Claudius Salmasius

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Claudius Salmasius

Claudius Salmasius , French Claude de Saumaise (born April 15, 1588 in Semur-en-Auxois , † September 3, 1653 in Spa ), was a French classical philologist and polymath.

Life

Salmasius was already taught the languages ​​Greek and Latin by his father, the lawyer and Dijon councilor Benignus Salmasius. Salmasius studied philosophy and law from 1604 at the Sorbonne and from 1606 in Heidelberg (with Dionysius Godofredus ) , but then above all philology , which was prompted by his correspondence with Joseph Justus Scaliger and Isaac Casaubon as well as the handwritten treasures of the Bibliotheca Palatina . In Heidelberg he confessed to the Protestant denomination.

After returning to France in 1610, he first became a lawyer, but did not practice this profession. His marriage to Anne Mercier, the daughter of the philologist Josias Mercier des Bordes († 1626), took place in 1623 and enabled him to work as a private scholar. For example, he published a work on Pliny the Elder . The position that became vacant after the death of his father in the city council of Dijon was refused because of his confession. After turning down brilliant offers from Venice , London and The Hague , he accepted a call to the University of Leiden in 1631 . Here, where he was seen as the successor to Scaliger, who died decades ago, there were disputes with his wife as well as scientific, theological and political controversies. In 1649, for example, Salmasius wrote the Defensio regia for Charles II of England , an apology for Charles I , who was executed under Cromwell in the same year , and thus got into a dispute with John Milton .

After a long stay in France, during which, for example, Richelieu offered him a job in his ministry and others also tried to win him over to work in the country, he followed a call from Queen Christina of Sweden in 1650 , initially only on vacation. For health reasons, however, he returned to Leiden in 1651 . Because of his illness from gout, he was on a cure in Spa , where he died of a febrile illness. Salmasius was known to be fluent in languages; in addition to Greek and Latin, he had later taught himself Hebrew and was also proficient in other languages ​​commonly used in the Orient.

Works

De usuris , 1638
Dissertatio de foenore trapezitico , 1640
  • De suburbicariis regionibus , Paris 1619
  • Plinianae exercitationes in Solinum , Paris 1629
  • De usuris ( la ). Bonaventure Elzevier & Abraham Elzevier, Lyon 1638.in-8 °.
  • De modo usurarum , Leiden 1639
  • Diatriba de mutuo, non esse alienationem ( la ). Joannes Maire, Lyon 1640.
  • Dissertatio de foenore trapezitico ( la ). Joannes Maire, Lyon 1640.
  • De lingua hellenistica et origine ac dialectis Graecae linguae commentarius , Leiden 1643
  • Funus linguae hellenisticae , Leiden 1643
  • Observationes ad jus atticum et romanum , Leiden 1645
  • De annis climactericis et antiqua astrologia , Leiden 1648
  • Defensio regia pro Carolo I. ad Serenissimum Magnae Britanniae Regem Carolum II. , O.O. 1649
  • De re militari Romanorum , Leiden 1657

Latin text editions

Greek text editions

  • Simplicius, Commentary on Epictetus , Leiden 1640
  • Achilles Tatios , Leiden 1640

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Salmasius, Claudius
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Saumaise, Claude de
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French classical philologist and polymath
DATE OF BIRTH April 15, 1588
PLACE OF BIRTH Semur-en-Auxois
DATE OF DEATH September 3, 1653
Place of death spa