ESTIUS (GULIELMUS), the Latinised name of WILLIAM HESSELS VAN EST, who was descended from an illustrious family of the Lords of the Castle of Est, near in Holland. He was born at Gorcum in that country in 1542. After a complete course of learned studies at Utrecht and Louvaine, he fulfilled for upwards of ten years the duties of a Professorship of Divinity and Philosophy in the latter university, with great success. In 1580 he was admitted to the degree of Doctor of Divinity, and shortly afterwards was appointed to a Divinity Professorship in the University of Douay; at the same time he was made Superior of the Seminary, and Provost of St. Peter's Church, in that city. In 1603 he was elected to the Chancellorship of the same University, and died at Douay, September 20, 1613, aged 72 years. During the thirty-one years of his connection with Douay, he sustained with great eminence the character of a profound theologian and an accomplished professor : nor were his private virtues less conspicuous; his con tinual application to study not hindering him from works of charity, which he pursued with exceeding modesty. Besides many other writings, he left three works by which his fame has been perpetu ated. The first and second of these take the highest rank respectively in dogmatic theology and exegetical divinity. Dismissing the first [his commentary on the Master of the Sentences], we proceed to notice his well-known work, entitled, `In Mina Beati Pauli et aliorum Afiostolorum Oistolas Commentaria.' The first edition of this commentary bears the date, Douay, 1614-1616. It has been continually republished at Cologne, at Paris, at Rouen, and at Mayence. Different editors have superintended the chief editions; the first, which was posthumous, was carefully edited by Barthol. de la Pierre, Professor of Divinity at Douay, who completed the work by adding the commentary on I John v. ; 2 John, and 3 John,
which Estius at the time of his death had left tmaccomplished. The name of 7. Merle Horst appears as editor on the title-page of the Paris edi tion of 1679. The best of the recent editions, May ence, 1841, was edited very correctly by F. Senses,. A convenient epitome of Estius and Corn, a Lapide on St. Paul's Epistles, was published by 7. van Gorcum, at Antwerp in 1620, and reprinted in 1754 at Louvaine. The utility of this little work was increased by its containing the prefaces of Estius, which are very valuable. Romanists and Protestants have concurred in high praise of this, on the whole the best, commentary on the Aposto lical Epistles. (Du Pin, Nouvelle BiLliothegite, cent. xvii. liv. . v. ; Walch, Bibliotheca Meal. Selecta, iv. p. 666). The third work above referred to is of less merit and renown than the commentary; but is nevertheless of some value. Its title is, Annotationcs in prcecipua ac d ciliora Scene Scripture lora.' This lYork has been often re printed, though less frequently and less recently than the larger one. It is again a posthumous publication, consisting of notes collected by mem bers of Estius' theological classes, and edited first by Caspar Nenzins, for the Douay edition of 1628. A later editor, Norbert d'Elbecque, republished these 'Annotations' at Antwerp in 1699 ; in prepar ing this republication he used Estius' Commentary in the later part of the work. Walch sees in these Annotations evidences of much learning, and pro nounces the book a valuable one, notwithstanding the drawback of its wanting the care and finish of the original author (voL iv. p. 844 ; comp. Du Pin, In loc. antea cit.)—P. H.