The Life of the Truly Eminent and Learned Hugo Grotius: Containing a Copious and Circumstantial History of the Several Important and Honourable Negotiations in Which He Was Employed; together with a Critical Account of His WorksBurigny, M. de (Jean Lévesque)
History
The Life of the Truly Eminent and Learned Hugo Grotius: Containing a Copious and Circumstantial History of the Several Important and Honourable Negotiations in Which He Was Employed; together with a Critical Account of His Works
Burigny, M. de (Jean Lévesque)
Grotius, Hugo, 1583-1645
Grotius became now more sensible than ever of the advantages men derive
from a love of the Sciences. Exile and captivity, the greatest evils
that can befal Ministers of ordinary merit, restored to him that
tranquillity to which he had been for some years a stranger. Study
became his business and consolation. From the time he was a prisoner at
the Hague[102], whilst he had the use of pen and ink, he employed
himself in writing a Latin piece on the means of accommodating the
present disputes. This treatise was presented to Prince Maurice; but it
did not mollify the indignation he had conceived against the
Remonstrants. Grotius maintained in it, as he had done often before,
that notwithstanding difference of opinion in some points relating to
grace and predestination, a mutual toleration ought to take place, and
no separation be made.
We have still several of his letters written from Louvestein, which
acquaint us in what manner he spent his time. He gave Vossius an account
of his studies. In the first of those Letters, without date, he observes
to him that he had resumed the study of the Law, which had been long
interrupted by his multiplicity of business; that the rest of his time
he devoted to the study of Morality; which had led him to translate all
the Maxims of the Poets collected by Stobaeus, and the fragments of
Menander and Philemon. He likewise purposed to extract from the Comic
and Tragic Authors of Greece what related to Morality, and was omitted
by Stobaeus, and to translate it into free verse, like that of the Latin
Comic writers. With regard to his translation of the fragments of the
Greek Tragic authors, he intended that the verses of his Latin
translation should resemble those of the original, excepting in the
chorus's, which he would put into the verse that best suited him. He was
in doubt whether he ought to print these additions with Stobaeus, and
asks Vossius's opinion whether he should place them at the end, or
entirely new-mould that collection. Sundays he employed in reading
treatises on the truth of the Christian religion, and even spent some of
his spare hours in this study: on other days, when his ordinary labour
was over, he meditated some work in Flemish on religion. The subject
which he liked best at that time was Christ's love to mankind: he no
doubt intended to confute the extravagant opinions of the Gomarists. He
purposed also to write a Commentary on the Sermon on the mount.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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