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Daniel Heinsius | |
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| Born | (1580-06-09)9 June 1580 |
| Died | 25 February 1655(1655-02-25) (aged 74) |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | University of Franeker |
| Academic work | |
| Era | Dutch Renaissance |
| Discipline | Classical languages poetics political science |
| Institutions | Leiden University |
| Notable works | De tragica constitutione |
Daniel Heinsius (orHeins) (9 June 1580 – 25 February 1655) was one of the most famous scholars of theDutch Renaissance.
Heinsius was born inGhent. The troubles of the Spanish war drove his parents to settle first at Veere inZeeland, then toEngland, next atRijswijk and lastly atVlissingen. In 1596, being already remarkable for his attainments, he was sent to theUniversity of Franeker to studylaw under Henricus Schotanus. In 1598, he settled atLeiden for the nearly sixty remaining years of his life. There he studied underJoseph Scaliger, and there he metMarnix de St Aldegonde,Janus Dousa,Paulus Merula,Hugo Grotius and others; he was soon taken into the society of these celebrated men as their equal.[1]
His proficiency in the classical languages won the praise of all the best scholars of Europe, and offers were made to him, but in vain, to accept honourable positions outsideHolland. He soon rose in dignity at theUniversity of Leiden. In 1602, he started lecturing, in 1603 he was appointed professor of poetics, in 1605 professor of Greek, and at the death of Merula in 1607 he succeeded that illustrious scholar as the 4th librarian ofLeiden University Library.[1] In 1612, he was appointed as 'Professor Politices', the world's first chair in political science. Through his ties withNaudé and others of the circle ofDe Thou then enjoying Papal favour, Heinsius began corresponding with Barberini’s protégésGiovanni Battista Doni, Professor of Greek at Florence,Bartolomeo Tortoletti, the poet and theologian,Baldassarre Bonifacio, honoured for his learning both in Rome and Venice, andLucas Holstenius, a former student of Heinsius’ at Leiden, now in the Cardinal’s service.[2] Pope Urban VIII made him great offers if he would settle at Rome,[3] but he preferred remaining at Leiden.[4]
As a classical scholar Heinsius edited many Latin and Greek classical as well as patristic authors, amongst others:Hesiod (1603),Theocritus,Bion of Smyrna andMoschus (1603),Aristotle'sArs poetica (1611),Publius Ovidius Naso'sMetamorphoses,Clement of Alexandria (1616) andTerentius (1618). He brought out the Epistles of Joseph Scaliger in 1627.
Especially influential was his treatiseDe tragica constitutione ("How to make a tragedy", 1611). It was a personal and easily accessible version of what Aristotle had written on tragedy in hisPoetics. A revised edition appeared in 1643 with a slightly different title:De constitutione tragoediae.
In 1609, he printed a first edition of his Latin orations. Ever more voluminous new editions appeared until the final edition of 1642 which comprised 35 orations. The collection ended with the ironicalLaus pediculi ("In praise of the louse"), which was translated in English by James Guitard in 1634.
Heinsius first drew attention to himself as a Latin poet with his Senecan tragedyAuriacus, sive libertas saucia ("William of Orange, or Freedom Wounded"). In 1607/08, he wrote another tragedy,Herodes infanticida ("The Massacre of the Innocents"), which was published only in 1632. He was, however, especially prolific in writing elegies, of which a large part was dedicated to his love for a girl called Rossa. A first collection appeared in 1603. Ever larger and revised collections of hisPoemata, also containing other genres, saw the light regularly. By 1628 he had contributed a Latin poem praising the renowned fencer Gerard Thibault to the front of his bookAcademie de L'espee.
In 1601, he published, under the pseudonym of Theocritus à Ganda ("Theocritus from Ghent"),Quaeris quid sit Amor...? ("Do you ask what love is?"), the firstemblem book in Dutch. It was re-edited in 1606/07 with the titleEmblemata amatoria ("Love emblems"). A second emblem book,Spiegel vande doorluchtige vrouwen ("Mirror of illustrious women"), was published in 1606. Heinsius also experimented in Dutch poetry after classical models. His efforts were collected by his friendPetrus Scriverius and published asNederduytsche poemata ("Dutch poems") in 1616. They were greatly admired byMartin Opitz, who, in translating the poetry of Heinsius, introduced the German public to the use of the rhymingalexandrine.[1]
In 1617, he married Ermgard Rutgers, sister ofJanus Rutgersius, one of Scaliger's favorite pupils. They had two children:Nicolas (1620), who was to become a famous Latin poet and book collector, and Elizabeth (1623). At theSynod of Dort (1618-1619), Heinsius was secretary on behalf of theStates General. Afterwards, he paid more attention to theology and worked on the text of the GreekNew Testament for Elzevier's edition (1624, 1633). In these years, he also wrote a large didactic poem,De contemptu mortis ("On the contempt of death", 1621), which has a Christian-Stoical content. His wife died in 1633, and Heinsius got into a conflict withClaudius Salmasius, who was appointed as his colleague in 1631. He became more and more lonely and embittered. He stopped lecturing in 1647. He died inThe Hague, aged 74, and was buried in Leiden.
He collected some Greek manuscripts, e.g. codex155.
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Heinsius Daniel".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 216.Valde Itali nos amant: et jam clanculum εἰς τὴν επτάλοφον, ingenti præmio, videndæ urbis causa, invitamur.
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