Nicasius le Febure
Encyclopedia
Nicasius le Febure, a.k.a. Nicolas le Febure or Nicasius le Fevre or Nicolas le Fèvre (1615 - 1669), was a French
chemist
and alchemist
who was appointed to positions by both French and English royalty.
there. Vallot, first physician to Louis XIV, appointed him demonstrator of chemistry at the Jardin du Roi
, Paris
; Diarist John Evelyn
is recorded as having attended a course of his lectures there in February 1647. In 1660 he was appointed Professor of Chemistry to Charles II of England
in 1660, Apothecary in Ordinary to the Royal Family in 1660 and manager of the laboratory at St James's Palace, London
. It is believed he became a naturalised English citizen in 1682. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) on 20th May, 1663.
He died in the Parish of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London, in the spring of 1669. There exists an engraved portrait of him.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
chemist
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
and alchemist
Alchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
who was appointed to positions by both French and English royalty.
Life and work
Le Febure was born and educated in Sedan, going to the AcademyAcademy of Sedan
The Academy of Sedan was a Huguenot academy in Sedan, founded in 1579 and suppressed in 1681. It was one of the main centres for the production of Reformed pastors in France for a hundred years.-History:...
there. Vallot, first physician to Louis XIV, appointed him demonstrator of chemistry at the Jardin du Roi
Jardin des Plantes
The Jardin des Plantes is the main botanical garden in France. It is one of seven departments of the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle. It is situated in the 5ème arrondissement, Paris, on the left bank of the river Seine and covers 28 hectares .- Garden plan :The grounds of the Jardin des...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
; Diarist John Evelyn
John Evelyn
John Evelyn was an English writer, gardener and diarist.Evelyn's diaries or Memoirs are largely contemporaneous with those of the other noted diarist of the time, Samuel Pepys, and cast considerable light on the art, culture and politics of the time John Evelyn (31 October 1620 – 27 February...
is recorded as having attended a course of his lectures there in February 1647. In 1660 he was appointed Professor of Chemistry to Charles II of England
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
in 1660, Apothecary in Ordinary to the Royal Family in 1660 and manager of the laboratory at St James's Palace, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It is believed he became a naturalised English citizen in 1682. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) on 20th May, 1663.
He died in the Parish of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London, in the spring of 1669. There exists an engraved portrait of him.
Works
Le Fevre was an able chemist and a lucid, learned, and accurate author. He wrote:- Traité de la Chymie: A Compendious Body of Chymistry: Wherein is contained whatsoever is necessary for the attaining to the curious knowledge of this Art; Comprehending in general the whole practice thereof: and teaching the most exact preparation of Animals, Vegetables and Minerals, so as to preserve their essential Vertues. Laid open in two Books, and dedicated to the use of all ApothecariesApothecaryApothecary is a historical name for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses materia medica to physicians, surgeons and patients — a role now served by a pharmacist and some caregivers....
, &c. (2 volumes, 1664 - English translation).
- Disputatio de Myrrhata Potione (in volume ix. of John Pearson's Critici SacriCritici sacriCritici sacri was a compilation of Latin biblical commentaries published in London from 1660, edited by John Pearson. The publisher was Cornelius Bee. The work appeared in nine volumes, and collected numerous authors, both Protestant and Catholic, of early modern critical work on the Bible...
(1660).
- A Discourse upon Sr. Walter Rawleigh’s Great Cordial (1664).