Treatise of Religion and Learning, Book 4 · Chapter 11
CHAP. XI.
Historicus & secretarius Florentinus, floruit ante annos 80. Is sua historia impressa Italicè saepè clarè ostendit, ex ambitione & crudelitate Pontificum, pleraque mala ac bella Christianis provenisse. Illyr. Catal. Test. Verit. l. 19.NIcolaus Machiavellus, a great Historian. He lived in the age of Philip Strozius, and Clement the 8th Pope.
Although his Politicks be full of poyson, yet since his history hath much hidden wisdom in it, some think the judicious and wary may reade it with profit.
Joh. Maccovius, a Learned Divine.
There is his Theologia Polemica, and another Work.
Macrobius. Some commend his Saturnals.
Qui dapibus partim emendicatis, partim suffuratis suas caena… instr…xit. Polit. Miscel. Cent. 1. c. 22.
Georgius *Rarae soelicitatis Poeta, plurima cùm sacra tum profana argumenta Comico stylo exornavit: exactae insuper diligentiae Grammaticus, utriusque linguae Rudimenta, & Dialectica non memoria modo, sed & litterarum monumentis complexus est. Auberti Miraei Elogia Belgica.Macropedius, a learned Poet.
Caius Cilnius Maecenas.
Horatim Ode. 1. Maecenatem vocat suum: —praesidium & dulce decus. In pace nempe decus, praesidium, columen & tutelam in bello. Meibomii Maecenas, c. 17. Fuit is & ipse elegantissimè doctus, & doctorum hominum patronus munificentissimus, ut & nomen ejus, jam à tot seculis posteritati transcriptum, jerit in proverbium, ac Maecenates dicantur, qui litterarum aut litteras amantium tutelam ac patrocinium in se recipiant. Meibomii vita Macenatis. c. 1.He was Councellour to Augustus the Emperour, and so great a favourer and countenancer of Learned men, that he hath conveyed his name to all the Patrons of Learning.
He favoured Poets above others, and advanced them. He exceedingly loved and favoured Virgill the Prince of Poets, & absque ipso fuisset, nos hodi… & hujus & plurium aliorum monumentis careremus.
He also favoured Horace.
Otia dat nobis, sed qualia fecerat olim
Maecenac Flacco Virgiloque suo.
Mart. l. 1. Epigr. 108. ad Lucium Julium.
Propertius also was his friend, and other Poets mentioned by Meibomius, c. 18. and there he addes this sentence, Ex tam propenso vero in literatos amore ac favore id praemii inter caetera retulit Maecenas, ut celebriores doctissimorum hominum lucubrationes ipsius virtuti consecrarentur.
Joannes Petrus Maffeius, a very eloquent Italian.
Hujus aevi Latinae linguae lumen, he in prose honoured his Country at the same time that Torquatus Tassus did it in verse, being his Countries Tully, as the other was its Virgill.
There are Epistola Selectae published of his cum vita Ignatii Loiolae.
Raphael aVir fuit habitu corporis venusto, facundia elegante, & morum gravitate vitaeque sanctimonia clarus, Boissardi Bibliotheca.Maffeus, a most learned man, as his writings sufficiently testifie. His Works are mentioned by Boissard.
Ferdinandus bFerdinandus quidam Magellanus, Natione Lusitanus, cui fretum Magellanicum una navigatione simul & immortalem gloriam, & mortem attulit. Bonhornii Historia Universalis.Magellanus.
He found out the straight of Magellane.
R. M. Maiemon, or Rabbi Ben Maimon, Anno à Nativitate Christi 1131.
One famous among Jews, Christians, and Mahometans.De hoc apud Hebraeos celebratissimum fertur elogium, quod A Mose usque ad Mosem non surrexit alter Moses, sicut iste, hoc est à Mose legislatore usque ad Mosem Aegyptium, non fuerit ullus huic Mosi eruditione conferendus. Hunc Judaei Rambam, hoc est, Rabbi Mosem, Ben Maimonis vocant, nomen ipsius ac dignitatis ipsius, & patris ipsius unico vocabulo, ex quatuor capitalibus earundem appellationum literis composito, perstringentes, quod & in plerisque aliis Rabbinorum titulis facere solent. Sixt. Senens. Biblioth. Sanct. l. 4. Rabbi Moses Maimonides omnium Judaeorum doctissimus & acutissimus. Scalig. Canon. Isagog. l. 3. Vide Buxtorf. Praefat. ad More Nevochim. Fuit autor iste candidus minimeque superstitiosus. Plus certè veritati addictus erat, quam naeniis importunis Neotericorum Judaeorum. Drus. in Tetragram. notae. Moses Maimonides Cord. ubae, natus, circa quadringentos octoginta ab hinc annos in Hispania floruit, ubi Judaeorum suorum juris, etiam quod ibi in usu erat scientissimus. Seldenus De Syned. Vet. Ebr. l. 3. c. 3.
He dwelt in Egypt, therefore Aegyptius dicitur.
He hath written a Book styled More Nevochim, Doctor Perplexorum, which because it seems too much to favour the Christians, the Jews generally conspired together, and thought to burn it, but it was so much dispersed through the whole world that they could not accomplish what they had intended. Drus. in Tetrag. Not.
Mr Selden in his 2d part de Syned. saith he hath five severall Editions of Maimonides, besides a Manuscript, and every edition hath somewhat that the other hath not.
The Aquinas of the Rabbins.
Inter Hebraeos celebratissimus, Merc. praefat. in lib. Job. Celeberrimus inter Judaeos Maimonides. Constant. L' Empereur praefat. ad Itin. Benjam.
Diligentissimus Rabinorum Mosche ben Maymon Schickardi Jus Regium Hebraeorum. c. 1.
Jo. Major Scotus.
Johannes Major qui in studio Theologiae, magnum nomen, me puero habuit. Buchan. Rer. Scot. Hist. l. 7.
He hath written Historiam Majoris Britanniae, and on four Books of the Sentences.
Cum scateat nugis solo cognomine Major,
Nec sit in immenso pagina sana libro:
Non mirum titulis quod se veracibus ornat:
Nec semper mendax fingere Creta solet.
Buchan. Epig. lib. 1.
This was much in Buchanan, Major being his Master.
M. Ant. Majoragius.
He hath written upon Aristotles Rhetorick, upon some of Tullies Works, and Orations of his own.Eruditissima Commentaria in quatuor Evangelistas meliora & integriora multorum judicio futura, si superstite autore edita fuissent: quibas tamen si pari diligentia elaboratae in Acta Apostolorum & Apostolicas Epistolas interpretationes, quas scripsisse illum constat, olim accedant, habebunt profecto omnes docti & pii opus paucis in hoc genere comparandum, & quod unum multorum instar esse possit. Lansius Orat. pro Hispania. Vide Casaub. ad Front. Duc. Epist. p. 41. Vir judicii exasciati & veritatis Historicae Hyperaspistes, si quis alius, Jacobus Thuanus (Hist. tom. 3. l. 79) alium nobis vita & moribus Maldonatum depingit, quam se nobis ille exhibuit in Commentariis. Montacut. Orig. Eccles. Vide ejus Apparat. & Orig. Eccles. Tom. prior. part. poster. p. 26. & Antidiat. ad c. 23. Scripsit succinctos & literales Commentarios in Jeremiam, Ezechalem, Dominion. Prae omnibus verò laudantur ipsius Commentaria in quatuor Evangelistas paulo fusius & nervosius conscripta. Sixt. Senens. Bibli…h. Sanct. l. 4.
Maldonate, a Spaniard and a Jesuite.
Whose skill in expounding Scriptures (save only where doting love unto their Church hath made him blinde) none of theirs, few of our Church hath surpassed. Dr Jackson upon the Apost. Creed, first Vol. l. 3. c. 13. The most judicious Expositor among the Jesuites. Id. ibid. c. 15.
Some think him very arrogant and bitter, Vide Scalig. Elench. Trihaeres. Serar. cap. 11.
Others say that he read Lectures in Paris by way of preface (before his Exposition of the Evangelists,) of the Scriptures, and said that there was more Divinity in one Chapter of St Pauls Epistles, then in all Aquinas his Summes. Many Protestants frequented his Lectures, and he was suspected to be too favourable to them.
Ne ipsi quidem Calvinistae & Calvinistarum ministri ipsius praelectionibus abstinerent. Alegambe Biblioth. Script. Soc. Jes. Vide plura ibid.
Inter quos cum & narrationis fide, & judicii maturirate principem locum teneat Gulielmus Malmesburiensis, homo, ut erant illa tempora, literate doctus, qui septingenterum plus minus annorum res tanta fide & diligentia pertexuit, ut è nostris propè solus historici munus explesse videatur. Savil. praefat. ad rerum anglicarum scriptores. Vir erat suo saeculo in omni genere bonatum literatum plane eruditissimus, & in eruendis antiquitatibus ingenio, diligentia & industria singularis. Balaus De Script. Brytan. Cent. 2.Gulielmus Malmesburiensis, a famous Historiographer of our own. Anno Dom. 1130.
Vir▪ Graecè & Latinè doctissimus rem medicam & naturae arcana iisdem vestigiis prosequitur, cujus rei specimen dare possunt Epistolae quas proximo edidit. Eras. Epist. l. 20. Epist. 54.Jo. Manaraus, a famous Physitian, who wrote 20 Books Epistolarum Medicinalium.
M. Manilius, sive Manlius.
Historiae ac Literaturae omnis indagator, floruit temporibus Marii & Syllae. Voss. De Histor. Lat. l. 1. c. 9.He was a Poet at Rome in the time of Augustus the Emperour, to whom he dedicated his five Books of Astronomy, made in Hexameter verses.
Florebat Anno Christi 1494. Boiss. Icon. Laudo institutum piumque propossium▪ verum ex…em…, magis quam poeta … Exta… illiu… … penè innumerabiles, ex quibus apua vulgus & ba…ba…os qui idom Inudem tan…am est adeptus, ut unus p…opè poeta, & alter penè Maro habatetur, at bone Deurquam dispar ingenium. Nam ut ubique Maro perfectus, ita hic immodica & penè temeratia ubique usus est licentia, quam & magis atque magis indies auxit. Lil. Gyrald. De Poet. Nostr. Temp. Dial. 1. Anno Dom. 1516. Obut Baptista Mantuanus, omnium qui unquam fuerunt, fraterculorum doctissimus, anno aetatis suae 72 vitae severitate, morumque sanctitate clarus, ac disciplinarum omnium scientissimus. Nemo aut pulchriu… aut culcius poema scripsiste legitur. Wolf. Lect. Memorab. Fuerunt ejus scripta tanto in precio & aestimatione, ut Baptistae Hispaniolae (sic enim cognominabatur, licet Mantuae natus) opera cum Vergilanis conferrentur. Boissardi Icones.Baptista Faustus Mantuanus, a Monk born at Mantua, as Virgill also was.
Poeta fuit doctus & pius. Bellarm. de Script. Eccles. He was a Learned and pious Poet.
Of that same that he was made equall by some to the more ancient Poets even under Augustus: Amongst other verses of his wisely written also those are wont often to be used and rehearsed,
Ambitiosus honos, & opes, & foeda voluptas,
Haec tria pro trino numine mundus habet.
Stephanus Pasch…sius in his Icones hath these verses of him,
Mantua foeli…em genuit foecunda Maronem;
Haec eadem faustis me tulit as spiciis.
His Works are mentioned by Boissard in his Icones.
He often grievously accuseth the Church of Rome.
Th…uet Vies d…s hommes Illustres. l. 6. confesseth he was Satyricall and discovered the abuses of Rome, and then saith he was a bastard, and gives many examples of famous men that were bastards.
Aldus Manutius Senior.
Typographus Venetus, celeberrimus, laboriosissimus, & doctissimus, & qui primus è Bibliothecis manuscriptis plerosque Graecos autores in omni doctrinarum genere pulcherrimis typis excusos in publicum edidit. Neand. Geog. parte 1a. Vide Jani Nic. Eryth. Pinacoth.He collected and published two famous Volumes, one which Henry Stevens lately reprinted at Genevah. Another which in 2 Tomes gives 700 Epistles, 40 Volumes of Greek Authours, rare and yet full of Learning, Wisdom and Eloquence.
He first also published a Volume of Greek Grammers.
Paulus aHic annus nobis eripuit duo magna Italiae & Germaniae lumina, Paulum Manutium ct Joachimum Camerarium. In Paulo quidem praeter exactam puritatis Latinae & Antiquitatis Romanae cognitionem, quam ad Ciceronem suum illustrandum attulit, plerisque scriptis dum vixit publicatis, & post mortem a filio Aldo virtutum paternarum haerede editis, &c. Thuan. Hist. Tom. 3. l. 59.Manutius his sonne, homo & diligentissimus & doctissimus. Turneb. Advers. l. 8. c. 24.
Besides many other Learned Writings (as his Epistles) he also published ten Books of the Roman Antiquities.
Aldus Manutius minor, Vir quidem eruditus, & in Antiquorum monument is indagandis accuratissimus. Ang. Roccha.
Angelus Roccha in his Appendix Bibl. Vatican, De Bibliothecis, quae adhuc extant, mentions three Manutii, Aldus, and his sonne Paulus, and Pauls sonne Aldus.
Aldus senior publicae consuluit utilitati, dum impressoriam artem miro exercuit studio, ut Latinam linguam, & Graecam, quas optime callebat, in pristinum splendorem, Joanne Baptista Alberto, Nicolao Peroto Episcopo Sipontino, Francisco Philelpho, Jo. Jucundo, Theodoro Gaza, Trapezumtio, Lascare, Chrysolora, Musuro, Vrbano, & Bessarione ad eandem rem praestandam inscribendo ad laborantibus, typis perpulchris restituere.
Paulus autem Aldi filius Paulus Aldi filius▪ alter Cicero in Latine scribendo, Romanam linguam collabentem in pristinum nitorem studuit revocare, dum Latinorum monumenta diligenter scrutatus est.
Aldus denique junior Aldi nepos, & Pauli filius, dum Avum, & Patrem, & typis, ac scriptis imitatur, utriusque linguae non ignarus, Avum & Patrem imitatione repraesentat.
Gualt. Mapes.Vir literatissimus Gualterus Mapes, Henrici secundi Anglorum Regis Clericus familiaris fuit. Romam visitavit, & Pontificis vidit fastum execrandum. Vidit Cardinalium & Praelatorum superbiam, luxum, libidines, avaritiam, nec potuit, domum reversus, perditorum istorum nebulonum oblivisci, sed illos quam diu vixit, Satyris aculeatissimis ad sanam mentem revocare, conatus est. Illyr. Catal. Test. Verit. l. 14.
Archdeacon of Oxford, a man of an excellent wit, who in his verses points forth in lively colours the life of the Popes, and he describes also the exactions, rapines of the Court of Rome, the riot and pride of the Prelates, in a book of his entitled, Diversa Poemata, de corrupto Ecclesiae statu.
Samuel Maresius, a Learned French Divine, Professor of Groning.
His books are mentioned Vit. Profes. Groningae.Principum virtutes ac vitia, ut optimus quisque scriptor summa fide notavit. Bod. Method. Hist. cap. 4. Fidei & judicii satis clarus est, modo styli. Lips. Not. ad 1. Lib. Polit. Vide plura ibid. Floruit sub Gratiano ac Valentiniano, ac libros scripsit 31. ex quibus tredecim primi deperierunt. Est verò hic scriptor gravis planè, ac serius, & dignus qui ab omnibus, ac Germanis praecipuè ametur. Mirificè enim illustrat veteris Germaniae situm, eóque majorem hac parte fidem meretur, quia in hoc stipendia ipse meruerit adversos Germanos. Dictio horridior est. Sed virtutes hujus scriptoris sunt tantae, ut hoc in rationem venire non debeat. Et quid mirum, si duri militis phrasis quoque duriuscula sit, homóque Graecus Graecas sapiat loquendi formas. Vossius De Histor. Lat. lib 2. cap. 9.
Ammianus Marcellinas. In the year of our Lord 361.
He writes a military and rough style, as himself confesseth.
He wrote 30 Books, beginning from the rule and dominion of Nerva, even to the death of Valens, in whose Court he flourished, but 13 of these are lost.
Scriptor suae aetatis fide & judicio probatissimus. Rivii Justin. Defens. adversus Alemannum.
Jo. Mariana, a Learned Jesuite.
He hath written Scholia upon the Old and New Testament.
Maximus Margunus, Cytherorum Episcopus.De vitis Sanctorum Gr. per Sim. Metaphrasten.
Sir Henry Savill in his notes on Chrysostoms Psalmes cals him Graecorum Neotericorum longè doctissimum, and publisheth there an Epistle of his sent to David Haeschelius.
Psalterium B. Mariae, Psalterium B. Mariae, ex impresso Parisiensi codice descriptum, Martinus Cheminitius inscruit tertiae parti examinis Concilii Tridenti…i, in quo sunt centeni quinquagima Psalmi, quibus Davidicae preces & laudes, quas ille Domino obtulit, transferuntur in B. Virgin…m Mariam, ho…rendo planè sacrilegio. Hoc opus Bonaventurae Doctori Seraphico & Cardinali tribuunt. Bellarminus lib. de script. Eccles. & Possevinus in Apparatu sacro. Forbes. Iustruct. Historico. Theol. l. 7. c. 7.our Ladies Psalter.
Bonaventure the authour thereof, to shew himself a devout servant to his Lady, hath taken every Psalm of Davids Psalter (which he peculiarly made and referred to Almighty God) and hath in divers of the said Psalms and verses put out the Name of the Lord, and placed in the name of our Lady: This being done through the whole Psalms, and every one of them, it is now called our Ladies Psalter, used to be sung and said in the praise and service of our Lady.
Alsted in his Encyclopaed. l. 35. saith this book is falsly ascribed to Bonaventure, for he on Lombard saith, Cavendum est, ne dum matris excellentia ampliatur, filii gloria minuatur.
Marianus Scotus.
Anno Aerae Christianae 1056. Helv. Chron. Fuldensis Monachus Theologus & insignis historiographus, praeter alia annales ab orbe condito duxit: optimo ordine usque ad annum Domini 1082. qui erat aetatis suae 56. Geneb. Chronol. l. 4.He hath put out Chronicorum lib. 3.
Augustine Marlorat, one of the Ministers of the Reformed Church at Roan in France.
He was hang…d upon a gibic… before our Ladies Church in Roan.A man excellently Learned, and of an unblameable life, who had the testimony even of the Papists themselves, that in his Sermons he never uttered ought that tended to sedition or rebellion.
He ha…h written upon Genesis, Esay, and the Psalmes, and an Ecclesiasticall Exposition upon the New Testament, which last is generally well esteemed of, and Dr Willet somewhere wisheth, that the like had been done by some on all the Old Testament. Enchiridio… locorum Communium.
Natus est Bruxellis nomen ejus per Europam totam Clarissimum; & in viro genus, ingenium, eruditio, eloquentia, virtus at que industria certabant. Melch. Ad. & Meursi Athenae Batavae.Philippus Marnixius, Anno Christi 1538. a Learned and famous Writer.
His Works are mentioned by Melchior Adam in his life. His *Editum hoc scriptum anno septuagesimo primo, quo tempore crudelissimè in viscera Belgicae saeviebat Albanus, estque varietate historiarum, & acumine sententiarum refertissimum jocis faceriisque, in Papistarum theatrales nugas & fabulas mirè conditum: adeò ut lectoribus istorum temporum praecipuè, singularem attulerit voluptatem: & occasionem multis praebu…, de religione Christiana seriò cogitandi. Et hic liber ut populari applausu exceptus, sic non sine fructu plurimorum lectus, plus rei Belgicae illa tempestate in religionis negotio profuit; quàm eruditi aliquot commentarii. E…idit & tabulam, qua differentiam exponit Christianae & Pontificiae Religionis. In hac multa ex alveario hausta: mu…ta nervosis argumentis serio tractata: à Belgis Gallisque summo studio desiderata & lecta. Melchior. Ad. in eju. Vira.Alvearium Romanum, Romish Beehive (it is translated into English) and Table of the differences of Religion are very well liked.
Gruterus wrote these verses of him being dead,
Orbis d…lities amorque Marnix,
Quo digno poteris tegi sepulcro?
Defunctis aliis satis sepulcro est
Pars terrae brevis: orbis ipse dignum
Vix totus fuerit tibi sepulcrum
Orbis delities, amorque Marnix.
Clem. Marot, a French Poet.
Equidem vereor ut absurdum videatur inter literatos illum collocare, cui defuerunt literae. Quae si adfuissent, vix ullus erat futurus poeta melior. Hoc certè Galliae praestitisti, quòd cum illius temporis scriptores sermone uterentur tam impuro, ut nec intelligi possent, primus in meliorem aptè & dilucidè loquendi viam ingressus es. Scaev. Samarth. Gal. Elog. Is propter ingenii facilitatem ad P…ësim naturali inclinatione ferebatur: adeoque promptus, ut qui ejus scripta legunt, nihil in iis requirunt, praeter exactiorem Graecae, Latinaeque linguae cognitionem, in quibus non satis instructus erat. Quamvis Metamorphosis Ovidii ab eo versa, & Psalmi Davidis satis indicant, non vulgari doctrina fuisse praeditum. Boissardi Bibliotheca.Poëte de Princes & Prince de Poëtes de son aage. Antoin Verd. Biblioth.
In the Vulgar tongue he surmounted far all Poets that either were before his daies, or that lived also in his time. He turned 50 of Davids Psalms into French Meeter, which are read with admiration of his excellent wit. He set them forth at Genevah, for he might not safely longer abide in France for suspition of Lutheranism. See Pasquiers Recherches de la France, l. 7. c. 5.
Marguerite Queen of Navarre, Sister to Francis the first.Princesse qui a esté sonne: rainement parfaicta en poësie, docte en philosophie, a escrit en sa langue autant doctement (selonque portoit le temps auquel elle vivoit) que les Grecs ou les Latins out faict en la beur Bibliotheque La D' Antoine Du Verdier.
There are her Memoires. In the Epistle to the Reader are these words, Que Rome vante tant qu' il luy plaira les Commentaires de son premier Empereur, La France a maintenant les memoires d' une grande Roine qui ne leur cedent en rien.
Her Poeticall Works are joyned together.
Marsilius de Sancta Sophia.Celebratur à Plinio Secundo pro re maximè mitabili, quòd in una familia Curionum, tres continuata serie oratores extiterin. At quanto majori celebritate digna res est, quòd Sancta Sophia nobilis familia Paravii habuer it continuata serie sep…em philosophos, simulque illustres medicos, ut quasi prodigii loco haberi possit gentis hujus cognomen: quando sicut Sophiae nomine decoratur, sic etiam reipsa in ea tam diu perfusus Sophiae splendor illuxerit. Bernardinus Scardeonius De Clar. Medic. & Philosoph. Patav.
He was the sonne of Nicolas Sancta Sophia.
He wrote many things most worthy to be known, of healing sicknesses.
His Opera varia are in Oxford Catalogue.
M. Valerius Martialit, a witty Poet but too obscene.
Scriverius hath many Elogies of him in his Comment.Floruit à Christi natali anno ferrè centesimo. Biblioth. Hispan. Juvenalis, Martialis, Sta…ius Poetae, item Quintilianus, Josephus, Philo &c. sub Domiciano scripserunt. Calvis. Chronol. Multa sunt ejus epigrammata divina: in quibus & sermonis castitas & argumenti species luculenta est, versus verè candidi, numerosi, pleni; denique optimi. Alia foeda ne legerim quidem, tantum abest ut ad censuram vocem Scalig. Hypercrit. c. 6. Vir fuit, ut Plinii verbis utar, ingeniosus, acu…us, acer, & qui plurimum in soribendo & salis haberet & fellis, nec candoris minus. Cui quantum accedendum censeam, haud facilè dixerim, non certe ejus omnia epigrammata, nec plurima quidem video doctis placere: Romae diu versatus est, Domitiani, Nervae, & Trajani temporibus, id quod ex ipsius versibus, facile colligitur. Lil. Greg. Gyrald. De Poet. Histor. Dial. 10.
Matthias Martinius, Professor of Divinity and Rector of Brema.
Some much prize Theologos Bremenses & Salmurienses.Alma illa optimorum ingeniorum nutrix, Germania, & in ea illustre vestrum Gymnasium, multos pietate, ingenio & eruditione insignes juvenes ad nos transmisit S. Amam. Matthiae Martinio.
His Lexicon Philologicum is very well esteemed of.
Petrus Martinius.
He hath put out an Hebrew and Chaldee Grammer, which is englished by John Vdall with Observations upon it.
Peter Martyr, a Learned Italian.Anno à parta salute 1500. Tanto fuit ingenio, tam excellenti doctrina, ea praeterea pietate, modestia, morumque facilitate, ut non modo iis quibuscum vixit, gratus, charus, reverendus fuerit, sed ab hostibus quoque & adversariis inter summos numeratus sit, & admirationi illis fuerit. Orat. de vita & obitu Pet. Mat. Natione Italus, Italiam ob Evangelii professionem relinquere coactus multum valet eloquentia, & in tribus linguis eruditionis est Clarissimae. Gesn. Biblioth.
He was born at Florence the most flourishing City not onelyonly of Hetruria, but of all Italy.
Of whom I cannot speak without great reverence, B. Jewels Def. of his Apol.
At Padua he first obtained a full knowledge of the Greek tongue, and of Philosophy, afterward at Bononia he diligently studied the Hebrew tongue and Divinity. He was at first a Monk, and was counted the chief of his order; but when he more seriously punished their loose lives, he got thereby much envy.
He hath written Common-places, a large *Opus longè accuratissimum, in quo quicquid de Eucharistia in sacris literis, Patrum, Conciliorumque monumentis proditum est, accuraté & Copiosè tractatur. Verheiden. Vide Thuan. Hist. Tom. 1. l. 3.Book in defence of Bishop Cranmer against Gardiner of the Eucharist: and excellently expounded divers books of Scripture, Genesis, Judges, Kings, Samuell, the Epistle to the Romans, the first Epistle to the Corinthians, and hath published other Treatises.
He was Canon of Christ-Church in Oxford, as is said in his life, and as he himself affirms in his Epistles.
Andreas Masius, a great Linguist.
Vir fuit foreign: nam praeter Italicam, Gallicam, Hispanicam, ceterásque Europae linguas, & jam Latinae, Graecae, Hebraicae atque Syriacae cognitione non vulgari claruit. Valeri Andreae Bibliotheca Belgica. Bruxellensis omnium seculorum memoria vir dignissimum. Swertii Athenae Belgicae. Doctissimus …osuae interpres. Geneb. Chronol. l. 1. Vir Syncero, Candido, & aperto Ingenio; ad haec rarâ & reconditâ doctrinâ praeditus, & qui ad Hebraicae, Chaldaicae, ac caeterarum Orientalium linguarum cognitionem, summam animi pietatem & exactum rerum sacrarum studium artulerat, variaque in eo genere Commentatus fuerat: plura etiam daturus, si viro bono per valetudinem ferè semper adversam licuisset. Specimen eorum praebent doctissimi & accuratâ diligentrâ scripti in Josuam Commentarii, ante biennium ab ipso auctore publicati. Thuan. Hist, Tom. 3. l. 56. Praeter eximiam Latinae, Graecae, Hebraicae, & linguarum exoticarum cognitionem, cum Romae ageret, tantam linguae Syriacae noticiam, Mose Mardeno, Patriarchae Antiocheni ad Gregorium XIII. Pónt. Max. Legato, docente, brevi adsecutus est, ut aliquanto post Nestoriani populi patriarcha pariter Romam veniente. Nemo illo aptior repertus sit, qui quas hic a suis popularibus attulerat Syriacas litteras, interpretaretur. Auberti Miraei Elogia Belgica.He hath written Learnedly on Joshua, and assisted Arias Montanus in the edition of the King of Spains Bible, and first of all illustrated the Syriack Idiome with Grammaticall Precepts and a Lexicon. There was a great familiarity between him and Laevinus Torrentius and Augerius Busbequius, and at Rome he was intimate with Antonius Augustinus, and other Learned men.
He saith in his Preface to his Grammer of the Syriack tongue, that Moses Mardenus was his Master, Ipsum Romae privatim interdum audiebam doctorem.
Masorites.Masoreth est sepes legis.
They observed not only how many words, but also how many syllables all the Books of Scripture contained.
Christianus Massaeus.
He hath written Chronicorum l. 20.In quo mirum adeò illud fuit, virum occupatissimum atque assiduis ludi curis implicatum, tantum otii decidere potuisse, ut praeter Grammaticas Praceptiones, Chronicorum Libro: XX. ab orbe condito ad annum usque sui seculi decimi quinti quadragesimum, Kalendariis Aegyptio, Hebraico, Macedonico & Romano praemissis, commentaretur. Quae de Psalmorum Titulis à Joan. Trithemio (quo cum de studiis per litteras saepe communicabat) eximie laudata conscripsit, an lucem aliquando viderint, ignoro. Auberti Miraei Elogia Belgica.
Papyrius Massonius.
Non tam undiquaque Pontificius, quin verò Pontificum vitia libere fareatur. Mortoni Causa Regia, c. 3. Sect. 19.Such a Writer of the French Chronicle as Camden of the English.
Papyrii Massoni Annalium libri quatuor. Quibus res gestae Francorum explicantur.
Antonius Matthaeus, a Learned Lawyer.
His father was Conradus Matthaeus Professor at the University of Marpurg. He had three brothers famous for Learning, and four sonnes Professors in four Universities.
Vide vitas Profes. Grouingae, There his Works are mentioned.
Petrus Matthaeus *Praestantisfimus hujus aetatis Histo…iographus. Meric. Casaub. …ietas., a famous Historian.
Pierre Matthieu in French.
He hath written opus Historicum politicum, and divers historicall things in French.
Petrus Andreas Matthiolus, a great Herbalist.
He hath written Learned Commentaries on Dioscorides his six Books de medica materia.
Maximilian the Emperour was learned himself, he imitating the example of Julius Caesar, did write in Latine his own Acts and Feats done, and that very exactly. He was also a singular Patron and advancer of Learned Students, as may well appear by the erecting and setting up of the University of Wirtenberg.
Barthol. Mayerus, a very Learned man, as his Philologia Sacra shews.