GENOVESI (ANTHONY), an eminent Italian Writer, was born on the 1st of November 1712, at Castiglione, near Salerno, in the kingdom of Naples. From his earliest years he showed an uncommon capacity ; but after receiving such education as his native village could afford, his father obliged him to devote himself to the study of scholastic theology, with a view to the ecolesiastical profession. In a short.time he distinguished himself as a proficient in dialectics ; but having formed an attachment to a young woman, he was on the point of sacrificing to her all his professional prospects, when his father, who had obtained a knowledge of the circumstance, removed him to another village, where he found a priest who diverted his attention to different ob jects. Having been afterwards excommunicated by the Archbishop of Conza for acting a part in a comedy, he returned to Castiglione ; where, having found his mistress married, he reassumed the cas. sock, and took priest's orders at Salerno in 1736. Here he soon distinguished himself so much by his talents and knowledge, that the Archbishop of this town confided to him the Chair of Eloquence. At this period Genovesi was a mere school theologian ; but a friend of his, a young ecclesiastic, now made him aware, that there were sources of knowledge be yond the scholastic sphere, more extensive, more in teresting, and more real, than those to which he had hitherto applied. Genovesi entered into this new intellectual world by the perusal of some romances ; from these he proceeded to the study of history ; and stepping from one subject to another, he finally applied himself to the study of modern philoso phy, and read with attention the works of Leibnitz and Locke. In the hope of acquiring still farther information, he repaired to the capital ; and as he did not possess. the necessary means of maintain ing himself there, he resolved to exercise the pro fession of an advocate ; but becoming disgusted with the details of practice, he soon sacrificed his hopes of fortune to the pleasures of study. He im proved his knowledge of the Greek, and of several of the modern languages ; attended all the most celebrated professors of the University of Naples; and soon perceived the imperfections of the existing system of public instruction.
Notwithstanding the progreis which philosophy had made in other countries, the kingdom of Naples was, at that period, in a state almost retrograde, or, at least, stationary. Genovesi felt this, and he resolved to ac complish certain reforms in the system of education, with a view to the amelioration of the condition of his countrymen. None ever succeeded better in this generous design. Although there existed at Naples a University, celebrated for the learning of several of its Professors, the pupils had long been ac, customed to carry on their studies in private schools. Genovesi having conceived the design of opening one of these seminaries, he procured the appointment of extraordinary Professbr of Metaphysics in the Uni versity, in order that be might appear before the public in a known character. He had formed pecu liar methods of his own in all the faculties which constitute the philosophical course ; and his first Essays induced him to publish his Elements of Metaphysics, of which the first volume appeared in 1743 ; and afterwards, in 1745, his System of Logic.
In these two works, he made ample use of the doctrines of Bacon, Descartes, Leibnitz, and Locke ; and, having substituted philosophical doubt for im plicit belief; the observation of nature for the spe culations of the schools, and reason for authority,_ this was sufficient to cause him to be denounced as an infidel, or at least as an irreligious person, by those who still adhered to the scholastic methods. He would probably have fallen a sacrifice to these prejudices, had he not been supported by Galiani, Archbishop of Tarentum, Grand Almoner of the King, and Grand Master of the University ; but, notwithstanding this protection, he experienced some trouble and difficulty in obtaining the professorship of Moral Philosophy ; and he was disappciinted in an attempt to procure the chair of Theology.