36 MEMOIR OP GESNER. 



on the two former of these subjects; but some 

 account of them is necessary to enable us to form 

 an idea of the extent of his acquirements, his extra- 

 ordinary powers of application, and the wonderful 

 fertility of his genius. Shortly after obtaining his 

 degree, he published numerous translations of Greek 

 treatises, on various subjects of literature and criti- 

 cism, an edition of Martial, &c., besides editing 

 several works for his friends. Of the latter we may 

 mention that of his friend Moibau, of whose work 

 on Dioscorides he superintended the publication, in 

 order that the friends of the author might obtain 

 the emoluments : that of Valerius Cordus, " De 

 Historia Plantarum," a zealous naturalist, who died 

 at Rome at the early age of twenty-nine ; and 

 lastly, tlie " Lexicon Rei Herbarise Trilinque" of 

 his friend Kyber, who was carried off by the plague 

 at Strasburg at an equally early age. But his most 

 important work in this department was his Bihlio- 

 theca Universalis^ the object of which was not only 

 to give the titles of all the works tlien known, in 

 Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, whether actually exist- 

 ing or lost, but to afford some knowledge of their 

 contents, a specimen of their style, and a critical 

 estimate of the merits of the respective authors. 

 The idea w^as an excellent one, and has, as is well 

 known, been often acted upon since. It is said 

 to have suggested to Haller the plan of his Bib- 

 liotheca Britannica, and Biblioth. Anatomica. The 

 first part of the work was published at Zurich in 

 1545. This contained the names of tlic authors 



