Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: June 10, 2025
VII. Vossius, the Canon of Canterbury in the seventeenth century, adopts an entirely different tone in his agreeable treatise on the Roman historians "De Historicis Latinis."
We can thus clearly perceive, why it was when a forgery was to be undertaken, it was of an ancient classic, and the selection made was a continuance to the History of Tacitus: we, also, know how natural it was when Bracciolini found, after deliberation and a trial, that there was little or no sympathy between him and Tacitus, and, certainly, no identity of genius, that he should strive his utmost to cast off such a heavy burden and endeavour to carry a lighter load by fabricating a continuation of Livy; but no guinea is required to be spent for a visit to the seance of a medium, to call up the spirit of Cosmo de' Medici by the rapping of a table: in the first place, the spirit would be sure not to come, however hard the table might be rapped, from fear of being addressed in Latin or Italian, as spirits are always sulky when they speak languages that are unknown to the medium: in the second place, after what we hear from Vossius and Muretus about the historical studies of the enlightened Princely Florentine, we want no ghost of his to come from the grave, and tell us that he would not have taken one entire book of Livy for one little page of Tacitus.
In the history of Christianity one cannot commend the efforts either of the Gnostics or the neo-Platonists, nor always justify the medieval missionaries in their methods. Nor can we accurately describe as successful the ingenuity of Vossius, the Dutch theologian, who, following the scheme of Euhemerus, discovered the Old Testament patriarchs in the disguise of the gods of Paganism.
He declared to Vossius, July 17, 1616 , that none held the doctrine condemned by the ancient Church in greater detestation. "Besides the hatred, says he to Antony Walæus, which I profess to the tenets that were unknown to pious antiquity, nothing more engages me to condemn, and overturn, as far as I can, this sort of opinions, than their being an obstacle to peace."
Wherefore poetic has this in common with rhetoric; that both are the servants of the state. Vossius thus, like Scaliger, makes poetic and rhetoric one in their end to promote desirable action. How persistent is this rhetorical view of poetry is well illustrated by the Ars Rhetorica of the Jesuit Martin Du Cygne, first published in 1666, and still used as a text-book in Georgetown University.
As he knew that Salmasius had made this collection his particular study, he requests him, June 11, 1635 , to communicate to him the corrections he had made in the Greek text, either by the assistance of manuscripts, or from his own conjectures. He gives a long account of his design to Gerard Vossius, in a letter of the 20th of December, 1635.
Especially the learned Scriverius, Vossius, and other professors, were permitted to correspond with him at intervals on literary subjects, the letters being subjected to preliminary inspection. Scriverius sent him many books from his well-stocked library, de Groot's own books and papers having been confiscated by the government.
They are to be found in some of the editions printed in Holland, and are very highly commended by Vossius , who says the learned world is much obliged to their author. A letter from Grotius to his brother informs us, that the latter part of the notes of Lucan were by William Grotius. Præs. Vir. Epist. p. 377. Ep. 128. p. 792.
"I hope, he says to Vossius , to find at least among posterity equitable readers who will thank God for the light which he has been pleased to communicate to me for the understanding several obscure passages of Holy Scripture.
It was received with great satisfaction by the Magistrates of Holland : and the States returned him public thanks on the 31st of October, 1613, in very honorable terms. Casaubon and Vossius speak of this book with the highest commendation: but the Gomarists were greatly dissatisfied with it . Bogerman wrote some notes on it, serving to confute it; which were suppressed.
Word Of The Day
Others Looking