tain that situation longer than two years, when he returned to Milan. At that place he died, in 1669, when he was ninety-two years of age. Besides leaving behind him numerous unfinished productions in ecclesiastical and profane antiquities, he published several works, abounding in erudition and curious research, and written with great method and perspicuity. They also display much judgment in the conjectures which the author introduces, and great exactness in his quotations. The principal of them are, "De Antiquo Ecclesiasticarum Epistolarum Genere, Lib. III," Milan, 1613, quarto; "De Ritu Sacrarum Eccl. Cathol. Concionum, Lib. III," Milan, 1620, quarto, which was afterwards reprinted at Utrecht in 1692, with a preface by John George Grævius; and "De Ritu Veterum Acclamationibus & Plausu, Lib. VII,” Milan, 1627, quarto, which is reprinted in the sixth volume of Grævius's Roman Antiquities. The above works are analysed by Dupin, who states that the second of them, on the ancient manner of preaching, was attempted to be suppressed by the archbishop Borromeo, out of jealousy that its superior merits would eclipse a treatise which he had written, "De Concionante Episcopo." Other writers, however, satisfactorily shew that this anecdote is unworthy of credit. Ferrari, besides the works already mentioned, was also the author of "A Treatise on the Funerals of Christians." Dupin. Moreri. Nouv. Dict. Hist. Landi's Hist. de la Lit. d'Ital. vol. V. liv. xiii. Dict. Bibl. Hist. & Crit.-M.

FERRARI, JOHN BAPTIST, an Italian Jesuit, was a native of Siena, who applied himself advantageously to the study of the Oriental languages. In the year 1622 he published at Rome a Syriac dictionary, under the title of "Nomenclator Syriacus, &c." quarto. The principal object of the author in undertaking it was, to furnish biblical scholars with a true explanation of such Syriac words as occur in the Scriptures; for which purpose he availed himself of the assistance of several learned Maronites, in fixing the sense of such terms as are peculiarly difficult and obscure. It is represented by fathers Simon and Labbé to be a very useful work. Ferrari also published at Rome, "Flora, seu de Florum Cultura, Lib. IV," 1633, quarto; and an Italian edition of the same in 1638, quarto; and also "Hesperides, sive de Malorum Aureorum Cultura & usu, Lib. IV," 1646, folio. He died in the year 1655. Moreri.. Nouv. Dict. Hist. Dict. Bibl. Hist. & Crit.-M.

VOL. IV.

FERRARI, OTTAVIANO, a learned Italian, was born at Milan, in 1518. After a course of study in the principal universities of Italy, he was made professor of moral philosophy and politics in the Canobian college, which post he occupied eighteen years. He was afterwards professor either at Padua or Pavia; and finally, returning to Milan, he died there in 1586. He was particularly intimate with Paul Manuzio and Julio Poggiano, two of the most eminent scholars of the time, who highly esteemed him, and maintained an epistolary correspondence with him. In one of his letters Ferrari mentions that he had paid much attention to the study of medicine, but that he had always a great repugnance to the practice of it. He wrote an introduction to the aristotelic philosophy, entitled "De Disciplina Encyclica," printed by Manutius in 1560, and greatly praised by him. Another work of his,

De Sermonibus Exotericis," 1515, treats on the exoteric books of Aristotle. His most valuable work is "De Origine Romanorum;" a great part of which is devoted to the detection of the forgeries of Annius of Viterbo. It was printed by Grævius in his first volume of Roman Antiquities. Ferrari also translated Athenæus into Latin, and wrote notes upon Aristotle. Moreri. Tiraboschi.-A.

FERRARI, OTTAVIO, an eminent antiquarian of the same family with the preceding, and nephew of the learned Bernardino Ferrari, was born at Milan, in 1607. His literary reputation was so early established, that soon. after he had completed his twentieth year he was destined by cardinal Frederic Borromeo to the professorship of eloquence in his Ambrosian college. In 1634 he was called to occupy the same chair in the university of Padua, to which was soon after added that of Greek; and it was chiefly through his means that this seminary was restored to its ancient splendor. The esteem in which his services were held may be inferred from the extraordinary stipend conferred upon him, amounting to two thousand florins. thousand florins. He made his eloquence productive of farther profits; for a panegyric which he recited in praise of queen Christina was rewarded by a gold collar, valued at one thousand ducats; and another published in honour of Lewis XIV. obtained him a pension of five hundred crowns for five years. The city of Milan, morcover, appointed him its historiographer, and he composed eight books of its history; but the want of necessary documents, together with the fear of offending the house of Austria on the one hand, and his bene

L

peachment would afford to question the decisions of the council of Nice, and of all other councils. To persons who admitted with the author, that general councils, and chiefly those which the Roman church approved, had an authority next to that of the canonical books, and that we are no less obliged to obey them than to believe the Holy Scriptures," such objections would carry much weight with them. Of this description was the greater part of the African bishops, who were confirmed by Ferrandus in their opposition to the decree of the emperor Justinian, commanding the three chapters to be condemned. Ferrandus died before the year 551. The most considerable of his works is "A Collection of Ecclesiastical Canons," for restoring discipline in the churches of Africa, which is one of the first and most ancient collections of canons among the Latins. It consists of two hundred and thirty-two canons, which are not given at full length, but in an abridged form, and are taken from the councils of Africa, Ancyra, Laodicea, Nice, Antioch, &c. It was first published at Paris by M. Pitheus, together with Cresconius's abridged collection of canons, in 1588, octavo. Besides the articles already mentioned, there are still extant “An Exhortation to count Reginus," respecting the duties of a christian captain; a "Life of St. Fulgentius, Bishop of Ruspa," generally ascribed to our author, but suspected by some to have been written by a person who lived longer and more constantly with Fulgentius than he did; two "Letters" to Fulgentius; and some other remains, which were collected together by father Chifflet, and published at Dijon, 1649, quarto. From Chifflet's edition, the works of Ferrandus have been translated into the ninth volume of the "Bibliotheca Patrum." Cave's Hist. Lit. vel. I. sub sac. Eutych. Dupin. Moreri.-M. FERRARI, LEWIS, an ingenious Italian mathematician, to whom the honour is due of having been the inventor of the first method of resolving biquadratic equations, was born at Bologna, about the year 1521. Repairing to Milan, he studied the mathematics under the celebrated Cardan, who, having had a problem proposed to him for solution, gave it as an exercise of ingenuity to his pupil. While engaged in working it, he happily discovered a new method of analysis, which is precisely that of biquadratics. His master, who gave this method in the thirty-ninth chapter of his algebra, has assigned it to its real inventor, and in different parts of his works has furnished us With the few notices which we have of Fer

rari, who, as he left no works behind him, would otherwise, most probably, have remained unknown to posterity. Montucla, in his first volume "De Progressu Matheseos," has explained this method, and defended Ferrari against those writers who have endeavoured to rob him of the honour of this discovery. When Ferrari was eighteen years of age, he was equal to the task of public tutor in arithmetical science, and of disputing with the most celebrated mathematicians. D. Ferrant Gonzague, governor of Milan, employed him for some time in calculations necessary for the administration of affairs in that duchy; from which service he removed to undertake the office of professor of mathematics at Bologna. In that situation he died, in 1565, before he had completed his forty-fifth year. Besides the mathematical sciences, Ferrari was well skilled in architecture, a good geographer, and intimately acquainted with the Greek and Latin classics, as well as with the other branches of polite learning. Like his master Cardan, however, he was infatuated with judicial astrology: a circumstance that might contribute in no small degree to render him so favourite a disciple as he appears to have been, with that extraordinary character. Landi's Hist. de la Lit. d'Italie. tom. IV. liv. xi. Hutton's Math. Dict. under the article biquadric equation.—M.

FERRARI, or FERRARIUS, FRANCIS BERNARDIN, a learned Italian writer in ecclesiastical antiquities, was born at Milan, in the year 1577. He appears to have been educated in his native city, where he so greatly distinguished himself by his progress in the different branches of sacred and profane literature, that he attracted the notice, and acquired the patronage and esteem of Frederick Borromeo, archbishop of Milan. He was also eminent for his intimate and extensive acquaintance with literary productions, whether printed or manuscript; on which account, when his patron had projected the formation of a grand library at Milan, he appointed Ferrari to travel through different parts of Europe, to purchase the best books and MSS. for that collection. With this design het Spain and Italy, and procured a of valuable works, which ad of the Ambrosian I little celebrity in 4. return home, Ambrosian Con brarian of the nex. 1638 he was nomi. of Nobles, then recent his state of health would

tain that situation longer than two years, when he returned to Milan. At that place he died, in 1669, when he was ninety-two years of age. Besides leaving behind him numerous unfinished productions in ecclesiastical and profane antiquities, he published several works, abounding in erudition and curious research, and written with great method and perspicuity. They also display much judgment in the conjectures which the author introduces, and great exactness in his quotations. The principal of them are, "De Antiquo Ecclesiasticarum Epistolarum Genere, Lib. III," Milan, 1613, quarto; "De Ritu Sacrarum Eccl. Cathol. Concionum, Lib. III," Milan, 1620, quarto, which was afterwards reprinted at Utrecht in 1692, with a preface by John George Grævius; and "De Ritu Veterum Acclamationibus & Plausu, Lib. VII," Milan, 1627, quarto, which is reprinted in the sixth volume of Grævius's Roman Antiquities. The above works are analysed by Dupin, who states that the second of them, on the ancient manner of preaching, was attempted to be suppressed by the archbishop Borromeo, out of jealousy that its superior merits would eclipse a treatise which he had written, "De Concionante Episcopo." Other writers, however, satisfactorily shew that this anecdote is unworthy of credit. Ferrari, besides the works already mentioned, was also the author of "A Treatise on the Funerals of Christians." Dupin. Moreri. Nouv. Dict. Hist. Landi's Hist. de la Lit. d'Ital. vol. V. liv. xiii. Dict. Bibl. Hist. & Crit.-M.

FERRARI, JOHN BAPTIST, an Italian Jesuit, was a native of Siena, who applied himself advantageously to the study of the Oriental languages. In the year 1622 he published at Rome a Syriac dictionary, under the title of "Nomenclator Syriacus, &c." quarto. The principal object of the author in undertaking it was, to furnish biblical scholars with a true explanation of such Syriac words as occur in the Scriptures; for which purpose he availed himself of the assistance of several learned Maronites, in fixing the sense of such terms as are peculiarly difficult and obscure. It is represented by fathers Simon and Labbé to be a very useful work. Ferrari also published at Rome, "Flora, seu de Florum Cultura, Lib. IV," 1633, quarto; and an Italian edition of the same in 1638, quarto; and also "Hesperides, sive de Malorum Aureorum Cultura & usu, Lib. IV," 1646, folio. He died in the year 1655. Moreri., Nouv. Dict. Hist. Dict. Bibl. Hist. & Crit.-M.

VOL. IV.

FERRARI, OTTAVIANO, a learned Italian, was born at Milan, in 1518. After a course of study in the principal universities of Italy, he was made professor of moral philosophy and politics in the Canobian college, which post he occupied eighteen years. He was afterwards professor either at Padua or Pavia; and finally, returning to Milan, he died there in 1586. He was particularly intimate with Paul Manuzio and Julio Poggiano, two of the most eminent scholars of the time, who highly esteemed him, and maintained an epistolary correspondence with him. In one of his letters Ferrari mentions that he had paid much attention to the study of medicine, but that he had always a great repugnance to the practice of it. He wrote an introduction to the aristotelic philosophy, entitled "De Disciplina Encyclica ;" printed by Manutius in 1560, and greatly praised by him. Another work of his,

De Sermonibus Exotericis," 1515, treats on the exoteric books of Aristotle. His most valuable work is "De Origine Romanorum;" a great part of which is devoted to the detection of the forgeries of Annius of Viterbo. It was printed by Grævius in his first volume of Roman Antiquities. Ferrari also translated Athenæus into Latin, and wrote notes upon Aristotle. Moreri. Tiraboschi.-A.

FERRARI, OTTAVIO, an eminent antiquarian of the same family with the preceding, and nephew of the learned Bernardino Ferrari, was born at Milan, in 1607. His literary reputation was so early established, that soon after he had completed his twentieth year he was destined by cardinal Frederic Borromeo to the professorship of eloquence in his Ambrosian college. In 1634 he was called to occupy the same chair in the university of Padua, to which was soon after added that of Greek; and it was chiefly through his means that this seminary was restored to its ancient splendor. The esteem in which his services were held may be inferred from the extraordinary stipend conferred upon him, amounting to thousand florins. He made his eloquence productive of farther profits; for a panegyric which he recited in praise of queen Christina was rewarded by a gold collar, valued at one thousand ducats; and another published in honour of Lewis XIV. obtained him a pension of five hundred crowns for five years. The city of Milan, morcover, appointed him its historiographer, and he composed eight books of its history; but the want of necessary documents, together with the fear of offending the house of Austria on the one hand, and his bene

two