about the year 1500; went to Damascus where he wrote some Commentaries and Sermons.

PLATO, the Athenian philosopher and founder of the Academicians, was born 430 years before the Christian era. While in Egypt he learnt much from Jewish Sages, and adopted their opinion that there is one only God, a most simple Unity, who created the World, and is superior to all Beings and Essences, governing every part of the Universe; that He created souls which are immortal: he believed in the Resurrection, and termed the Divinity the Sovereign Wisdom.

PLINY, the celebrated historian, flourished in the reigns of Vespasian and Titus: he was suffocated from his curiosity to inspect too closely the dreadful and devastating eruption of Vesuvius in 79.

PLINY THE YOUNGER, nephew of the former, by whom he was adopted on the death of his father, was born in the year 62. He was the boldest and most elegant orator of his time: his letters and panegyric on Trajan, which are all we now have of him, are masterpieces.

PLOTIN, a Platonic philosopher of the 3rd century. He taught alike Christians and heathens: he induced the Emperor Gallien to sanction his plan for building a city to be called Plato, and the inhabitants to live according to the imaginary republic of that philosopher; but being dissuaded by his councillors proving to him its impracticability, it was abandoned.

PLUTARCH, the philosopher, historian, and orator, was a native of Boetia, and flourished in the reigns of Nerva and Trajan. He was promoted to many honourable posts by the latter: his lives of Great Men of Antiquity are the best known.

PONTANUS, JOHN or JACOB, a philosopher, historian, poet, and orator of Naples. From being the preceptor he became secretary and councillor to Alphonso, king of Aragon, died in 1509 aged 78.

Porphyry, a Platonic philosopher of the 3rd century: he wrote various works against Christianity.

PYTHAGORAS, a philosopher of Samos, 534 years before the christian era. His doctrine of the Metempsycosis led his sect to abstain from animal food. He was the first who taught that the earth revolved, and is said to have died a violent death at the advanced age of 80 or 90; but authors do not agree how it occurred, or the precise time.

QUINTILLIAN was born at Calahor in Spain, in the first century. Vespasian engaged him to teach eloquence at Rome. His works on rhetoric are much admired.

RAB, a title given to R. Abba Aricka, by which he is generally known. He studied under R. Judah, the Prince. Adarchan, a Babylonian prince, attended his lectures at Sora, and caused himself to be circumcised about 243. He wrote comments on Ruth, and some other esteemed works.

RAMIREZ, LORENZO, a Spanish jurisconsult, ambassador to Louis XIII. He published his works at Paris, and died in 1658.

RASHI, see JARCHI.

RASIS, an Arabian physician of great repute, flourished at the commencement of the eleventh century, practised medicine for 80 years. He lived to the age

of 120. He left a history of Spain, and various works on medicine.

RAVENA, or Rabba Nachman, was Chief of the College of Sora, in the reign of Sapor, is said to have had 12000 disciples. On leaving Persia, his nephew, R. Sam. Nachman succeeded him.

RAVISIUS, TEXTOR JOHN, a celebrated grammarian of the sixteenth century.

REY, R. MOSES OF SAMUEL, a native of Granada, wrote a fine philosophical Library. work. The manuscript is in the Bodleian

RHODIGINUS, CŒLIUS, born at Rovigo in 1450, was so deeply versed in Greek and Latin, that Louis XII. sent for him to teach at Milan. He was considered the Varro of his age.

RICANATI, R. MENAHEM, a native of Ricina Nova, in the March of Ancona, flourished in 1280, from a stupid youth became a most learned man. He wrote on the law, the precepts, astronomy, and various esteemed cabalistical works.

ROPHE, R. ABRAHAM, See R. A. LEON.

SABAH, R. S. ABRAHAM, born at Lisbon in 1450, wrote a cabalistical commentary on Solomon's Song and the Pentateuch. He died in 1509; and is author of a narrative of the exile from Spain.

SALOM, R. AARON SAMUEL, flourished in the latter part of the sixteenth century; wrote a profound metaphysical work under the title of "The Soul of Man."

SALOM, R. ABRAHAM, born in Catalonia in 1430, renowned for his philosophical work, "The Habitation of Peace,"

wherein he treats on God, the soul, providence, volition, &c., and refutes the opinion of the eternity of the world. He also wrote notes to the physical works of Algazali; and was a profound philosopher and able physician. He died in 1492.

SAMUEL, RAB, called The Lunar, from his great astronomical knowledge, was Chief of the celebrated College of Nahardea in 240.

SCOT, MICHAEL, a learned Scotch author of the thirteenth century, translated into Latin from the Arabic the natural history of Avicenna. He published the works of Aristotle with notes, and wrote various learned works: and was treated with great distinction by the Emperor Frederic II.

SEADIAH, R. A GAON, or Excellent, was born at Pithom in Egypt, in 892, and died at the age of 50, was Chief of the College at Sora. His comments on the Hagiography are highly esteemed. He also wrote many grammatical and other approved works.

SENECA, the Stoic philosopher, was born in the year 13. He was preceptor to Nero, who, profiting by so able a master, became a model for princes in the early part of his reign, but, subsequently Poppia exercised such influence over him, as to render him a disgrace to human nature. Finding that Seneca had a knowledge of Pison's conspiracy, he gave him the choice of his death. He selected to have his veins opened in a hot bath, and expired in the 52nd year of his age.

SEPHARTI, R. JOSEPH BEN HAIM, a native of France, flourished at Adrianople in the thirteenth century; is the author of various theological works.

SERACH, R. MENAHEM, born at Estella in 1307, under the title of "Provisions for the Road," wrote the Jewish rites, with an astronomical table. The Navarese massacre happened the year of his marriage, when his father, mother, and four brothers, were murdered: he was left for dead; being found by a soldier, he was cured of his wounds, and terminated his eventful life at Toledo in 1374.

SERVIUS, HONORATUS, a celebrated grammarian in the time of Constantine and Constans. He wrote various works. St. Jerome is said to have studied under

him.

SESAT, R. ISAAC BEN, flourished at Algiers in 1374, and wrote able solutions to some juridical questions.

SHAMAI, head of one of the celebrated universities at Jerusalem, 32 years before the Christian era.

SHEM TOB, R. SHEM TOB BEN, flourished in 1430; wrote a philosophical treatise on the articles of faith under the title of "The Book of Faith," and comments on the Ephodi and Maimonides' Guide.

SIMEON, R. BEN JOCHAI, called, The Great Light. He was twelve years occupied in writing the Zoar, esteemed the profoundest of all cabalistical works; was a disciple of R. Akiba; and is supposed to have died about the same time as his instructor.

SIMEON, R. BAR SEMACH, being a native of Oran, is known by the appellation of D'Oran. In 1430, he wrote solutions to some theological questions.

SILVESTER, Second Pope of that name, raised to the papacy in 999, and died in 1003, was a profound mathematician, and acquainted with the most abstruse sciences. Many of his valuable works are yet extant. The ignorance of that age led him to be suspected of necromancy, and that he gained the papal see through magical means.

SOARES, FRANCISCO, born at Cordova in 1547 a profound philosopher and scholastic theologian; was Professor of Theology at Coimbra and Evora. He died at Lisbon in 1617.

SOCRATES, the philosopher of Athens, where he was born 469 before the Christian era. His eloquence was so powerful, that the thirty tyrants of that city forbade his instructing youth. After bravely fighting in defence of his country, he was condemned to drink poison at the age of 78, for having ridiculed poly

theism.

SOLINUS, JULIUS, a Latin grammarian. From his mentioning in his works, Vespasian, and the taking of Jerusalem, he is supposed to have been contemporaneous; and from imitating the style of Pliny, he was termed his Ape.

SPHORNO, R. OBADIAH, an able Italian physician; died in 1550; wrote an able refutation of atheism, some commentaries, and other theological works..

STRABO, the historian and philosopher, was educated by Xenarchus, the peripatetic philosopher. Subsequently, he became a Stoic. He flourished in the reigns of Augustus and Tiberius. His geography proves his great genius and erudition. He visited various countries to observe their situations and customs previous to writing it. He is supposed to have died about the year 25, at an advanced age.

SUETONIUS, C. TRANQUILLUS, lived under Trajan, and was secretary to Adrian. He wrote the lives of the Cæsars, the ancient grammarians, poets, and rhetoricians. It is to be regretted that the whole have not descended to us.

TACITUS, CORNELIUS, the celebrated Roman historian in 180, during the reign of Vespasian, raised himself by his talents to the highest posts in the state.

TAM, RABENU, a writer of some note, flourished in France in 1170, contemporaneously with Maimonides in Spain.

TANHUMA, R., an ancient writer of a celebrated commentary on the Pentateuch, entitled, "This will teach us." Each chapter begins, "Our Masters teach us.

TASSO, TORQUATO, the celebrated Italian poet, was born at Bergami in 1544, and died in extreme poverty at Rome in 1595. He holds the first rank among the poets of Italy, which he gained by his "Jerusalem Delivered," and his "Seven Days of the Creation."

TERTULLIAN, QUINTUS SEPTIMUS FLOREUS, a celebrated priest of Carthage, son of a centurion, who served as proconsul in Africa. Convinced of the errors of Paganism, in which he had been educated, he embraced Christianity, and zealously defended it. His apology for Christians during the persecutions of Severus, is a master-piece of eloquence and learning. At the beginning of the third century, he became a Montanist. He died at a great age in 216.

THALES, one of the seven sages of Greece, born 640 years before the Christian era. He is supposed to have been the first who foretold eclipses, and by his astronomical observations to have divided the solar year into 365 days. He died at about the age of 90. One of his admirable sayings was, "The most difficult thing in the world was to know one's self; the easiest, to advise others; and the sweetest, the accomplishment of one's wishes."

THEODORUS, of Athens, flourished about 380 years before the Christian era: a philosopher whose atheistical opinions caused him to be banished from his country.

THEOPHILACTUs, a writer in the early part of the seventh century. Some of his works are much esteemed.

THEOPHRASTES, of Athens, the disciple and successor of Aristotle in the peripatetic school, was born about 350 years before the Christian era. He wrote

many valuable works. We are indebted to him for the preservation of those of Aristotle.

TOBIAS, R. BEN ELIEZER, wrote some profound commentaries, which he published at Venice in 1546.

TOSTAT, ALPHONSO, bishop of Avila, the ancient Abulensis, born in 1414, was a man of great erudition and astonishing memory. Although he died at the early age of 40, is said to have known all it was possible to know, and left twenty-seven volumes of his writings.

TRALIEN, ALEXANDER, so called from being a native of Trales in Asia Minor, was a celebrated physician and philosopher: flourished in the 6th century, during the reign of Justinian.

TRANI, R. JOSEPH DE, was born in Apulia about the middle of the sixteenth century. He wrote at Saphet solutions to some theological questions, and a volume of excellent sermons.

TREBELLIUS, POLLIO, the Latin historian, lived about the year 298. He wrote the lives of various emperors: the whole are not extant.

TUDELA, R. BENJAMIN DE, where he was born in the twelfth century: having travelled a great deal, he returned to Castile in 1173. His travels are translated into most European languages, and have lately appeared in English, by M. Asher of Berlin.

VALLES, FRANSISCO, physician to Philip II. of Spain, wrote various medical works, and one on sacred philosophy.

VARRO, M. TERENTIUS, considered the most learned of the Romans, was a profound philosopher, an able grammarian and historian. Is said to have written near 500 volumes. Was born 116 years before the Christian era, and died at the age of 88.

VASQUEZ, GABRIEL, a Spanish Jesuit, who wrote many theological works, which form 10 volumes, folio. He died in 1604.

VATABLE, Professor of Hebrew at Paris, died in 1547. His knowledge of the language was so profound, that many learned Jews regularly attended his lectures for instruction. His notes on the Holy Scriptures are much esteemed, although it is known they have since been mutilated and altered.

VERDIER, CLAUDE, a celebrated French critic in the latter part of the sixteenth century.

VESAL, ANDREW, a celebrated physician and anatomist, was born at Brussels in 1508. At the age of 25, he wrote his

VIDAL, R. ELIAS, flourished at Saphet in the sixteenth century, wrote on the Fear of God, the Observance of the Precepts, Debtors and Creditors, Morality and Good Manners.

VIRGIL, the famous Latin poet, was born 70 years before the Christian era, and died at the age of 51. It is said, that reading the Æneid to the Emperor Augustus and his sister Octavia, at the passage respecting Marcellus, they were so overcome that she fainted; on which he wished the work to be burnt at his death, but the emperor prevented it, VOLATERRAN, RAPHAEL, a native of Tuscany, wrote at Rome a work under the title of "Urbani," in three parts :1st. On Ancient Geography; 2nd. Illustrious Men; and 3rd. Philology, or the Principles of the Arts. He died in 1521, aged 70.

VOSSIUS, JOHN GERARD, one of the most learned men of the seventeenth century; Professor of History at Leyden. He was deeply read. His works, which

ZACUTO, R. ABRAHAM, born at Salamanca, and Professor of Astronomy at Saragossa, quitted Spain at the expulsion in 1492. He went to Lisbon, when Don Manuel appointed him astronomer and historiographer royal. He wrote "The Juchasin," a genealogy of the most noted men in Jewish history, from Adam to the year 1500," A Perpetual Almanack," an astrological work, and a moral theological treatise.

ZIMRA, R. DAVID, author of six works in the sixteenth century. The one here quoted is cabalistical,-"The Shield of David."

ZOROASTER, a celebrated ancient philosopher, supposed to be the founder of the Chaldean astrology. Nothing positive is known as to when he flourished.