BUSBECQ, bus'bek', BUSBEC, or BUSBEK, AUGIER GIIISLAIN nF (Latinized Busbequius) (1522-92). A Flemish diplomat and scholar, born at Cosines. He received the best university training of his day at Louvain, Paris, and various Italian universities, and entered the service of Ferdinand. King of the Romans, whose ambassa dor he accompanied to England in 1554. From London he was sent to the Turkish Court, where for eight years lie rendered important diplomatic services. In 1562, however, lie was recalled to become tutor and guardian to the sons of Maxi milian IL, and from 1570 he held the post of master of ceremonies to the Archduchess Eliza beth, widow of Charles IX. of France. He was also employed by the Emperor Rudolph I1. as :nuliassador at Paris. On quitting this post in 1592, Busbecq set out for Flanders, but oiled on the way at the castle of Maillot, near Rouen, October 28. 1592. Busbeeq's most important work is his volume of letters from Turkey—/./vu tionis Tureiew Epistoler Quatuar (Paris.1589)—a scholarly study of the Ottoman power. His
Epistola. ail Rodolpham II. Imperatorem, e Seripter (Brussels, 1631) contains much inter esting information on contemporary French his tory. His other works have been lost. A col levied edition of his extant works appeared at Leyden (16133), and another at Basel (1740). He has been frequently translated into French, German, and English. Ilis Latin style is pure, elegant, and simple. Busbeeq was a great col lector of manuscripts, and gave over one hundred to the library at Vienna. Ile was also a botanist and introduced the horse-chestnut tree into Europe. Consult: Forster and Daniell, The Life and Letters of Ogicr Ellinlin de Busbeeg (Lon don, BSI), which contains his most important writings; also, De Thou, Ilistoire dr mon temps (Paris, 1604) Saint-Genois, Les voyageurs beiges (Brussels, 1847) : Dupuis. "Etude sur l'ambassade d'Augier de Busbeeques en Turquie," in Memoires de la Societe des Sciences de Lille.