THE 



BRITISH ENCYCLOPEDIA. 



NICERON. 



NICERON (JOHN FRANCIS,) in bio- 

 graphy, a French monk and inge- 

 nious mathematician in the seventeenth 

 century, was born at Paris, in the year 

 1613. He early displayed a love of learn- 

 ing, and by the progress which he made 

 in his elementary studies, afforded fair 

 promise of future excellence. At the 

 age of nineteen he entered into the or- 

 der of Minims, and before he had gone 

 through his course of philosophy, disco- 

 vered that his predominant inclination 

 was to the study of mathematical scien- 

 ces, to which, after he had completed 

 his theological course, he devoted all the 

 time that was not necessarily occupied 

 by the duties of his profession. The 

 science of optics was what principally en- 

 gaged his attention ; and he left behind 

 him, in different houses belonging to his 

 order, particularly that at Paris, some ex- 

 cellent performances, which afforded 

 satisfactory evidence of his profound 

 skill in this branch of the mathematics. 

 He was twice sent on business to Rome, 

 and was appointed regent of the philo- 

 sophical classes. Afterwards he was no- 

 minated to accompany father Francis de 

 la None, vicar-general of the order, in 

 his visitation of all the convents of Mi- 

 nims in France. The similarity of their 

 taste proved the means of introducing 

 him to the acquaintance of Des Cartes, 

 who entertained a great regard for him, 

 arid made him a present of his " Prin- 

 ciples of Philosophy." Their intimacy, 

 however, which commenced in 1644, 

 proved but of short duration, since our 



young monk fell sick at Aix, in Pro- 

 vence, and died there in the autumn of 

 1646, when he was only thirty-three 

 years of age. This event was lamented 

 as a considerable loss to the republic of 

 letters. He was the author of the follow- 

 ing works, which are held in high esti- 

 mation. " The interpretation of Cy- 

 phers, or, a Rule for the perfect Under- 

 standing and certain explanation of all 

 Kinds of simple Cyphers, taken from the 

 Italian of the Sieur Anthony Maria Cospi, 

 secretary to the Grand Duke of Tuscany ; 

 enlarged, and particularly accommodated 

 to the French and Spanish Languages," 

 1641, octavo; *' Curious Perspective, or 

 artificial Magic, produced by the won- 

 derful Effects of Optics, Catoptrics, and 

 Dioptrics," &c. 1638, folio; which was 

 only introductory to his " Thaumaturgus 

 Opticus, sive, admirandae Optices, Catop- 

 tnces, et Dioptrices, Pars prima, de iis 

 quse spectant ad visionem directam," 

 1646, folio. On this work he was em- 

 ployed six years, and was prevented by 

 his 'death from proceeding to the com- 

 pletion of the intended second and third 

 parts, relating to the effects of reflection 

 from plane, cylindrical, and conical mir- 

 rors, and the refraction of crystals. This 

 task his friend father Mersenne under- 

 took, not only by correcting what Nice- 

 ron's papers in Latin and French would 

 furnish towards it, but by supplying what 

 might be necessary to perfect it. But 

 the other occupations of this learned ma- 

 thematician, during the two remaining 

 years of his own life, prevented him from 



