Louis Moréri

Louis Moréri (frontispiece; engraving by Gérard Edelinck , 17th century)

Louis Moréri (born March 25, 1643 in Bargemon (Diocese: Fréjus ), † July 10, 1680 in Paris ) was a French encyclopaedist .

Life

Moréri studied humanities in Draguignan , and later rhetoric at the Jesuit college of Aix-en-Provence . He then studied theology in Lyon , where he was ordained a priest.

During this time he wrote various writings, including Pratique de la perfection chrétienne et religieuse (1667), the translation of a text by Alphonso Rodriguez (1532-1617) from Spanish.

In 1673 he was appointed chaplain by Jean de Gaillard, Bishop of Apt ; This is probably why Moréri dedicated the first edition of his encyclopedia Le grand Dictionnaire historique, ou mélange curieux de l'histoire sacrée et profane [...] ("The great historical dictionary, or" interesting mixture "of spiritual and secular history [...]" ), first published in Lyon in 1674.

In 1675 the prelate took him to Paris, where he made the acquaintance of Minister de Pomponne . This kept him busy in his office until he had to resign in 1678. Moréri then resumed his studies, but died of exhaustion in 1680.

plant

“Le grand Dictionnaire historique”, Amsterdam edition a. a., 1740

His Grand dictionaire historique , as a historical lexicon a forerunner of the encyclopedias , was a one-volume work in 1674. After Moreri's death, the second, two-volume edition was published in 1681 (Basel 1681). By 1759 the story appeared in at least 20 editions with extensive arrangements (most recently as a 10-volume work) and translations (the German arrangement was published in 1709 as a general historical lexicon by the Leipzig publisher Thomas Frisch). The importance of Moréris lies in the fact that his work ushered in the era of national-language lexicons and encyclopedias.

Pierre Bayle , one of his critics during Moréri's lifetime and also editor of a lexicon in 1697, posthumously paid tribute to his work:

I share Horace's opinion of those who are leading the way. The first to compile encyclopedias made a multitude of errors, but they deserve a fame that their successors should never grudge. Moréri himself caused a lot of confusion, but was useful for everyone, and gave many and enough to many (from the French).

Footnotes

↑ ... and / or tuberculosis (see above, without reference, the English language Wikipedia).
^ Bernhard Kossmann: German Universal Lexica of the 18th Century. Their essence and their informational value, illustrated using the example of the works of Jablonski and Zedler. In: Börsenblatt for the German book trade - Frankfurt edition. No. 89, November 5, 1968 (= Archive for the History of Books. Volume 62), pp. 2947–2968, here: p. 2949.

Web links

Literature by and about Louis Moréri in the catalog of the German National Library

personal data
SURNAME	Moréri, Louis
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	French encyclopedist
DATE OF BIRTH	March 25, 1643
PLACE OF BIRTH	Bargemon , Diocese: Fréjus
DATE OF DEATH	July 10, 1680
Place of death	Paris

[1] ... and / or tuberculosis (see above, without reference, the English language Wikipedia).

[2] Bernhard Kossmann: German Universal Lexica of the 18th Century. Their essence and their informational value, illustrated using the example of the works of Jablonski and Zedler. In: Börsenblatt for the German book trade - Frankfurt edition. No. 89, November 5, 1968 (= Archive for the History of Books. Volume 62), pp. 2947–2968, here: p. 2949.