Pieter Burmann the Elder
Encyclopedia
Pieter Burman often called Burmann, and known as the Elder, to distinguish him from his nephew
, was a Dutch classical scholar.
, the son of Frans Burman I and Maria, daughter of Abraham Heidanus
. At the age of thirteen he entered the university where he studied under Graevius
and Gronovius. He devoted himself particularly to the study of the classical languages, and became unusually proficient in Latin composition. As he was intended for the legal profession, he spent some years in attendance on the law classes. For about a year he studied at Leiden, paying special attention to philosophy
and Greek
.
On his return to Utrecht he took the degree of doctor of law
s (March 1688), and after travelling through Switzerland
and part of Germany
, settled down to the practice of law, without, however, abandoning his classical studies. In December 1691 he was appointed receiver of the tithes which were originally paid to the bishop of Utrecht, and five years later was nominated to the professorship of eloquence and history. To this chair was soon added that of Greek and politics. In 1714 he paid a short visit to Paris and ransacked the libraries. In the following year he was appointed successor to the celebrated Perizonius
, who had held the chair of history, Greek language and eloquence at Leiden.
He was subsequently appointed professor of history for the United Provinces and in 1724 he became the 9th Librarian of Leiden University
. His numerous editorial and critical works spread his fame as a scholar throughout Europe, and engaged him in many of the stormy disputes which were then so common among men of letters. Burman was rather a compiler than a critic; his commentaries show immense learning and accuracy, but are wanting in taste and judgment. He died on 31 March 1741.
In his edition of Petronius's Satyricon
he demonstrated that the supplementary material recently added to the text by François Nodot was in fact a forgery.
He also published an edition of George Buchanan
's works, continued Graevius's major work, Thesaurus Antiquitatum et Historiarum Italiae, and wrote a treatise De Vectigalibus Populi Romani (1694) and a short manual of Roman antiquities, Antiquitatum Romanarum Brevis Descriptio (1711). His Sylloge epistolarum a viris illustribus scriptarum (1725) contains biographical material on scholars.
The list of his works occupies five pages in Christoph Gottlieb Saxe's Onomasticon. His poems and orations were published after his death. There is an account of his life in the Gentleman's Magazine for April (1742) by Samuel Johnson
.
Pieter Burmann the Younger
Pieter Burman , called by himself the Younger to distinguish himself from his uncle, was a Dutch philologist, born at Amsterdam....
, was a Dutch classical scholar.
Life
He was born at UtrechtUtrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
, the son of Frans Burman I and Maria, daughter of Abraham Heidanus
Abraham Heidanus
Abraham Heidanus was a Dutch Calvinist minister and controversialist, sympathetic to Cartesianism.-Life:...
. At the age of thirteen he entered the university where he studied under Graevius
Johann Georg Graevius
Johann Georg Graevius was a German classical scholar and critic. He was born at Naumburg....
and Gronovius. He devoted himself particularly to the study of the classical languages, and became unusually proficient in Latin composition. As he was intended for the legal profession, he spent some years in attendance on the law classes. For about a year he studied at Leiden, paying special attention to philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and 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;...
.
On his return to Utrecht he took the degree of doctor of law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
s (March 1688), and after travelling through Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and part of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, settled down to the practice of law, without, however, abandoning his classical studies. In December 1691 he was appointed receiver of the tithes which were originally paid to the bishop of Utrecht, and five years later was nominated to the professorship of eloquence and history. To this chair was soon added that of Greek and politics. In 1714 he paid a short visit to Paris and ransacked the libraries. In the following year he was appointed successor to the celebrated Perizonius
Perizonius
Perizonius was the name of Jakob Voorbroek , a Dutch classical scholar, who was born at Appingedam in Groningen....
, who had held the chair of history, Greek language and eloquence at Leiden.
He was subsequently appointed professor of history for the United Provinces and in 1724 he became the 9th Librarian of Leiden University
Leiden University Library
Leiden University Library is a library founded in 1575 in Leiden, Netherlands. It is regarded as a significant place in the development of European culture: it is a part of a small number of cultural centres that gave direction to the development and spread of knowledge during the Enlightenment...
. His numerous editorial and critical works spread his fame as a scholar throughout Europe, and engaged him in many of the stormy disputes which were then so common among men of letters. Burman was rather a compiler than a critic; his commentaries show immense learning and accuracy, but are wanting in taste and judgment. He died on 31 March 1741.
Works
Burman edited the following classical authors:- Phaedrus (1698)
- HoraceHoraceQuintus Horatius Flaccus , known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.-Life:...
(1699) - Valerius FlaccusValerius FlaccusValerius Flaccus is the name of:*Gaius Valerius Flaccus , Latin poet at the time of Vespasian*a number of Roman political figures, including:*Lucius Valerius Flaccus *Lucius Valerius Flaccus...
(1702) - PetroniusPetroniusGaius Petronius Arbiter was a Roman courtier during the reign of Nero. He is generally believed to be the author of the Satyricon, a satirical novel believed to have been written during the Neronian age.-Life:...
(1709) - Velleius Paterculus (1719)
- QuintilianQuintilianMarcus Fabius Quintilianus was a Roman rhetorician from Hispania, widely referred to in medieval schools of rhetoric and in Renaissance writing...
(1720) - JustinJunianus JustinusJustin was a Latin historian who lived under the Roman Empire. His name is mentioned only in the title of his own history, and there it is in the genitive, which would be M. Juniani Justini no matter which nomen he bore.Of his personal history nothing is known...
(1722) - OvidOvidPublius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
(1727) - Poetae Latini minores (1731)
- SuetoniusLives of the Twelve CaesarsDe vita Caesarum commonly known as The Twelve Caesars, is a set of twelve biographies of Julius Caesar and the first 11 emperors of the Roman Empire written by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus.The work, written in AD 121 during the reign of the emperor Hadrian, was the most popular work of Suetonius,...
(1736) - Lucan (1740)
In his edition of Petronius's Satyricon
Satyricon
Satyricon is a Latin work of fiction in a mixture of prose and poetry. It is believed to have been written by Gaius Petronius, though the manuscript tradition identifies the author as a certain Titus Petronius...
he demonstrated that the supplementary material recently added to the text by François Nodot was in fact a forgery.
He also published an edition of George Buchanan
George Buchanan (humanist)
George Buchanan was a Scottish historian and humanist scholar. He was part of the Monarchomach movement.-Early life:...
's works, continued Graevius's major work, Thesaurus Antiquitatum et Historiarum Italiae, and wrote a treatise De Vectigalibus Populi Romani (1694) and a short manual of Roman antiquities, Antiquitatum Romanarum Brevis Descriptio (1711). His Sylloge epistolarum a viris illustribus scriptarum (1725) contains biographical material on scholars.
The list of his works occupies five pages in Christoph Gottlieb Saxe's Onomasticon. His poems and orations were published after his death. There is an account of his life in the Gentleman's Magazine for April (1742) by Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer...
.