, or Nannius, or in his native language, Nanningh (Peter), a very learned philologer,
, or Nannius, or in his native language, Nanningh (Peter), a very learned philologer, and general
scholar, was born at Alcmaer, in Holland, in 1500; he
studied at Louvain, and then was employed in the private
education of some young men until the death of Conrad
Goclenius, when the university unanimously appointed
him to pronounce a funeral oration on that eminent teacher,
and to succeed him as Latin professor. In this office he
gave such satisfaction, that all his scholars, who were exceedingly numerous, ever preserved the highest respect
for him, and acknowledged that the care he took was the
foundation of their future advancement and fame. He
was also much esteemed by the cardinal de Granvelle, and
by Nicholas Everard, president of the great council of
Mechlin. The cardinal preferred him to a canonry in his
church of ArraS, and the president placed his children
under his care, and rewarded him munificently. With the
patronage of these two personages, he was so satisfied as
to refuse many liberal offers to remove to Italy, and remained the whole of his life at Louvain. He was a most
industrious writer, as well as teacher, and in the numerous
list given by Foppen of his publications, we find commentaries on Cicero, on Virgil, and Horace’s Art of Poetry;
paraphrases on the Song of Solomon, and on the Proverbs;
annotations on civil law, of which he acquired a profound
knowledge; translations of some part of Demosthenes, Synesius, Apollonius, Plutarch, St. Athanasius, St. N Basil,
Chrysostom; prefaces introductory and illustrative of Homer, and Demosthenes, &c. He also translated the Psalms
into Latin verse, and, in the opinion of his contemporaries,
with equal elegance and fidelity. Among his separate
publications his “Miscellaoeorum decas,
” a collection of
critical remarks on ancient authors, and his “Dialogismi
Heroinarum,
” were much esteemed. This eminent scholar died at Louvain, July 21, 1557, and was buried in the
church of St. Peter, where one of his scholars, Sigismond
Frederic Fugger, placed a monument to his memory. He
is mentioned in terms of the highest praise by Miræus,
Thuanus, Melchior Adam, Gyraldus, Huet, and many
other learned men.