Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 8.djvu/548

Rh E B S E R S gave promise of great distinction in that department of learning. He afterwards travelled in England, France, Italy, and Germany, forming connexions with learned men, and availing himself of the information which they communicated. During his stay at Paris he contracted a friendship with Casaubon, which lasted during his life, and also took lessons in Arabic from an Egyptian, Joseph Barbatus, otherwise called Abu-dakni. At Venice he perfected himself in the Turkish, Persic, and Ethiopic languages. After a long absence, Erpenius returned to his own country in 1612, and on the 10th February 1613 lie was appointed professor of Arabic and other Oriental languages, Hebrew excepted, in the university ot Leyden. Soon after his settlement at Leyden, animated by the example of Savary de Breves, who had established an Arabic press at Paris at his own charge, he caused new Arabic characters to be cut at a great expense, and erected a press in his own house. In 1619 the curators of the university of Leyden instituted a second chair of Hebrew in his favour. In 1620 he was sent by the States of Holland to induce Pierre Dumouhn or Andre Rivet to settle in that country ; and after a second journey he was success ful in inducing Rivet to comply with their request. Some time after the return of Erpenius, the States appointed him their interpreter ; and in this capacity he had the duty im posed upon him of translating and replying to the different letters of the Moslem princes of Asia and Africa. His reputation had now spread throughout all Europe, and several princes, the kings of England and Spain, and the archbishop of Seville made him the most nattering offers; but -he constantly refused to leave his native country. In addition to the numerous works lie had already published, he was preparing an edition of the Koran with a Latin translation and notes, and was projecting an Oriental library, when at the early age of forty a contagious disease cut short his life, November 13, 1624. Among his works may be mentioned his Grammalica Aralica, published originally in 1613, often reprinted, and still in use; Rudimentae linguae AraMccc (1620) ; Grammalica Ehrma gcneralis, 1621; Grammatica Ckaldaica, et Syra, 1628 ; and an edition of Elmacinus s History of the Saracens. ERSCH, JOHANN SAMUEL (1766-1828), the founder of German bibliography, was born at Gross Glogau, in Prussian Silesia, June 23, 1766. In 1785 he entered the university of Halle with the view of studying theology, but very soon his whole attention became engrossed with history, biblio graphy, and geography. At Halle he made the acquain tance of Fabri, professor of geography ; and when the latter was made professor of history and statistics at Jena, Erscb accompanied him thither, and aided him in the preparation of several works. He also devoted a large portion of his time to the acquisition of modern languages, and became a thorough proficient in French, Italian, English, Swedish, and Danish, and in their respective literatures. In 1788 ho published the Verzeichniss ailer anonymischen Schriften, as a supplement to the 4th edition of Meusel s Gelehrtes Deutschland. The researches required for this work sug gested to him the preparation of a Repertorinm iiber die Allgemeinen Deutschen Journale und andere periodiscke Sammlungenfur Erdbeschreibung, Geschichte, und die damit verwandlen Wissenschaften (Lemgo, 1790-92). The fame which this publication acquired him led to his being engaged by Schiitz and Hufeland to prepare, in connexion with their Inslitiit der allgemdnen Literaturzeitung, an Allgemeines Repertorium der Literalur, published in 8 vols. (Jena and Weimar, 1793-1809), which condensed the literary productions of 15 years (1785-1800), and included an account not merely of the books published during that period, but also of articles in periodicals and magazines, and even of the criticisms to which each book had been subjected. While engaged in this great work he also pro jected La France litter aire, which was published at Hamburg in 5 vols., from 1797 to 1806. In 1795 he went to Hamburg to edit the Neue Hamburger Zeitung, founded by Victor Klopstock, brother of the poet, but returned in 1800 to Jena to take part in the preparation of the All gemeinen Liter aturzeitung. He also obtained in the same year the office of librarian in the university, and in 1802 was made professor of philosophy. In 1803 he accepted the chair of geography and statistics at Halle, and in 1808 was made principal librarian. He here projected a Hand- buck der Deutschen Liter at ur seit der Mitte den 18 Jahrk. bis auf die ueueste Zeit (Leip.., 1812-14) and along with Gruber the Allgemeine Encijklopddie der Wissenschaften imd Kunste, which he continued as far as its 18th volume. He died at Halle 16th January 1828. ERSKINE, EBBNEZER (1680-1754), the chief founder of the Secession Church (formed of dissenters from the Church of Scotland), was the son of the Rev. Henry Erskine, who at one time was minister at Cornhill, North Durham, but was ejected in 1662 by the Act of Uniformity, and, after suffering some years imprisonment, was after the Revolution appointed to the parish of Chirnside, Berwick shire. Ebenezer was born on the 22d June 1680, most probably at Dryburgh, Berwickshire, as his parents were residing there for the greater part of that year, He entered the university of Edinburgh in 1693, and took his M.A. degree in 1697. He was licensed to preach in 1702, and in the following year was settled in the parish of Portmoak, Kinross-shire. There he remained for twenty-eight years, after which, in the autumn of 1731, hi; was translated to the West Church, Stirling. Some time before this, he along with some other ministers was &quot;rebuked and admonished&quot; by the General Assembly for defending the doctrines con tained in a book called the Marrow of Modern Divinity. A sermon which he preached on lay-patronage before the synod of Perth in 1733 furnished new grounds of accusa tion, and he was compelled to shield himself from rebuke by appealing to the General Assembly. Here, however, the sentence of the synod was confirmed, and after many fruit less attempts to obtain a hearing, he and other three ministers, Wilson, Moncrieff, and Fisher, were suspended from the office of the ministry by the commission in Nov ember of that year. Against this sentence they protested, and constituted themselves into a separate church court, under the name of the Associate Presbytery. It was not, however, till 1739 that they were again summoned before the Assembly, when appearing in their corporate capacity they declined the authority of the church, and were deposed in the following year. They received numerous accessions to their communion, and remained in harmony with each other till 1747, when a division took place in regard to the nature of the oath administered to burgesses. Erskine joined with the &quot; Burgher 1 section, to whom lie became professor of theology. He continued also to preach to a numerous congregation in Stirling till his death, which took place on the 2d June 1754. Erskine was a very popular preacher, and a man of considerable force of char acter ; and whatever opinion maybe held as to his disputes with the Church of Scotland, it must be admitted that he acted throughout with an honesty and courage -which are worthy of all respect. The Burgher and Anti-Burgher sec tions of the Secession Church were reunited in 1820, and in 1847 they united with the Relief Synod in forming the United Presbyterian Church. Erskine s published works consist chiefly of sermons. His Life and Diary, edited by the Rev. Donald Fraser, was published in 1 840. ERSKINE, JOHN, of Carnock (1695-1768), an eminent writer on the law of Scotland and professor in the university of Edinburgh, was born in 1695. His father, Lieutenant-