Page:A new and general biographical dictionary; containing an historical and critical account of the lives and writings of the most eminent persons in every nation v1.djvu/78

 42 A C R O P O L I T A; tongue. Gregory Cyprian, patriarch of Conftantinople, in his encomium upon him, prefixed to Acropolita's hiftory, is perhaps fomewhat extravagant in his praife, when he fays he was equal to Ariftode in philofophy, and to Plato in the know- ledge of divine things and Attic eloquence. ADAM (MELCHIOR) lived in the lyth century. He was born in the territory of Grotkaw in Silefia, and educated in the college of Briea;, where the dukes of that name, to the utmoft of their powW, encouraged learning and the reformed JSn'eJfft reli ion as profefled by Calvin. Here he became a firm Pro- dedicat Geriteftant, and was enabled to purfue his ftudies by the liberality Theolog. ofaperfon of quality, who had left feveral exhibitions for Toacbim. young ftudents. He was appointed reftor of a college at Hei- Bergerus; delberg, where he publifhed his firft volume of illuftrious men L6epia.de-j n t fo e y ear jfc^. This volume, which confifted of philofo- h^GeTman P ners > poets, writers on polite literature, hiftorians, &c. phiiofo- was followed by three others ; that which treated of divines pheis. was p r i n ted in 16:9; that of the lawyers came next; and finally, that of the phyficians : the two la ft were publiftied in 1620. All the learned men, whofe lives are contained in thefe four volumes, lived in the i6th, or beginning of the 17th century, and are either Germans or Flemings ; but he publifhed in 1618 the lives of twenty divines of other countries in a feparate volume. All his divines are Proteftants. He has given but a few lives, yet the work colt him a great deal of time, having been obliged to abridge the pieces from whence he had materials, whether they were lives, funeral fermons, eulogies, prefaces, or memoirs of families. He qmitted feve- ral perfons who deferved a place [A] in his work as well as Mornnfi's tnoie ^ e nas t^en notice of. The Lutherans were not pleafed potyUftor. with him, for they thought him partial ; nor wH! they allow p. J9i.2og.his work to be a proper thndard, whereby to judge of the [ A ]Thishehimfelfconfeff, "Q^e- fore to be wholly filent about many " dam mihi monendus aut rogandus rs, " excellent perlbns, rather than fay a mileaor. Primum, &c. i.e. "Reader, " very little, or uie thofe trite expref- I muft acquaint you with fotne things, " fions ; He was born, be died. Yet this orrequeftthem of you. Firft, that " deficiency may be fupplied, if good " you would not complain of my having " men and lovers of the r country will ' parted over or omitted many perfons, " contiibuta tl.eirarTiftanceio the ieccnd ' whoxvete not unwoithy of a place in " volume of this work. The fame I de- this work. The fault, my good rt*der, " fire may be underftood concerning the muft not be imputed to me, but to the " lives of the lawyers, ftatefmen, phyfi- < fcarcity of materials, which I could " cians, and philofophers." Melch. by no means procure. I chofe there- Adam prseftt. Thcolog. Germanorum. learning