BOCHART, SAMUEL, the most leariod writer of his age, was born of a good family at Rouen, in 1599. His father, who was minister of the reform ed church at Rouen, paid particular attention to the education of his son, and had the happiness of wit nessing his surprising progress in the acquisition of knowledge. He was put under the care of Thomas Dempster, a learned Scotsman, who published a book on Roman antiquities in 1612 ; and such was the maturity of his genius, that, at the age of twelve, he composed forty-four Greek verses in praise of his master, which were published at the beginning of the bcukjust mentioned. Having gone through a course of philosophy at Sedan, and maintained public theses in 1615, he went to study divinity at Saumur, under Camero ; but owing to the civil war, which dispersed that academy, he went with Camera to London, where he appears to have remained only a short time. In 1621, he repaired to Leyden, where he studied Arabic under Erpcnius, and formed a parti cular connection with his maternal uncle M. Rivet, who dedicated to Bochart his Catholicus Orthodox us in 1629. On his return to France, he was appoint ed to the church of Caen, in Normandy, where his reputation was greatly extended by a long theologi cal controversy which he held with Veron. This theologian having a special mission from the court to dispute throughout the kingdom, challenged Bochart on the 4th of September, 1628, and harassed him in the most importunate manner till the time and place were appointed This dispute was held in the castle of Caen, before a number of Protestants and Catho lics, and in presence of the Duke de Longueville, governor of the province, and continued for nine sit tings, from the 22d of September till the 3d of Oc tober, when Veron wits compelled to quit the field.
This travelling controversialist, however, claimed the victory ; though his ignorance of Greek and He ' brew, and his sc.' histry and vanity, were completely exposed by his learned antagonist. The high repu tation which Bochart derived from this controversy, was greatly increased, in 1649, by the publication of his Phaleg and Canaan, the titles of the two parts of his Geographic Sacra, a work which treats of the dis persion of mankind occasioned by the confusion of tongues, and of the colonies and language of the Phc nicians. In the course of his extensive researches, his attentiun was necessarily directed to many colla teral subjects ; and had his life been prolonged, orien tal literature would have received many important additions from his pen. His attention was attracted
to these subjects, while preparing sermons on the book of Genesis. When he came to the second chapter, he was led to explain the situation of the garden of Eden. The following chapter turned his attention to the origin of nations; and many passages occurred, which directed his attention to the animals, plants, and precious stones mentioned in the Bible. On a branch of this last subject, he published a work at London, in 1663, entitled, Hierowicon, or De Animalibus Sacree Scriptures. The information which he collected respecting the garden of Eden, the plants, and precious stones, &c. were not in a state fit for publication at the time of his death.
In the year 1652, Bochart was invited to the court of Christina, Queen of Sweden ; and, in compliance with the earnest wishes of that illustrious princess, he repaired thither in company with M. Huet, after wards Bishop of Ayr, riches, who composed an ele gant poem'on their journey, in Latin verse. The ca price and levity of the Swedish Queen, however, did not well accord with the sober gravity of a divine. Bochart did not relish the liberties which she was disposed to take with her literary friends ; and he returned to France in 1653. When engaged in a dispute with Huet, at a meeting of the Academy of Caen, he was cot off by an apoplectic stroke, on the 16th May 1667.
" The learning of Bochart," says Mr Bayle, " vast as it was, was not bis principal qualification ; he had a modesty infinitely more estimable in him than all his knowledge. And, on that account, he possessed his glory with a great deal of tranquillity, sheltered from those unhappy quarrels, which so many other learned men draw on themselves, by their pride and passionate style." Besides the works already mentioned, Bocbart published a letter, in 1650, On the authority of Kings, and the institution of Bishops and Priests ; in 1663, a letter to M. Sarran, attempting to prove that 1Eneas was never in Italy; and a treatise against La Barre, the Jesuit, On the Toleration of Lutheranism. The two first of these were published in the edition of his Geographic Sacra, printed at Frankfort in 1681. The works of Bochart were collected and published at Leyden in 1712, in three volumes folio, by M. de Villemandy. (o)