preceptor to Don Henry, son to king Emanuel of Portugal, and principal cosmographer to the king. Nonius was very serviceable to the designs which this court entertained of carrying on their maritime expeditions into the East, by the publication of his book "Of the Art of Navigation, and various other works. He died in 1577, at eighty years of age.

Nonius was the author of several ingenious works and inventions, and justly esteemed one of the most eminent mathematicians of his age. Concerning his "Art of Navigation," father Dechales says, "In the year 1530, Peter Nonius, a celebrated Portuguese mathematician, upon occasion of some doubts proposed to him by Martinus Alphonsus Sofa, wrote a treatise on Navigation, divided into two books; in the first he answers some of those doubts, and explains the nature of Loxodromic lines. In the second book he treats of rules and instruments proper for navigation, particularly sea-charts, and instruments serving to find the elevation of the pole;" but says he is rather obscure in his manner of writing.-Furetiere, in his Dictionary, takes notice that Peter Nonius was the first who, in 1530, invented the angles which the Loxodromic curves make with each meridian, calling them in his language Rhumbs, and which he calculated by spherical triangles. Stevinus acknowledges that Peter Nonius was scarce inferior to the very best mathematicians of the age. And Schottus says he explained a great many problems, and particularly the mechanical problem of Aristotle on the motion of vessels by oars. His Notes upon Purbach's Theory of the Planets, are very much to be esteemed: he there explains several things, which had either not been noticed before, or not rightly understood.

In 1542 he published a treatise on the twilight, which he dedicated to John III. king of Portugal; to which he added what Alhazen, an Arabian author, has composed on the same subject. In this work he describes the method or instrument erroneously called, from him, a Nonius, He corrected several mathematical mistakes of Orontius Finæus. But the most celebrated of all his works, or that at least he appeared most to value, was his "Treatise of Algebra," which he had composed in Portuguese, but translated it into the Castilian tongue when he resolved upon making it public, which he thought would render his book more useful, as this language was more gene

rally known than the Portuguese. The dedication to his former pupil, prince Henry, was dated from Lisbon, Dec. 1, 1564. This work contains 341 pages in the Antwerp edition of 1567, in 8vo. The catalogue of his works, chiefly in Latin, is as follows: 1." De Arte Navigandi, libri duo," 1530. 2." De Crepusculis," 1542. 3. "Annotationes in Aristotelem." 4. "Problema Mechanicum de Motu Navigii ex Remis." 5. "Annotationes in Planetarum Theorias Georgii Purbachii," &c. 6. "Libro de Algebra en Arithmetica y Geometra," 1564. We have said that his name was erroneously given to the method of graduation now generally used in the division of the scales of various instruments; for Vernier was the real inventor The method of Nonius, described in his treatise "De Crepusculis," consists in describing within the same quadrant, 45 concentric circles, dividing the outermost into 90 equal parts, the next within into 89, the next into 88, and so on, till the innermost was divided into 46 only. By this means, in most observations, the plumb-line or index must cross one or other of those circles in or very near a point of division: whence by calculation the degrees and minutes of the arch might easily be obtained. This method is also described by him in his treatise "De Arte Navigandi," where he imagines it was not unknown to Ptolomy. But as the degrees are thus divided unequally, and it is very difficult to attain exactness in the division, especially when the numbers, into which the arches are to be divided, are incomposite, of which there are no less than nine, the method of diagonals, first published by Thomas Digges, esq. in his treatise "Alæ seu Scale Mathematica," printed at Lond. in 1573, and said to be invented by one Richard Chanseler, a very skilful artist, was substituted in its stead. However, Nonius's method was improved at different times; but the admirable division now so much in use, is the most considerable improvement of it.'

NONNUS, a Greek poet, surnamed PANOPLITES, from the place of his birth, was born at Panopolis, in Egypt, in the fifth century. He is the author of two works of a very different character; one a miscellany of heathen mythology and learning, in heroic verse, entitled "Diony-. siacorum libri xlviii." which was printed by Falkenburgh,

I Martin's Biog. Phil.-Hutton's Dict.

from a MS. in the library of John Sambuch, at Antwerp, in 1569, 4to, and afterwards translated into Latin by Eilhard Lubin, professor at Rostock, who reprinted it at Hanover in 1610, with the notes of various persons, 8vo. There is also an edition printed at Eton, 1610, 4to. This is one of the most irregular poems extant, both with regard to the style, sentiments, method, and constitution: nothing is natural, nothing approaching to the purity of Homer; nothing of the free, easy manner, and beautiful simplicity, of the ancients. In short, this piece is as much beneath, as his other work, his "Paraphrasis," is above, censure. In his paraphrase in Greek verse, upon the Gospel of St. John, the diction is perspicuous, neat, elegant, and proper for the subject. Hence he is styled by Isaac Casaubon poëta eruditissimus." Heinsius, indeed, reproaches him with leaning to Arianism; but he appears to hold the same sentiments concerning the Trinity with Gregory Nazianzen and St. John Chrysostom. The first edition of this piece is that of Aldus Manutius at Venice in 1501, 4to; it has since gone through several editions, the last of which, and the best, is that by Heinsius, Gr. and Lat. 1627, 8vo. His various readings, which are deemed important, have been selected by Mill, Beugelius, Wetstein, and Griesbach.'

NOODT (GERARD), a celebrated civilian, was born Sept. 4, 1647, at Nimeguen, where his father, Peter Noodt, held a law office in the corporation. He was first educated at the school at Nimeguen; and, having gone through the usual classes, removed, in 1663, to the university which then subsisted, although in a decayed state, in that city *. Here he began his studies with history and polite literature under John Schulting, professor of eloquence and history. Besides these, he applied himself to philosophy and the mathematics, which he would have made his principal study, had he not been diverted by Mr. Arnauld Coerman, German counsellor of the duchy of Guelderland, &c. who prevailed upon him to apply himself to law, as likely to be

1 Vossius de Poet. Græc.-Fabric. Bibl. Græc.-Cave, vol. I. * Barbeyrac informs us that the States of the division of Nimeguen had established an university in that city about the middle of the preceding century. Six professors were appointed, who taught the usual sciences, and degrees were conferred; but the two other divisions of Guelderland always op

posed this establishment, and the sovereign court of the province refused to admit as advocates those who had taken their degrees at Nimeguen. This university therefore soon fell into decay, and in 1648 that of Harderwyk was founded by universal con

sent.

of more advantage to himself and to the public. Complying with this advice he studied law three years under Peter de Greve; during which time he maintained two public theses with uncommon reputation. The second of these, "De acquirenda, et retinenda, et amittenda possessione,' which was of his own composition, he defended with such masterly knowledge, that the professor had not occasion to say a word throughout the whole disputation. As soon as he had completed his course of study here, he visited the other universities of Leyden, Utrecht, and shortly after Franeker, where he was created LL. D. in June 1669. He then returned to his own country, and entered upon the practice of his profession, in which he soon had an opportunity of acquiring fame by his defence of two criminals, who were accused of murder in 1671. Noodt appeared advocate for them, by the special appointment of the magistrates of Nimeguen; and he exerted himself so well in their behalf, that one of them was entirely acquitted, and the other only sentenced to banishment for two years. This cause established his reputation, and, the same year, he was elected professor of law in ordinary in the university of Nimeguen, although only in his twenty-fourth year.

During the congress held there in 1677, his talents became known to several of the foreign ministers, and the plenipotentiary from the elector of Brandenburg tempted him with the offer of a professorship in the university of Duysbourg, which he refused, although that of Nimeguen was approaching to dissolution. William de Haren, however, third ambassador plenipotentiary from the States General, succeeded afterwards in inducing him to accept. the law-professor's chair at Franeker. Of this, accordingly, he took possession in 1679, and made his inauguration-speech Oct. 6. In 1683 his increasing reputation procured him an offer from the magistracy of Utrecht of a professorship there which, after some demur, he accepted, and made his inauguration-speech in 1684, "De causis corruptæ Jurisprudentiæ." In 1686 he married; and, the same year, complied with an invitation from the curators of the university of Leyden, where he fixed for life, and published several treatises. In 1698 he was made rector of that university; in 1699 he lost his wife, with which he was greatly affected, and sought to console himself by employing his thoughts upon that important question relating to the practice of exposing children, in use among the

Greeks and Romans. In 1705 he was a second time chosen rector of the university, and continued his dili gence in writing and publishing books in his profession, During the last three years of his life, his health and strength continued to decay, although without any visible disorder or pain, and after some slight attacks of the apoplectic kind, from which he was relieved by the skill of the celebrated Boerhaave, he sunk under one of greater violence, Aug. 15, 1725, aged almost seventy-eight.

He published a collection of his works in 1713, 4to, containing, 1. "Probabilia Juris," in three books; the first of which was printed in 1674, and the other two in 1679, and again, altogether, in 1691. 2. "De civili Prudentia Oratio inauguralis, 1679." 3. "De causis Corruptæ Jurisprudentiæ, Oratio inauguralis," 1684. In this speech he opens his method of studying and explaining the Roman law. 4. Two tracts, one entitled "De Jurisdictione et Imperio;" the other, "Ad Legem Aquileiam Liber singularis;" both subjoined to a new edition of his " Probabilia Juris," 1691. 5." De Fœnore et Usuris," 1698. In this piece he shews that money lent out to usury is neither against the law of nature or nations. 6." De Jure summi Imperii et Lege regia, Oratio habita," 1698. 7. "Julius Paulus; sive, de Partus Expositione et Nece apud veteres, Liber singularis," 1699. 8. " Diocletianus et Maximianus; sive, de Transactione et Pactione Cri minum," 1704. 9. "De Religione ab Imperio Jure Gentium libera Oratio," 1706. 10. "Observationum Libri duo," 1706. 11." De Forma emendandi doli mali in contrahendis negotiis admissi apud Veteres," 1709. 12. Two treatises; one, "de Usufructu;" the other, "de Pactis et Transactionibus," &c. 1713. Another edition of his works was published in 1724, in 2 vols. folio; containing, besides those in the former edition, the following pieces: 1, "Commentaria in Pandectas, in 27 Libros," 4 of which had been published in 1716. 2. "Amica Responsio ad Difficultates in Julio Paulo, sive Libro de Partus Expositione, motas à Viro amplissimo Van Bynkershoek," 1722. Our author also wrote, in Flemish, "An Opinion upon a case relating to Matrimony," which was translated into Latin by M. Alexander Arnold Pargenstecher, and printed in a treatise of that translator, entitled, "Imperius injuria vapulans," A third edition of his works was published in 1735, 2 vols. fol, by Barbeyrac, with a life of the author, which Bar,