T H O 



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T H O 



piety, and good conduct consist, and why man should 

 strive after them. It shows that a remarkable progress 

 had taken place in the mind of Thomasin during the 

 interval between the composition of the Italian and that 

 of the German work. In the former, as he himself states. 

 he had proceeded from the idea that courteous conduct 

 and nobility of birth were always combined with a noble 

 mind, or, in other words, that the changeable rules 

 respecting good manners were of greater value than the 

 eternal law of morality which is implanted in every 

 man's heart. This prejudice is altogether given up 

 in his German poem, where he declares that a man is 

 foolish who thinks himself great because he is of noble 

 birth and possesses courteous manners, and that it is only 

 a man's heart and real character that make him worth 

 anything. Virtue with him is now a fundamental prin- 

 ciple, and not a mere expedient. He describes virtues 

 and vices, and their respective consequences, with a truly 

 Socratic spirit and dignity. Thomasin was well acquainted 

 with the history of antiquity, and it is among the antients 

 that he found his best models of really virtuous men. 

 The whole poem is a sublime and altogether practical 

 system of morality : it is a philosophy in the garb of poetry 

 and occasionably embellished by figurative language. 

 But he does not write in the spirit of any particular school ; 

 his object is in general to instruct man on matters con- 

 cerning his physical and spiritual welfare. 



This masterpiece of early German poetry and phi- 

 >liy has never yet been published entire, but it is .-aid 

 that Frornmann is preparing an edition of it. Fragments 

 of it are printed in Eschenburg's ' Denkmaler Altdeutscher 

 Dichtkunst,' p. 121, &c. ; compare Gervinus, ' Geschichte 

 der Poetischen National Literatur der Deutschen,' vol. i., 

 p. 450, &c. 



THOMA'SIUS, CHRISTIAN. The real name of this 

 author is Thomas, and in the works which he published in 

 his mother tongue he always calls himself Christian 

 Thomas. He was born at Leipzig, on the 12th of January, 

 1055. and was the son of Jacob Tliomasius 1022-1084,), a 

 distinguished professor of philosophy, and some time 

 rector of the celebrated Thoinasschule at Leipzig, under 

 whose auspices Leibnitz was educated. The education of 

 Christian Tliomasius was conducted by his lather, whose 

 knowledge of philosophy and its history gave his mind at 

 an early age a decided turn. Christian had scarcely 

 attained his fourteenth year when he was found sufficiently 

 prepared to enter the university. In his sixteenth year he 

 obtained the degree of bachelor of arts, and the year after 

 that of master of arts. The chief subjects of his studies 

 were philosophy and law, more especially the law of nature, 

 which he regarded as the basis of all other laws. The 

 instruction of his father and his own experience at the 

 university had convinced him that the methods of teaching 

 then followed were pedantic and deficient, and he de- 

 termined to remedy these delects as much as was in his 

 power. In 1075 he went to Frankfort-on-the-Oder, where 

 he began a course of lectures on law, but they do not 

 appear to have been well received by his colleagues, and 

 a few years after, in 1079, after having obtained the degree 

 of doctor of laws, he left Frankfort, and made a literary 

 journey to Holland. On returning to Leipzig he com- 

 menced the practice of the la\\'. But this occupation did 

 not offer sufficient scope for hiln, and he again became an 

 academical teacher, in which capacity he brought about 

 the most beneficial reforms. The law of nature, which 

 had until then bten almost entirely neglected in the uni- 

 versities, continued to be the principal subject of his 

 studies. The older professors, who found themselves di.-- 

 turbed in their routine of teaching by the energy and 

 boldness of the young man, began to clamour against him. 

 So long as his father lived, violent outbreaks were pre- 

 vented, partly because he restrained his son's eagemi's* 

 for reforms, and partly because the other professors 

 med him too much to hurt his feelings by open 

 attacks upon his son. When however his father died, 

 in 10H4, the bitterness and boldness with which young 

 Thomasius attacked antiquated prejudices of all kinds 

 together with their champions, involved him in numerous 

 disputes. This enmity was not. only provoked by the 

 matter and the manner "of his teaching, but also by several 

 publications which tended to destroy established opinions. 

 One of them, on polygamy, especially gave great offence ; 



he asserted that polygamy was at least not contrary to any 

 law of nature. 



Up tQ this time it had been the general custom in all 

 German universities to deliver lectures in Latin, and to 

 make all public announcements of them in the same 

 language. In the year 1087 Thomasius published his pro- 

 gram in German, and announced that he would deliver a 

 course of lectures in German, and on a subject which 

 appeared altogether foreign' to a university, viz. on the 

 manner in which the Germans should follow the example 

 of the French (' Diseours, welcher Gestalt man denen 

 Franzosen im gemeinen Leben und Wandel nachahmen 

 soil,' published at Leipzig, 1087, 4to.). This daring inno- 

 vation was regarded by his colleagues as a perfect heresy, 

 though, after the example was once set, it was gradually 

 followed by other professors, until it became the universal 

 practice in all German universities to lecture in German. 

 It was a necessary consequence of this that books of a 

 scientific character now began to be written in German. 

 Notwithstanding both the open and secret attacks to 

 which Thomasius had thus exposed himself, he continued 

 to combat prejudice, pedantry, and error. He was un- 

 sparing in his censure, which was usually combined with 

 wit and satire, and even his former teachers did not 

 escape. In the year after, 1C88, he established a German 

 Monthly Review, under the title, ' Freimiithige, jedoch 

 vernunft- und gesetzmassige Gedanken fiber allerhand, 

 fiirnemlich aber neue Biicher,' which he conducted from 

 1C88 till 1690, and which gave him immense influence in 

 all parts of Germany, and the means of chastising his 

 enemies. His enemies in their turn tried every means to 

 avenge themselves ; and although Thomasius at. first suc- 

 ceeded in averting the danger that was gathering around 

 him, yet the disputes became daily more vehement und 

 serious, especially with two divines, Pfeifer and Carp- 

 zovius, who charged him with atheism. The theological 

 faculty of Leipzig was likewise gained over to their side. 

 H. G. Masius, court preacher to the king of Denmark, 

 who had been rather severely dealt with by Thomasius in 

 his Journal, and who made a reply, to which Thomasius 

 answered in a very energetic manner, persuaded the king 

 of Denmark to have all the published parts of Thomasius's 

 Journal burnt in the market-place of Copenhagen by the 

 hangman, 1089. Such proceedings in a foreign country 

 were treated by Thomasius with contenpt ; but the storm 

 was gathering over his head. In the sanje year he became 

 involved in disputes with the Pietists, and also came 

 forward to justify marriages between two persons of 

 different religions, which enraged the divines of Witten- 

 berg to such a degree, that the chief consistory was 

 induced by various charges which were made against him 

 to issue an order for tiie apprehension of Thomasius. He 

 escaped the danger and fled to Berlin, where he met with 

 a kind reception and the protection of Frederick III., the 

 great elector of Brandenburg (afterwards King; Frederick 1. ;, 

 who not only permitted him to settle at Halle, but also 

 to lecture in the Ritteracademie (academy for young 

 noblemen) of that place. He began his lectures here in 

 1090, and met with the same approbation on the part 

 of the students as at Leipzig ; and the increase in the 

 number of students induced the elector in 1094 to found 

 the university of Halle, in which he appointed Thomasius 

 professor of jurisprudence, and conferred upon him the title 

 of councillor, with a salary of 500 thalers. In this new 

 position too Thomasius continued to be annoyed by nu- 

 merous disputes, partly with his former adversaries and 

 partly with others. In the year 1709 he had the satisfac- 

 tion to receive an invitation to the chair of jurisprudence 

 in the university of Leipzig, which however he refused. 

 King Frederick I. of Prussia, pleased with the determina- 

 tion of Thomasius not to leave his service, rewarded him 

 with the title of privy-councillor. In 1710 Thomasius was 

 elected rector of the university of Halle, and dean of the 

 faculty of jurisprudence. He died on the 23rd of Sep- 

 tember, 1728, in the seventy-third year of his age. 



If ever a man exercised a beneficial influence upon his 

 age and country, an influence which will extend to the 

 latest posterity, it is Thomasius. He was one of the few 

 men, like Luther and Lessing, who now and then rise up 

 in a nation, give it an impulse, and determine its course. 

 At the time when Thomasius began to make himself known, 

 philosophy and theology were studied and taught in such a 



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