SAXO GRAMMATICUS flourished in the 12.th and 13.th Centuries. His History is written with elegance; but Torfous has proved that the first Books do not deserve credit as fas as regards the chronology of the Danish Kings, and the epochs of the principal events. Stephanius gave an edition of this History with Notes in one Vol. fol. 1645. OLAUS WORMIUS was a Danish Physician, born in Jutland, 1588. Having travelled through Ger- · many, Switzerland, Italy, and England, he returned to Copenhagen; and there obtained the Chair of the Greek Language; afterwards that of Natural History; and lastly that of Medicine, in 1629. He was a master of this last science ; and his merit procured him the post of Physician to K. Christian IV. He made new discoveries in Anatomy; and died Rector of the Academy of Copenhagen, in 1654. THOMAS BARTHOLINUS, (son of Thomas, a celebrated physician and medical writer, who died 1680, aged 64, son of Gaspard, also a celebrated physician and anatomist, who died 1629,) studied Jurisprudence in many Universities of Europe; and on his return to Copenhagen, was made Professor of History and Law; 272 OLAUS MAGNUS. THORMODUS TORFOEUS. and Antiquarian and Archive - Keeper to the King. He died in 1690. OLAUS MAGNUS, Archbishop of Upsal, (in which Archbishopric he succeeded his Brother John, in 1544,) appeared with splendor at the Council of Trent, in 1546; and suffered much in his own country for the Catholic Religion. His History contains many curious things; but others appear to be too much the fruit of credulity. His History was translated into Italian by Remigio Fiorentino; and adorned with many figures cut in wood. It was printed at Venice, by the Giunti, 1565. He died at Rome, in 1560. THORMODUS TORFOEUS was born in Iceland, and died about 1720, at the age of 81. He studied at Copenhagen; and passed the greater part of his life in Norway. He was a man just, laborious, and deeply versed in the Antiquities of the North; which obtained for him the post of Historiographer of the King of Denmark for Norway. He must not be confounded with Snebiorn Torfous, of the same family, author of the Annales omnium Præsulum Islandiæ. Copenhagen, 1652. in 4.° J STURLSONIUS SNORRO, an illustrious Icelander, was of an ancient family; and was Minister of State to the King of Sweden; and to three Kings of Norway. A sedition obliged him to retire to Iceland; of which he was Governor : but in 1241, his enemy Gissuro forced his castle, and put him to death. We have of him : 1. Chronicon Regum Norwegorum. 2. Edda Islandica, translated into French by MALLET, in his History of Denmark. An edition of this was published by Resenius, Hanau, 1665. 4.° OLAUS RUDBECK was born in 1680, and was Professor of Anatomy and Botany at Upsal, where he died in 1702, æt. 73. His Atlantica vera Japhæti posterorum sedes ac patria, 1679, 1689, et 1698, 3 vol. fol. is full of erudition; but of an erudition which oppresses; in which the author sustains the most marvellous paradoxes. He pretends that Sweden was the Atlantis of Plato. (Sig. Baer pretends that the Atlantis was Palestine.) See NICERON, XXXI. 153, 163. ART. LXI. CHARLATANERIA. 1. De Charlataneria Eruditorum Declamationes duæ. Lip siæ, 1715. 8.0 2. De Charlataneria cum Notis Variorum. Accessit Epistola Sebastiani Stadelii ad Janum Philomusum de Circumforanea Literatorum Vanitate. Editio Tertia. Amstelodami, (potius Lipsia) 1716. 8.o 3. French Translation. La Haye, 1721. 8.0 4. Two German Translations, printed at Hall; and Leipsic. Also Translations in English, Spanish, etc. This is a celebrated jeu d'esprit of JOHN BURCHARD MENCKE, or MENCKENIUS. Its object was to lay open the tricks and artifices of false Savants. But as he visibly drew particular characters, his personal allusions excited a resentment, which caused an obstacle to the circulation of his Book. This however did not prevent its reimpression. He had a share in the Dictionary of the Learned published in German at Leipsic, in 1715. He formed the plan; and furnished the principal materials and wrote the articles on Italian and English Books. This Author was born at Leipsic, on 8.th April, 1674; the son of Othon Menke, (1) by Magdelaine Sibylla Berlich. (1) OTHON MENCKE was born at Oldenbourg, a city of Westphalia, the son of John Mencke, Merchant and Senator of the City, by Anne Sophia Spiesmacher. He studied, and took his degrees at He was received Master of Arts at Leipsic, in 1694; and then having applied some time to the study of Theology, travelled in Holland, and England. On his return to Leipsic, 1699, he was named Professor of History. His first design was to embrace the profession of Theology; but he soon abandoned it for Law: in which science he received the degree of Doctor at Hall, in 1701. With this title he returned to Leipsic to continue his Lectures on History, by which he gained much reputation. In 1708, Frederic Augustus, King of Poland, and Elector of Saxony, appointed him his Historiographer; Bremen. In 1668, he was appointed Professor of Morals in the University of Leipsic; and in 1671 took the degree of Licentiate in Theology. He filled his Professor's chair with reputation to the end of his life; and was five times Rector of the University of Leipsic, and seven times Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy. He was the first author of the Journal of Leipsic, in which he laboured all his life. The work commenced at Leipsic, in 1682, under the title of Acta Eruditorum. When he formed this design, he commenced a correspondence with the learned of every country and for this purpose also travelled to Holland, and to England. He associated with him many able persons to assist him in his labours; and tock every measure necessary to render his undertaking durable. Every year appeared a volume in quarto, with Supplements from time to time; and an Index every ten years. So that thirty volumes were published before his death. On his deathbed he made his son John Burchard M. promise that he would always continue the work, which he had much at heart; and the son punctually executed the promise. He died 29. Jan. 1707, æt. 63. |