found in cabinets, because his own collection was unfortunately lost, yet the medals which he describes, and which were once looked upon as fictitious, are yearly found really existent, and of undoubted antiquity. A French writer compares him to Pliny the natural historian, who was thought to deal much in falsehood, till time drew the truth out of the well; so that as knowledge advances, most of his wonders acquire gradual confirmation. Yet it is certain that he was often imposed upon, and the caution above given is not unnecessary. His coins of the Roman tyrants, for instance, are clearly false; for they bear PREN. and COG. on the exergue, which marks never occur on the real coins. It has been also said that many errors of this nature must be committed by a man, whose love and veneration for Roman antiquities was such, that he gave to all his children Roman names, such as Julius, Marcellus, &c. so that he might easily receive for antiques what were not so, out of pure fondness for any thing of that kind. Upon this principle, it is probable, that he took, for his second wife, the widow of the antiquary Martinius Smetius; whom he married more for the sake of Smetius's medals and inscriptions than for any thing belonging to herself. She was his second wife, and a shrew, who made his latter days unhappy. He died at Bruges March 14, 1583.

His works are, 1. "Imperatorum fere omnium Vitæ, ac yivæ Imagines, a C. Julio Cæsare ad Carolum V. ex veteribus numismatibus," Antwerp, 1557, fol. afterwards translated into French, Italian, and Spanish. 2. "Fasti magistratuum et Triumphorum Romanorum, ab urbe condita usque ad Augusti obitum," Bruges, 1566 and 1571, folio. 3. "De origine et statu populi Romani," &c. Bruges, 1566, fol. Antwerp, 1618. 4. "Thesaurus rei Antiquarii," Ant. 1579 and 1618, 4to. 5. "Vita et res gesta C. Julii Cæsaris." 6. "Vita et res gestæ Augusti Cæsaris," Bruges, 1580, fol. and Antwerp, 1617. 7. "Historia Siciliæ et Magnæ Græciæ ex antiquis numismatibus," Antwerp, 1644, fol. which Mr. Pinkerton recommends as an introduction to the study of the Greek coins. His whole works were republished at

GOMAR (FRANCIS), one of the great opponents of Arminius, and from whom the Calvinists were at one time called Gomarists, was born at Bruges, Jan. 30, 1563. His father and mother, who were protestants, retired into the palatinate in 1578, and sent him to Strasburgh to study under the celebrated John Sturmius. Three years after be went to prosecute his studies at Newstad, where the professors of Heidelberg found a refuge when Lewis, the elector palatine, had banished them because they were not Lutherans. In 1582 he came to England, and heard at Oxford the divinity lectures of Dr. John Rainolds, and at Cambridge those of Dr. William Whitaker, and at this latter university he was admitted to the degree of bachelor of divinity, June, 1584. The elector Lewis dying in 1583, prince Casimir, his brother, restored the professors of Heidelberg, to which place Gomar returned from Cambridge, and spent two years. In 1587 he accepted an invitation from the Flemish church at Francfort to be their minister, and exercised the functions of that office until 1593, when his flock were dispersed by persecution. The following year he was appointed professor of divinity at Leyden, but before entering upon the office, he took his degree of doctor at Heidelberg. Here he remained quietly until 1603, when his colleague Arminius began to place himself at the head of a party, known by his name ever since, and Gomarus resisted him with a zeal which his enemies have construed into bigotry and intolerance. The truth seems to have been that Arminius and his followers, while they disputed with equal warmth, chose to represent the subjects of their disputes as matters of indifference which need not interrupt church-fellowship, while Gomarus considered them as essentials. Vorstius having succeeded Arminius, Gomarus foresaw only a renewal of the controversy under such a colleague, and retired to Middleburgh in 1611, where he preached and read lectures until 1614. He was then invited by the university of Saumur to be professor of divinity, and four years after he exchanged this for the professorship of divinity and He brew at Groningen, where he remained during the rest of his life. The only times when he was absent were, once when he attended the synod of Dort, where the errors of Arminius were condemned; and again when he went to Leyden in 1633 to revise the translation of the Old Testament. He died Jan. 11, 1641. His various works, most

of which had been published separately, were printed together at Amsterdam in 1644, fol. He was a man of acknowledged abilities, especially in the Oriental languages.'

GOMBAULD (JOHN OGIER DE), a French poet, was born in 1567, at St. Just de Lussac, near Brouage in Saintongue. He was a gentleman by birth, and his breeding was suitable to it. After a foundation of grammarlearning, he finished his studies at Bourdeaux; and having gone through most of the liberal sciences, under the best masters of his time, he betook himself to Paris, in the view of making the most of his parts; for, being the cadet of a fourth marriage by his father, his patrimonial finances were a little short. At Paris, he soon introduced himself to the knowledge of the polite world, by sonnets, epigrams, and other small poetical pieces, which were generally applauded: but, reaping little other benefit, he was obliged to use the strictest economy, to support a tolerable figure at court, till the assassination of the king by Ravillac, in 1610, provoked every muse in France. The subject was to the last degree interesting, and our poet exerted his talent to the utmost in some verses which pleased the queen-regent, Mary de Medicis, so highly, that she rewarded him with a pension of 1200 crowns; nor was there a man of his condition, that had more free access to her, or was more kindly received by her. He was also in the same favour with the succeeding regent, Anne of Austria, during the minority of Lewis XIV.

In the mean time, he was constantly seen at those meetings of all the persons of quality and merit, which were kept at the house of Mad. Rambouillet. This was like a small choice court, less numerous indeed than that of the Louvre, but, had charms which entirely engaged the heart of Gombauld; and he frequented it with great pleasure, as well as with more assiduity than any other, the Louvre not excepted. Thus he passed his time in a way the most agreeable to a poet, and at length devoted himself entirely to the belles lettres. He published several things, of which the most admired was his "Endymion,' a romance in prose. It was printed in 1624. 2. "Amarantha, a Pastoral." 3. A volume of "Poems." volume of "Letters," all published before 1652. He was now accounted one of those choice spirits, who make up

4. A

› Gen. Dict.—Freheri Theatrum.-Foppen Bibl, Belg.-Saxii Onomagt,

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the ministry in the republic of letters, and form the schemes of its advancement. In this employ we find him among those few men of wit, whose meetings in 1626 gave rise to the Academy of Belles Lettres, founded by cardinal Richelieu; and, accordingly, he became a member of that society at its first institution. He was one of the three who was appointed to examine the statutes of the new academy in 1643, and he afterwards finished memoirs for completing them. On March 12, 1635, he read a discourse before the academy upon "Je ne sçai quoi," which was the sixth of those that for some years were pronounced at their meetings the first day of every week.

He lived many years in the enjoyment of these honours, and had his fortune increased by an additional pension from M. Seguier, chancellor of France. These marks of esteem do honour to his patrons, for he openly professed the reformed religion, although in such a manner as to avoid giving offence, or shocking the prejudices of those with whom he associated. He had always enjoyed very good health; but, as he was one day walking in his room, which was customary with him, his foot slipped; and, falling down, he hurt himself so, that he was obliged almost constantly to keep his bed to the end of his life, which lasted near a century. However, in 1657, when at the age of 90, he published a large collection of epigrams; and, many years after, a tragedy called "Danaïdes." This was some time before his death; which did not happen till 1666. In manners he was modest and regular, sincere in his piety, and proof against all temptations. He was of a hot and hasty temper, much inclined to anger, though he had a grave and reserved countenance. He was also a man of wit, and not always very guarded in the use of it. Having shown one of his performances to cardinal Richelieu, he said "Here are some things I do not understand."-"That is not my fault," answered Gombauld, and the cardinal wisely affected not to hear him. His posthumous works were printed in Holland in 1678, with this title, "Traités & Lettres de Monsieur Gombauld sur la Religion." They contain religious discourses, and were most esteemed of all his works by himself: he composed them from a principle of charity, with a design to convert the catholics, and confirm the protestants in their faith.

1 Gen. Dict.-Moreri.-Biog. Gallica, vol. I,-Niceron, vol. XXXIV. ́

GOMBERVILLE (MARIN LE RO1), Sieur de, an ingenious French writer, was born at Chevreuse, in the diocese of Paris, or as some say in Paris itself, in 1599. He was early distinguished by some successful publications which had given him a literary reputation, and made him be enrolled among the number assembled by cardinal Richelieu for the purpose of founding the French academy in 1635. His first publications were romances and works of a light nature, but at the age of forty-five he formed the resolution of consecrating his pen to religion, and adopted a penitentiary course of life, which some think was more strict at the commencement than at the termination of it. He died June 14, 1674. One of the most curious of his works, "a doctrine des Maurs, tirée de la philosophie des Stoiques, representée en cent tableaux," 1646, fol. is perhaps now more admired for the plates than for the letterpress. They are engraved by Peter Daret from designs. by Otho Vænius. In this work Gomberville assumes the. disguised name of Thalassius Basilides (Marin le Roi) · His romances were "Caritée," "Polexandre," "Cytherea," and "La jeune Alcidiane," published in 1733 by madame Gomez, who says that Gomberville left merely an outline of it. His other works were, 1." Relation de la riviere des Amazones," 1682, 2 vols. 12mo. 2. "Memoires de Louis de Gonzague, duc de Nevers," 1665, 2 vols. fol. 3. "Discours des vertus et des vices de l'histoire," 1620, 4to, and various pieces of sacred poetry, &c.1

GOMERSAL (ROBERT), a divine and poet of the seventeenth century, was born at London in 1600, whence, he was sent by his father in 1614 to Christ church, Oxford, where, soon after his being entered, he was elected a stu→ dent on the royal foundation. At about seven years standing, he here took his degrees of bachelor and master of arts, and before he left the university, which was in 1627, he had the degree of bachelor of divinity conferred on him. Being now in orders, he distinguished himself as a preacher at the university. For some time, during the plague at Oxford, he resided at Flower in Northamptonshire, and was afterwards vicar of Thorncombe in Devonshire, where it is probable that he resided till his death, which was in 1646. He was accounted a good preacher, and printed a volume of "Sermons," Lond. 1634, which were well esteemed.

1 Niceron, vol. XXXVIII.-Moreri,