C031E'NIUS, JOHN AMOS, was born in 1592, at Comna, in Moravia, from which place he assumed the name of Comenius. His parents were of the sect of Moravian brethren. After studying at Herboro, near Nassau, he returned to Moravia, and became pastor at Fulneck ; but that town being burnt during the religious war then raging, he lost his property, including books and manuscripts, and took refuge at Leans, in Poland, where he became rector of a Moravian school. He there published, in 1631, his 'Janne Linguarum,' in Bohemian and Latin. This work established his reputation as a philologist, and was translated into moat European and some of the Oriental languages. An edition in Latin, English, and French, was published in London, 1639 : The gate of Tongues unlocked and opened, or else a Seminary or Seed-plot of all Tongues and Sciences.' It is a sort of encycloprethe phrase-book, in I00 chapters, every chapter being devoted to a separate department of natural history, the arts, or the various professions, sciences, and trades, &c., iutroducing most of the words belonging to each, and giving by means of the context an explanation of the same. His Orbits sensualium pictua, hoc eat, omnium fundamentalium in mundo rerum at in vita actionum picture ct nomenclature,' Latin and German. Nurnberg, 1659, is a vocabulary of technical words, likewise arranged in chapters, but not in connected sentences, each chapter being illustrated by a woodcut representing the objects therein mentioned. These two works resemble each other in principle, but differ in the arrangement. The Orbie also has been often reprinted, and translated into various languages. A Latin and English edition appeared in London, 1777. Comenius was sought after by several governments for the purpose of reforming the system of public instruction. lie came to Eugland in 1638, and afterwards went to Sweden in 1692, where be was introduced to the Chancellor Oxenatiern ; but ho soon after left Sweden and retired to Elbing, where he attended chiefly to the publication of his works. In 1648
he returned to Poland. On the invitation of Prince Ragotzky, he went to Transylvania, where be established a school which he after wards transferred to Patak, near Tokay. After directing the school for four years, he returned to Leona in 1654, but was driven away by the ravages of the religious war which continued in Poland. Letitia was burnt by the Catholics, and Comeniva again lost his books and manuscripts. Ile at last nettled at Amsterdam, where he found a protector in Laurence de Ocer, who defrayed the expense of the publication of his 'Opera didactics,' fol., 1657, in which Comeniva collected several of his works already published separately. The principal of these are : lat. Noviaaima linguarum methodua,' a sort of universal grammar, with references to the German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, and Turkish languages; 2nd. Janure Linguarum novia sima Clavis ;' 3rd. ' Lexicon januale, seu Spivs Latinos Lingua: ; ' 4th. 'Schola Ludus,' which consists of dramatic pieces composed for his pupils at Patak and Leona, and in which men of various classes and conditions are introduced, each speaking about hie own profession or trade, and using the technical words belonging to it. He wrote numerous other works, some historical : Hiatoria Eceleaim Sclavoniem; Amsterdam, 1660 ; Historia Persecutionum Ecelesias Bohemias,' called also Martyrologium Behemicum,' Berlin, 1763; 'Some Con troversies against the Socinians ; "Antiquitatcs Moravite,' which is still unedited ; a Map of Moravia, with names in German and Bohe mian, Amsterdam, 1627 ; Prodromua Pansophim,' London, 1639, a sort of prospectus of a uuiversal cyclopredia, which was the dream of his life. lu his old age he appears to have adopted the views of some religious visionaries, and to have believed in their revelations. He died at Amsterdam, November 1671.