LENNEP, JACOB VAN, often called the ' Walter Scott' of Holland, was born at Amsterdam on the 25th of March 1802. His father, David Jacob van Lennep, born at Amsterdam on the 15th of July 1774, was not only one of the first classical scholars of his country, but a distinguished poet in his native language, and an orator of high reputation as a deputy to the states-general. He published editions of the Anthologia Grreee.,' of Heeled and of Ovid, and was for fifty-four years professor of classical literature at the Atheneum of Amsterdam. Ile died on the 10th of February 1853. The younger Van Lennep first emerged into notice shortly before 1830, by a series of poems, entitled ' Vaderlandsche Legenden,' embracing some of the leading traditions of Holland treated in the style and manner of Walter Scott, and in his favourite eight-syllable metre, which is as well adapted to the Dutch language as to our own. Soon after, in ]830, when the Belgian outbreak bad among other effects produced a temporary desertion of the Dutch theatres, from the attention of the public being irresistibly attracted for a time to political subjects alone, be wrote a little political farce, ' Het Dorp aan de Grenzen,' (' The Village on the Frontier'), which had the most amazing success in filling the theatre, and which was followed in 1831 by another ' Het Dorp over die Crenzen,' or ' The Village over the Frontier.' From that time to the present be has been one of the most popular authors of Holland, and his pen has been seldom inactive. The number of his separate works is over fifty, and in very many of them Walter Scott has been his prototype. A series of novels under the title of ' Ouzo Vooroudora ' (' Our Forefathers') embraces the whole romance of Dutch history. Of several separate novels of the same character, ' The Rose of Dckams,' one of the most popular, was translated into English by Woodley (London, 1847), and The Adopted Son' (' Do Pleegzeon ') by Hoskins (New York, 1847). A set of volumes of the ' History of the North Netherlands,' as related to his children, reminds the reader of ' Tales of a Grandfather,' and a 'Description of the Old Castles of Holland,' of the 'Border and Provincial Antiquities.' Nor is Walter Scott the only English poet to whom Van Lenncp has given attention, one of his early works was a translation of the 'Siege of Corinth ; ' he has Imitated with admirable success Southcy's 'Cataract of Lodore; ' and has read in public iu Holland a translation of Tennyson'a 'May-Queen,' which has always bad the effect of drawing tears. Van Lennop is as might be expected a perfect master of our language, and has paid frequent visits to England, one of which in 1849 when be attended the Salisbury meeting of the Archseological Institute, ho has recorded in the volume for 1550 of 'Holland,' an annual published under his editorship. A splendid edition of hia dramatic works was commenced in 1852, com prising tragedies, farces, and several operas, one of which is founded on Scott's 'Harold the Dauntless.' In the third volume published in 1854 are close translations of 'Romeo and Juliet,' and 'Othello,' so close indeed that the translator takes oomaion to say, that though he had seen Miss Smithson, Miss Kelly, and Miss Davenport in the part of Juliet, he had never seen the play of Shakspere represented till lie saw this version of it on the Amsterdam stage; "for it should be known," he remarks, "that the English in spite of their apotheosis of the great tragic poet, silently permit his immortal works to be brought on the stage altered—and of course spoilt." The reception
of ' Romeo and Juliet' at Amsterdam, where it was produced in 1852, was however very indifferent, and that of ' Othello' appears to have been of much the same character. About the same time a close translation of the Merry Wives of Windsor' failed entirely at St. Petersburg. He has now been for some years engaged io editing a grand edition of Vondel, the great Dutch contemporary of Dryden, who was edited by Scott. In the midst of all this literary activity he is by profession a lawyer, and in that respect surpasses Scott, being a lawyer in extensive practice, and holding high professional offices. He is married, has a large family, and is universally popular with his countrymen. Of late years his warm patriotic attachment to Holland, which was shown not only in his writings, but in his exertions as a volunteer in the campaign of 1831, has not prevented his being an active promoter of the friendly intercourse between Holland and Belgium by the annual meetings of the literary men of the two countries, held first in one country, then in the other. At these meetings his social and other talents have been very conspicuoue. LENNEP, JOHN DANIEL VAN, was born at Leeuwarden, in the province of Friesland in Holland, in November 1724, and was edu cated at the University of Franeker. In 1747 he edited a Greek poem by Coluthus, which was favourably received by his learned contem poraries. He was elected in 1752 professor of Latin and Greek at Groningen, and after remaining there fifteen years, was appointed to a similar professorship at Francker. Ile died the 6th of February 1771, at Aix-la-Chapelle, svhitber he had gone for the benefit of his health.
Lennep is principally known by his 'Etymologicum Linguae Ormme,' which was published after his death, by his pupil Scheide, 2 vols. 8vo, Utrecht, 1790; it was reprinted in one volume in 1808, under the superintendence of Nagel, This work used to be considered by many scholars a standard book ou Greek etymology ; but since the study of etymology has been pursued ou sound principles, it has been justly regarded as a useless book, full of errors and absurdities. the views of Lennep on etymology in general, and especially ou that )f the Creek language, are given in a treatise of his entitled De analogia Ling= Orsecw,' published by Schelde, in the 'Prxiectiones cademicsse' of Lennep and Volekenaer, Svo, Utrecht, 1790. Lennep yes engaged at the time of his death in editing the 'Epistles of ?lialaris,' and translating into Latin Bentley's celebrated ' Disserta ions on those Epistles.' This work, together with the translation of 3entley, was published in 1777, under the superintendence of v"alckeuaer, who has given in the preface a brief account of tho life and writings of Lennep.