, the Cicero of Germany, if we may use the terms of Melchior Adam,
, the Cicero of Germany, if we may
use the terms of Melchior Adam, was born at Sleida in
Eiffel, near Cologne, Oct. 1, 1507. He was initiated in
letters in his native country, with the sons of count de
Manderscheid, whose receiver his father was, and afterwards studied at Liege in the college of St. Jerome. In
1524, he went to Louvain, where ne sp.-Mit five years, three
in learning, and two in teaching; an 1 had for his fellowstudents, Sleidan, Vesalius, and some others, who afterwards became men of eminence, a:vi had a great esteem
for him. He set up a printing-press with Rudger Rescins,
professor of Greek, and printed several Greek authors. He
began with Homer, and soon after carried those editions to
Pans, in 1529, where he made himself highly esteemed,
and read public lectures upon the Greek and Latin writers, and upon logic. He married also there, and kept a
great number of boarders, who came from England, Germany, and Italy, and were the sous of considerable families;
but as he had imbibed the principles of the reformation, he
was more than once in danger; which, undoubtedly, was
the reason why he removed to Strasburg in 1537. in order
to take possession of the place offered him by the magistrates. The year following he opened a school, which became famous, and by his means obtained from the emperor
Maximilian II. the title of an university in 1566. He was
very well skilled in polite literature, wrote Latin with great
purity, and understood the method of teaching; and it was
owing to him, that the college of Strasburg, of which he
was perpetual rector, became the most flourishing in all
Germany. His talents were not confined to the schools;
he was frequently entrusted with several deputations in
Germany and foreign countries, and discharged those employments with great honour and diligence. He shewed
extreme charity to the refugees who fled on account of religion: he was not satisfied with labouring to assist them by
his advice and recommendations, but even impoverished
himself by his great hospitality towards them. His life,
however, was exposed to many troubles, which he owed
chiefly to the intolerance of the Lutheran ministers. At
Strasburg he formed a moderate Lutheranism, to which he
submitted without reluctance, though he was of Zuinglius’s
opinion, and afterwards declared himself for Calvinism, and
was in consequence, in 1583, deprived of the rectorship of
the university. He died March 3, 1589, aged above eighty.
He had been thrice married, but left no children. Though
he lost his sight some time before his death, yet he did not
discontinue his labours for the public good. He published
a great number of books, chiefly on subjects of philosophy.
Having when at Paris studied medicine, he published in
1531, an edition of Galen’s works, fol. Among his other
works, are, 1. “De Literarum ludis recte aperiendis liber,
” Variorum auctorum consilia, &c.
” Morhoff
praises this work very highly. 2. “In partitiones Oratorias
Ciceronis libri duo,
” Argent. Beati Rhenani vita,
” prefixed to that author’s
“Rerum Germanicarum libri tres,
” Basil, Ciceronis Opera omnia,
” Strasb. Aristotelis Rheticorum libri tres,
” Gr. and Lat. with
scholia, &c. Anti-Pappi tres contra Joannis
Pappi charitatem et condemnationem Christianam.
”