I. 74-4) 
botany for some time, and then returned to Zurich to 
' sioeszate his profession as a physician. He was. ad- 
mitted to the degree of Doctor, and was soon after- 
wards appointed professor of philosophy; a situation 
which he held during the remaining twenty-four years 
of hislife. “In the year 1565, he was carried off by the 
ett to iled ; i 
Eioarkiave em styles Conrad Gesner mon- 
strum eruditionis, “a. igy of learning.” Mr Coxe, in 
his Letters on Switzerland, justly observes, that “those 
who are conversant with the works of this great scho- 
Jar and naturalist, cannot repress their wonder. and ad- 
miration at the amplitude of his knowledge in every 
species of erudition, and the variety of his discoveries 
in natural history. »Their wonder and) admiration,” 
says he, “ are stil] farther maocntery when they con- 
sider the gross ignorance of the age which he helped 
to enlighten, we the scanty succours he possessed, to 
aid him in thus extending the bounds of knowledge ; 
that he composed his works, and made those discove- 
ries, which would have done honour to -” noe en- 
ightened period, under the compli evils of pover- 
pa i a eT uneasiness.” On account of 
variety of his attainments, and the extent of his 
pay e was distinguished by the name of the Ger- 
man Pliny. . eid 
~ His works are numerous ; of these the principal are, 
1, An Universal Dictionary, published at Zurich in 
1645, 2. A History of Animals, in four volumes folio, 
Zurich, 1551. 3. A Greek and Latin Lexicon. 4. Opera 
Botanica, Nuremberg, folio. (=) r 
GESNER, or Gessner, Jounn Marruew, an emi- 
nent German philologer, was born at Roth, a village in 
the territory of Anspach, on the 9th Sua ae 1691. He 
was reduced to great poverty by the death of his father, 
at avery early age ; but by the kindness of a relation, 
he'was enabled to acquire the elements of learning at 
the public school of Anspach. _In 1710, he repaired to 
the university of Jena, where he studied theology, and 
himself partly by occasional poems, until he 
obtained the patronage of Buddeus, by whose recommen- 
dation he was appointed,in 1715, to superintend the pub- 
lie school at Weimar ; from. whence he was removed 
to.a similar situation at) Anspach.in 1728, and in 1730 
~ to Leipsic... Having greatly distinguished himself as a 
nd philologer, he repaired to Gottingen, where, 
in L754, he was appointed professor of humanity in the 
newly erected university, to which were added the of- 
fices of public librarian, and ins of schoolsthrough- 
out the electorate of Hanover. In the year 1751, he 
made director of the Royal Academy of Sciences at 
Gottingen ; and in 1756, he received the honorary title 
of Aulic Counsellor. In. every situation, he exhibited 
proofs of uncommon industry and erudition; he was 
zealous in promoting the interests and prosperity of the 
university, to which he was so. great an ornament ; and 
endeayoured to discharge his duties as a public teacher 
in a manner at once agreeable and useful. He died at 
G in the year 1761. 
. To this eminent scholar, we are indebted for some 
excellent editions of the classics, particularly Quimtilian, 
Pliny,-Claudian, and, the, of Orpheus, which last 
were published, aftmehinslesth.} by Hamberger. Besides 
these, his principal work is the Thesaurus Latine Lin- 
ue et eruditionis Romane, Leipsic, 1747, 1748, in 
fou yolumes folio, The great value of this work is well 
_known to every scholar. Gesner also published seve- 
. ed memoirs,in the Transactions of the Gottin- 
Academy of Sciences. (z), | 
VOL. X; PART 4. 
GESNER. 
257 
. GESNER, or Gessner, Sotomon, acelebrated Ger- 
man and. landscape painter, was born at Zurich on 
the first of April 1730. Inthe early period of his 
youth he made very slow progress in his education, and 
was considered by his teachers asa pupil of very mean 
capacity, But this backwardness must. be ascribed to 
the perverse method of instruction at that time in use, 
and:not to any deficieney of intellect on the part of the 
upil. During his school hours, instead of devotin 
Pie attention to the study of grammatical rules, he of- 
ten employed himself in modelling. figures of various 
kinds, groups of men and animals in wax, and thus dis 
covered an early genius for the imitative arts.» B 
some accident, a copy of Robinson Crusoe fell into his 
hands, and awakened a poetic fancy, which his precep- 
tors endeavoured to stifle by every means in their 
power. 
His parents, however, peeing the education of 
their son advance so slowly, resolved to try a different: 
method, and accordingly sent him to the country, to 
the Rev. Mr Végeli, a gentleman who had acquired 
great reputation as a teacher. Here, under a milder 
system of discipline, Gesner made sufficient progress 
to enable him.to read the Roman poets in the original; 
and the Greek writers in the Latin version. His in- 
tercourse with the son of his instructor, a passionate ad- 
mirer of ancient literature, and a lover of the belles let- 
tres in general, was likewise of great advantage to him. 
Through him he became acquainted with the works of 
the German poet Brockes, which he perused with avi- 
dity, and to which he was indebted for the develope- 
ment of his poetical talents. 
After a residence of about two years at Berg, he 
turned to his family, and resolved to follow his father’s 
poseanon of a printer and bookseller. At Zurich he 
ad.an opportunity of increasing his knowledge and 
improving his genius, by cultivating the society of men 
distinguished for their, talents and learning. In the 
year 1749, he was sent to an eminent bookseller at 
Berlin, in order to learn his business. But the mecha« 
nical occupations in which he was employed by his 
master were by no means suited to the taste of Ges- 
ner, who already began to feel the consciousness of his 
own abilities.. He therefore quitted his employer, hired 
an apartment for himself, and resolved to devote him- 
self to the study of landscape painting, which had long 
been his favourite pursuit. This hasty step excited the 
displeasure of his. parents, who determined to make 
him feel his dependence, by withdrawing from him 
their support. A. reconciliation, however, soon took 
place; and Gesner obtained their permission to remain 
at Berlin, with the liberty of following his own inclina« 
tions. . Here he formed an acquaintance with several 
eminent literary characters, and was. particularly inti- 
mate with Ramler, by whose advice he was induced to 
resolve his poetical compositions into harmonious prose; 
instead of verse, which presented many serious difficul- 
ties to an author who was not conversant with the more 
improved dialect of the German language. 
After paying a visit to Hamburgh, Gesner returned 
to Zurich, and published, in succession, those pieces 
which have procured for him an extensive and well- 
merited reputation, In 1751, his Song of a Swiss to 
his Mistress on her appearing in Armour, was inserted 
in a periodical publication. His next essay was the 
piece entitled Night. In 1754, he published a larger 
poem, entitled Daphnis, which was suggested to him 
by Amiot’s translation of Longus. These were follows 
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