Johannes Meursius
Encyclopedia
Johannes Meursius (February 9, 1579, Loosduinen
, near the Hague – September 20, 1639, Sorø
), was a Dutch
classical scholar and antiquary.
. In 1610 he was appointed professor of Greek
and history at Leiden, and in the following year historiographer to the States-General of the Netherlands
. In consequence of the disturbed state of his country during the Eighty Years War, he welcomed the offer (1625) of Christian IV of Denmark
to become professor of history and politics at Soro, in Zealand, combined with the office of historiographer royal, in which role he produced a Latin history of Denmark (1630–38), Historia Danica.
Meursius was the author of classical editions and treatises, many of which are printed in J.F. Gronovius
's Thesaurus antiquitatum graecarum. Their lack of arrangement detracts from their value, but they are a storehouse of information, and Meursius does not deserve the epithets of "pedant" and "ignoramus" which Joseph Justus Scaliger
applied to him. Meursius also wrote on the troubles in the Netherlands.
Meursius also authored the Glossarium graeco-barbarum, one of the first dictionaries of Modern Greek
.
Complete edition of his works by J. Lami (1741–1763). See Van der Aa's Biographisch Woordenboek der Nederlanden (1869), and J.E. Sandys
, History of Classical Scholarship (1908), ii. 311.
by Luisa Sigea de Velasco
, an erudite poetess and maid of honor at the court of Lisbon
and was then translated into Latin by Jean or Johannes Meursius. The attribution to Sigea was a lie and Meursius was a complete fabrication; the true author was Nicolas Chorier
.
Loosduinen
Loosduinen is a former village in The Netherlands that was a municipality unto itself until 1923. At that time it merged with The Hague, and subsequently became known as the neighbourhood called Stadsdeel of that city.-References:...
, near the Hague – September 20, 1639, Sorø
Sorø
Sorø is a town in Sorø municipality in Region Sjælland on the island of Zealand in east Denmark. The population is 7,805 . The municipal council and the regional council are located in Sorø....
), was a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
classical scholar and antiquary.
Biography
He was extremely precocious, and at the age of sixteen produced a commentary on the Cassandra of LycophronLycophron
Lycophron was a Hellenistic Greek tragic poet, grammarian, and commentator on comedy, to whom the poem Alexandra is attributed .-Life and miscellaneous works:...
. In 1610 he was appointed professor of Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and history at Leiden, and in the following year historiographer to the States-General of the Netherlands
States-General of the Netherlands
The States-General of the Netherlands is the bicameral legislature of the Netherlands, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The parliament meets in at the Binnenhof in The Hague. The archaic Dutch word "staten" originally related to the feudal classes in which medieval...
. In consequence of the disturbed state of his country during the Eighty Years War, he welcomed the offer (1625) of Christian IV of Denmark
Christian IV of Denmark
Christian IV was the king of Denmark-Norway from 1588 until his death. With a reign of more than 59 years, he is the longest-reigning monarch of Denmark, and he is frequently remembered as one of the most popular, ambitious and proactive Danish kings, having initiated many reforms and projects...
to become professor of history and politics at Soro, in Zealand, combined with the office of historiographer royal, in which role he produced a Latin history of Denmark (1630–38), Historia Danica.
Meursius was the author of classical editions and treatises, many of which are printed in J.F. Gronovius
Johann Friedrich Gronovius
Johann Friedrich Gronovius was a German classical scholar and critic....
's Thesaurus antiquitatum graecarum. Their lack of arrangement detracts from their value, but they are a storehouse of information, and Meursius does not deserve the epithets of "pedant" and "ignoramus" which Joseph Justus Scaliger
Joseph Justus Scaliger
Joseph Justus Scaliger was a French religious leader and scholar, known for expanding the notion of classical history from Greek and Ancient Roman history to include Persian, Babylonian, Jewish and Ancient Egyptian history.-Early life:He was born at Agen, the tenth child and third son of Italian...
applied to him. Meursius also wrote on the troubles in the Netherlands.
Meursius also authored the Glossarium graeco-barbarum, one of the first dictionaries of Modern Greek
Modern Greek
Modern Greek refers to the varieties of the Greek language spoken in the modern era. The beginning of the "modern" period of the language is often symbolically assigned to the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453, even though that date marks no clear linguistic boundary and many characteristic...
.
Complete edition of his works by J. Lami (1741–1763). See Van der Aa's Biographisch Woordenboek der Nederlanden (1869), and J.E. Sandys
John Edwin Sandys
Sir John Edwin Sandys FBA , was a classical scholar.He was born at Leicester on 19 May 1844, a son of the Reverend Timothy Sandys of the Church Missionary Society and Rebecca . Living at first in India, he returned to England at the age of eleven, and was educated at the Church Missionary Society...
, History of Classical Scholarship (1908), ii. 311.
Satyra sotadica
The School of Women first appeared as a work in Latin entitled Aloisiae Sigaeae, Toletanae, Satyra sotadica de arcanis Amoris et Veneris. This manuscript claimed that it was originally written in SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
by Luisa Sigea de Velasco
Luisa Sigea de Velasco
Luisa Sigea de Velasco , also known as Luísa Sigeia, Luísa Sigea Toledana and in the Latinized form Aloysia Sygaea Toletana, was a poetess and intellectual of the 16th century, one of the major figures of Spanish humanism, who spent a good part of her life in the Portuguese court in the service of...
, an erudite poetess and maid of honor at the court of Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
and was then translated into Latin by Jean or Johannes Meursius. The attribution to Sigea was a lie and Meursius was a complete fabrication; the true author was Nicolas Chorier
Nicolas Chorier
Nicolas Chorier was a French lawyer, writer, and historian. He is known especially for his historical works on Dauphiné, as well as his erotic dialogue called The School of Women, or The Seven Flirtatious Encounters of Aloisia .He was born at Vienne, Isère, practised as a lawyer in Grenoble and...
.
Selected works
- 1612: Res Belgicae, Lugduni Batavorum
- 1614: Glossarium graecobarbarum, Lugduni Batavorum
- 1617: Lectiones Atticae, Lugduni Batavorum
- 1625: Athenae Batavae, Lugduni Batavorum
- 1630: Historia Danica, Hafniae
- 1684: Theseus; sive de ejus vita rebusque gestis liber postumus. Accedunt ejusdem Paralipomena de pagis Atticis, et excerpta ex ... Jacobi Sponii Itinerario de iisdem pagis. Ultrajecti: apud Franciscum Halma (On J. F. Gronovius's Thesaurus antiquitatum graecarum)
Further reading
- Heesakkers, C. L. 'Te weinig koren of alleen te veel kaf? Leiden's eerste Noordnederlandse filoloog Joannes Meursius (1579–1639)', in: Miro Fervore. Een bundel lezingen & artikelen over de beoefening van de klassieke wetenschappen in de zeventiende & achttiende eeuw, Leiden 1994, pp. 13–26
- Skovgaard-Petersen, Karen Historiography at the Court of Christian IV (1588–1648): studies in the Latin histories of Denmark by Johannes Pontanus and Johannes Meursius, Copenhagen, 2002