earl of Bristol at Madrid, to be given to the
Spanish literati. Towards the latter end of the same year,
in consequence of overtures from a few respectable friends
at Cambridge, Mr. Bowyer had some inclination to have
undertaken the management of the University press, by
purchasing a lease of its exclusive privileges. He went,
accordingly, to Cambridge for this purpose; but the treaty
proved fruitless, and he did not much regret the disappointment. In the beginning of 1766, by engaging in a partnership with Mr. Nichols, he was again enabled to withdraw, in some degree, from that close application, which
had begun to be prejudicial to his health. His new associate had been trained by him to the profession, and had
assisted him several years in the management of business. He was very happy in this connection; and it is unnecessary to add how successfully Mr. Nichols has trod in
the steps of his worthy and learned friend and partner. In,
that year (1766) Mr. Bowyer wrote an excellent Latin preface to “Joannis Harduini, Jesuitae, ad Censuram Scriptorum veterum Prolegomena; juxta Autographum.
” In
this preface he gives an account of the nature of the work,
and of the manner in which it had been preserved. Mr. De
Missy’s remarks on the celebrated Jesuit’s extraordinary production were published about the same time, in a letter to
Mr. Bowyer, written in Latin. In 1767, he was appointed
to print the Journals of the House of Lords, and the Rolls
of Parliament. The noble peer to whom he was indebted
for this appointment, and his gratitude to whom is testified
in the inscription which he left behind him, to be placed in
Stationers Hall, was the earl of Marchmont. Mr. Bowyer
was now compelled, from the want of sufficient room, to
exchange White Fryars for Red Lion-passage; and it was
not without reluctance that he quitted a residence to which
he had been accustomed from his infancy. His new printing-house was opened with the sign of his favourite Cicero’s
Head: under which was inscribed, “M, T, Cicero, A Quo
Primordia Preli,
” in allusion to the well-known early editions of Tally’s Offices. Having printed this year Mr.
Clarke’s excellent and learned work on “The Connexion
of the Roman, Saxon, and English Coins,
” he wrote some
notes upon it, which are interspersed throughout the volume with those of the author. Part of the dissertation on
the Roman Sesterce was, likewise, Mr. Bowyer’s production; and the index, which is an uncommonly good one,
and on which he did not a little pride himself, was drawn up
entirely by him. On the 14th of January, 177 J, he lost
his second wife, who died at the age of seventy. His old
friend, Mr. Clarke, who had administered consolation to
him, on a similar occasion, nearly forty years before, again
addressed him with tenderness on this event. In the Philosophical Transactions for 1771, was printed a very ingenious “Enquiry intothe value of the antient Greek and Roman Money,
” by the late Matthew Raper, esq. The opinions advanced by this respectable gentleman, on these
subjects, not coinciding with those of Mr. Bowyer, he
printed a small pamphlet, entitled, “Remarks, occasioned
by a late Dissertation on the Greek and Roman Money.
” The pamphlet was intended as an appendix
to Mr. Clarke’s Treatise on Coins. The opinions of many
excellent writers in Germany and France having been ably
controverted in that elaborate work, Mr. Bowyer transmitted
a copy of it to the French king’s library, and inscribed his
little appendix,
tianity there. There was printed in 1677, at Geneva, a miscellaneous collection of Mr. Boyle’s works in Latin, without his consent, or even knowledge; of which there
He had been many years a director of the East India
company, and very useful in tins capacity to that great
body, especially in procuring their charier; and the only
return he expected for his labour was, the engaging the
company to come to some resolution in favour of the propagation of the gospel, by means of their flourishing factories in that part of the world, As a proof of his own inclination to contribute, as far as in him lay, for that purpose, he caused five hundred copies of the gospels and acts
of the apostles, in the Malayan tongue, to be printed at
Oxford in 1677, 4to, and to be sent abroad, at his own
expence. This appears from the dedication, prefixed by
his friend Dr. Thomas Hyde, to that translation, which was
published under his direction. It was the same spirit and
principle, which made him send, about three years before,
several copies of Grotius “de Veritate Christianas religionis,
” translated into Arabic by Dr. Edward Pocock, into
the Levant, as a means of propagating Christianity there.
There was printed in 1677, at Geneva, a miscellaneous
collection of Mr. Boyle’s works in Latin, without his consent, or even knowledge; of which there is a large account
given in the Philosophical Transactions. In 1678, he
communicated to Mr. Hooke a short memorial of some
argument. In a sermon preached on the Gunpowder treason, he introduced a parody on the Lord’s Prayer in Latin, “Papa noster qui es llomae, maledicetur nomen tuum, intereat
If we examine his “Postils,
” or the Defence of our
Liturgy, we shall have reason to admire his unwearied diligence, and his profound knowledge; to respect him as a
scholar and a divine. His style, indeed, partakes of the
quaintness of the age, but upon the whole we think him
less blameable on this score than some of his contemporaries. His main object was opposition to popery. He accordingly attacks the pope both with unsparing ridicule.
and with elaborate argument. In a sermon preached on
the Gunpowder treason, he introduced a parody on the
Lord’s Prayer in Latin, “Papa noster qui es llomae, maledicetur nomen tuum, intereat regnum tuum, impediatur
voluntas tua, sicut in coelo sic et in terra. Potum nostrum
in ccena dominica da nobis hodie, et remitte nummos
nustros quos tibi dedimus ob indulgentias, et ne nos indticas in haeresin, sed libera nos a miseria, quoniam tuum
est infernum, pix et sulphur in saecula sseculorurn.
” Granger gives this prayer in English, as if Dr. Boys had used
it in that language, and adds, what he certainly could not
know, that “he gained great applause by turning the
Lord’s Prayer into an execration.
” The truth is, he only
quoted it, saying “I have another prayer, and forasmuch
as it is in Latin, &c.
” It occurs in a ms. of sir Henry
Fynes, who says he found it in an old book. Sir Henry
Fynes was born in 1587, and Dr. Boys’s works could not
be deemed an old book in his time.
Brancker wrote a piece on the doctrine of the sphere, in Latin, which was published at Oxford in 1662; and in 1668, he
Brancker wrote a piece on the doctrine of the sphere, in
Latin, which was published at Oxford in 1662; and in
1668, he published at London, in 4to, a translation of
Rhonius’s Algebra, with the title of “An Introduction to
Algebra
” which treatise having communicated to Dr. John
Pell, he received from him some assistance towards improving it which he generously acknowledges in a letter
to Mr. John Collins; with whom, and some other gentlemen, proficients in this science, he continued a correspondence during his life.
ue of all the natural productions in the British Museum), and a prefatory account of these phenomena in Latin and English. Mr. Bra;ider also communicated an account
To Mr. Brander, the British Museum is indebted for a
capital collection of fossils found in the cliffs about Christchurch and the coast of Hampshire; which were published at
his expence, in a thin quarto volume, entitled “Fossilia
Hantohiensia collecta, et in Museo Britannico deposita, a
Gustavo Brander,
” The Forme of Cury
” was printed for private use, with
notes by the rev. Dr. Pegge, for whose fine portrait, by
Basire, we are likewise indebted to Mr. Brander’s munificence. It yet remains to be noticed that he was one of
the first supporters of the society for the encouragement of
arts.