FRACASTORIUS, SYPHILIS. Qui Fracaftorii Syphilida non amat, et laude dignam cenfet, eum Mufæ omnes Gratiæque malè oderunt. In tam egregio opere ineft tamen vitium, perpufillum illud quidem, et quod facile ignofcas. Duas nempè priores fyllabas vocis refina corripuit Fracaftorius; quod obfervavit is qui in noftrâ Britanniâ edidit hoc poëma. Juvenalis et Martialis foli funt, qui voce refina et vocibus inde derivatis ufi funt; et forfan, ætate Fracaftorii, hæ voces in utroque Poëta legebantur prioribus fyllabis correptis; quod ejus culpam extenuat. Vide Syphil. II. 199. 428. III. 41, Juvenalem, VIII. 114. Martialem, III. 67. 74. 77. Eundem errorem erravit Fracaftorius in Alcone, 152. Idem tamen poftca in Jofepho, II. 656. modulatè cecinit. Refinam, et liquidam Styracen, et Amygdala amara. Fracaftorium dicunt, annis gravem, et paulò ante mortem inchoaffe Poëma illud de Jofepho, quod fanè fanè a Syphilida multum defcendit, et languidus fenefcentis ingenii partus effe videtur. Certè nomina illa axila, Jofeph, Jacob, Reuben, Dothain, &c. quæ toties in eo opere occurrunt, radunt aures, et Latini Carminis gratiam devenuftant. Mirari fubit Poëtam, numerorum apprime callentem, huic vitio nullum adhibuiffe Remedium. In Thefauro Ling. Lat. Roberti Ainfworthi, ubi occurrunt Resīna, resīnatus, corrige, Resina, rīsinatus.* JOANNES FREINSHEMIUS. THIS amiable and excellent, man was one of the principal ornaments of the feventeenth century. His fupplements to Quintus Curtius and to Livy are univerfally allowed to be mafter pieces. He was one of those few philologers and criticks, who have had the efteem and the good word of all mankind. He was born at Ulm, in the year 1608. He ftudied the civil law, hiftory ancient and modern,and the claffical authors; and was fkilled in the Latin, Greek, Hebrew, French, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, English, Swedish and Danish languages. He was See Journal Britannique, Vol. VII. p. 8. in which this remark was first published. firft profeffor at Upfal, and then called to Stockholm by Christina, to be royal librarian and hiftoriographer, with a genteel penfion. He obtained leave to return to his own country, on account of his bad health, and was made honorary profeffor at Heidelberg by the Elector Palatine. He was the most pious of learned men, and the moft learned of pious men. He often declared that Christianity alone could fit a man for diffolution, and reconcile him to it: And his laft words were, My Speech begins to fail me; but my heart fails me not; and I am not afraid of dying." Thus he expired, aged fifty-two, in the year 1660. I have collected thefe few particulars from a meagre account of this great man, given by Spizelius in his Templum Honoris; where alfo may be found a lift of his works, publifhed and unpublished.* By the publick calamities of Germany he had been reduced to great poverty, before the year 1639; and he speaks of it in the style and spirit of a Chriftian Philofopher, in the Dedication of his Quintus Curtius. "Per hæc Tempora, quorum tam longa, tamque violenta Atrocitas, apud multa mortalium mil * For a thort account of FREINSHEIM, fee Biograph. Dictionary, in 12 volumes 8vo. vol. v. 455. lia, quocumque modo miferam Vitam tolerare, fummam Votorum effecerat, nobis, qui nihilo meliores digniorefve aliis fumus, præter victum amictumque commodum et honeftum, fuperfuit unde et pauperioribus nonnullis fuccurreremus, et Mufæ, nofter amor, non fuftinerentur modo, verum etiam ornarentur. At enim fuperioribus annis, agi ferrique res, quæ mihi viderentur; edificia incendi, vel dirui; agros fitu incultuque fqualere; bona hactenus nomina cum ipfa fpe perire, aut indies deteriora fieri; alios inopia, alios prava vafricie mala publica in quæftum convertendi; fidem infuper habere; intendi prætia rerum venalium; flagellari annonam, ipfamque ejus caritatem non nemini caram effe; demens, et legum quibus vivamus immemor, tanquam mea damna morebam. Donec crebra verbi divini auditione, lectione, meditatione cum animo meo reputare cœpi, non male mecum tranfegiffe caduca bona, fi ab illis deftituta fpes in unum Deum tota verteretur. Quem ipfum mei curam haud perfunctoriè gerere, magis jam magifque quotidianis experimentis edocebar. Ut tandem omnia recolens fateri cogerer, nihil umquam perinde ex utilitate mea eveniffe, quam jacturam earum rerum, quæ me potuiffent perdere. Longum foret enarrare, quæ olim animum veræ felicitatis ignarum aut contemtorem fpes atque defideria agitabant; certe ea vitæ conditione, qua nunc ut in rebus hu |
