afford a striking proof of assiduity, close application, and a discriminating judgment in appreciating the value of what are termed rare and curious books. 5. "Specimen historiæ literate, quo virorum, feminarumque unigodidanīwv memoria recolitur," ibid. 1765, Svo.1

FREZIER, or probably FRAZER, (AMADEUS FRANCIS), was born at Chamberri, 1682, descended from a distinguished family of the robe, originally of Scotland. He was intended for the office of magistrate, but his family, in compliance with his inclination, permitted him to go into the military service, from which he entered the corps of engineers in 1707. He was sent by the court, in 1711, to examine the Spanish colonies at Peru and Chili; and employed his talents for fortifications at St. Malo, at St. Domingo 1719, and at Landau 1728, in which year he also received the cross of St. Louis, and married. Frezier was afterwards employed in Bretany, but rose no higher than the rank of lieutenant-colonel, the various commissions in which he had been engaged having prevented his being present at more than two sieges; and the number of sieges at which the officers of engineers have been present, are the steps by which they rise to superior stations. He died October 16, 1772, leaving two daughters married, and a grandson, his son's child. This son died before Frezier, on board a king's ship, in the storm of 1768, which sunk him with all his property. His works are, "Tr. des Feux d'Artifice," 1747, 8vo. "Voyage de la Mer du Sud," 1716, 4to. "Theorie et Pratique de la Coupe des Pierres et des Bois," Strasburg, 1769, 3 vols. 4to; an abridgment of this work, by the title of "Elémens de Stereotomie," Paris, 1759, 2 vols. 8vo.*

FREZZI. See FOLIGNO.

FRIART. See FREART.

FRISCHLIN (NICODEMUS), a learned critical and poetical writer of Germany, was born at Baling, in Suabia, in 1547. His father being a minister and a man of letters, taught him the rudiments of learning, and then sent him to Tubingen, where he made so amazing a progress in the Greek and Latin tongues, that he is said to have written poetry in both when he was no more than thirteen years of age. He continued to improve himself in compositions of several kinds, as well prose as verse; and at twenty

Diet. Hist.-Saxii Onomast.

2 Dict. Hist.

years old was made a professor in the university of Tubingen. Though his turn lay principally towards poetry, insomuch, that as Melchior Adam tells us, he really could make verses as fast as he wanted them, yet he was acquainted with every part of science and learning. He used to moderate in philosophical disputes; and to read public lectures in mathematics and astronomy, before he had reached his twenty-fifth year. In 1579, his reputation. being much extended, he had a mind to try his fortune abroad, and therefore prepared to go to the ancient university of Friburg, where he had promised to read lectures. But he was obliged to desist from this purpose, partly because his wife refused to accompany him, and partly because the duke of Wirtemberg would not consent to his going thither, or any where else.

Hitherto Frischlin had been prosperous; but now an affair happened which laid the foundation of troubles that did not end but with his life. In 1580 he published an oration in praise of a country life, with a paraphrase upon Virgil's Eclogues and Georgics. Here he compared the lives of modern courtiers with those of ancient husbandmen; and noticing some with great severity, who had degenerated from the virtue and simplicity of their ancestors, made himself so obnoxious, that even his life was in danger. He made many public apologies for himself; his prince even interceded for him, but he could not continue safe any longer at home. With his prince's leave, therefore, he went to Laubach, a town of Carniola, in the remote part of Germany, and kept a school there; but the air not agreeing with his wife and children, he returned in about two years, to his own country. He met with a very ungracious reception; and therefore, after staying a little. while, he went to Francfort, from Francfort into Saxony, and from thence to Brunswick, where he became a schoolmaster again. There he did not continue long, but passed from place to place, till at length, being reduced to necessity, he applied to the prince of Wirtemberg for relief. His application was disregarded, which he supposing to proceed from the malice of his enemies, wrote severely against them. He was imprisoned at last in Wirtemberg castle; whence attempting to escape by ropes not strong enough to support him, he fell down a prodigious preci pice, and was dashed to pieces among the rocks.

His death happened in 1590, and was universally and justly lamented; for he was certainly ingenious and learned in a great degree. He left a great many works of various kinds, as tragedies, comedies, elegies, translations of Latin and Greek authors, with notes upon them, orations, &c. These were published 1598-1607, in 4 vols. 8vo. He had also written a translation of Oppian, but this was never published. His scholia and version of "Callimachus," with his Greek life of that poet, are in Stephens's edition of 1577, 4to. While he was master of the school at Labacum, or Laubach, he composed a new grammar; for there was no grammar extant that pleased him. This was more methodical, and shorter than any of them; and, indeed, was generally approved; but, not content with giving a grammar of his own, he drew up another piece, called "Strigil Grammatica," in which he disputes with some little acrimony against all other grammarians; and this, as was natural, increased the number of his enemies. With all his parts and learning, he seems not a little to have wanted prudence.'

FRISCHMUTH (JOHN), an eminent scholar, and ingenious philologist, was born 1619, at Wertheim, in Franconia. He was teacher and afterwards professor of languages at Jena, in which city he died August 19, 1687, leaving some very excellent explications of several difficult passages in Holy Scripture, and above sixty philological and theological dissertations, all much esteemed; printed at different times at Jena, in 4to.

FRISI (PAUL), a very eminent philosopher and mathematician, was born in Milan, April 13, 1727. He was first educated in the schools of the Barnabite fathers in that metropolis; and so uncommon was his progress in the classes, that it was soon predicted by his teachers and schoolfellows, that he would one day excel in polite literature, in poetry, and in pulpit eloquence; nature, however, had more unequivocally designed him to be what he really proved, a philosopher and a mathematician. In 1743, (the sixteenth of his age) he embraced the monastic life among the Barnabites of Lombardy, where he passed so rapidly through all the remainder of his studies, that he had the honour of being appointed, while still in the in

1 Melchior Adam, in vitis Germ. Philos.-Raillet Jugemens.—Niceron, vol. XIX. • Dict. Hist.

ferior orders, to the professorship of philosophy in the college of Lodi, and afterwards promoted, in the same capacity, to the royal. school of Casale, in Monferrat, as a successor to the late celebrated cardinal Gerdil.

Frisi unfortunately possessed a violent and atrabilarious temper, and a lofty, disdainful, and independent character; and hence he was never raised to eminent stations in church or state, but was perpetually involved in the most disagreeable contests with every person with whom he happened to be connected. Even as soon as he had taken possession of his chair in Casale, he quarrelled with his colleagues, and was compelled by his Sardinian majesty to withdraw. His superiors, not choosing to employ father Frisi any more in the scholastic department, sent him to Novara, in the capacity of annual preacher. His merit, however, as a scientific man, had already become so conspicuous, that in 1755, (the twenty-eighth of his age) he was requested by the superintendant of the university of Pisa to fill the vacant chair of metaphysics and ethics in that literary corporation, then in the zenith of its glory. He had indeed given some specimens of his knowledge in the philosophy of the human mind by his essays on moral philosophy, published at Lugano in 1753; but he had exhibited before that time still greater proofs of his superior abilities in mathematics and natural philosophy, by his two excellent works "Disquisitio Mathematica in causan physicam figuræ et magnitudinis telluris nostræ," and the "Nova Electricitatis theoria," &c. which were published at Milan, the former in 1751, and the latter in 1755; and it is curious that he was thus indebted for his first step in the higher paths of literary honours to other pursuits than those which were his favourite, and which have so deservedly immortalized his name.

It is, perhaps, equally curious, that even when metaphysics and ethics had become his professed avocations, he never so much indulged in the study of them as to produce any other work in their several departments. He rather availed himself of his situation at Pisa, in cultivating natural science with greater ardour than before; and he seemed to have the best opportunity for the purpose. The veteran professor Perelli was still alive, and still retained his amiable disposition of communicating to his friends those valuable discoveries which were the fruits of his long meditations, and which, from his great modesty,

had never been published under his own name. By this powerful assistance, and by his own extensive learning, Frisi, whilst at Pisa, was enabled to publish the two volumes of dissertations which appeared at Lucca under the title of "Dissertationum Variarum," &c. 1759 and 1761, and the two hydraulic performances relative to the preservation of the provinces of Ferrara and Ravenna, from the inundation of rivers, which were likewise published at Lucca, in 1762. Among his dissertations, the most remarkable were that "De Atmosphæra Cœlestium corporum," which in 1758 obtained the prize from the royal academy of sciences in Paris, and that "De inæqualitate Motus Planetarum," which in 1768 received the honour of the accessit from the same corporation. The last work published by Mr. Frisi at Pisa, was a tribute to the memory of his worthy and beneficent friend Perelli, which appeared in the 53d volume of the Journal of that university.

The Milanese government, duly sensible of the superior merit of Mr. Frisi, and most likely jealous of so many honours received by him in Tuscany, induced him to return to his native place, by tendering him the chair of mathematics in the Palatine schools of that metropolis. This offer was inade in 1764, and was soon accepted by Mr. Frisi, who flattered himself that he should there be of greater assistance to his family than he had been in a foreign place; it was here he wrote his two capital works, "De gravitate universali," in three books, and the "Cosmographia Physica et Mathematica," in 2 vols. both of which were afterwards published at Milan, in 1768 and 1774. Many years had now elapsed without his being involved in any of those quarrels which were the result of his temper; but as he was threatened with an event of this kind soon after his return to Milan, he was advised by his friends to escape the storm by a temporary peregrination. He consequently made the tour of several European countries; and it was during this excursion, that he attained the friendship of some of the greatest characters in those times, especially in England and France, and acquired many literary honours; but the danger of incurring new evils was inherent to his nature. The famous periodical work entitled "The Coffee-house," was at that time publishing by some of the most eminent Milanese literati, among whom was Mr. Frisi himself, who had already been