REU 



REV 



ters in Europe, and foon became well (killed in the Arillo- 

 telian philofophy. In this city, and in the diligent purfuit 

 of learning, he remained till he was twenty years of age, 

 when he went to Bafil, where he was admitted a mailer in 

 philofophy, and taught the Greek language to numerous 

 pupils, with great reputation. Here he alfo profecuted his 

 ftudyof the Hebrew, the elements of which lie lean, t while 

 very young. At the fame time, judging that t lie bell man- 

 ner of learning is by teaching, he drew up and publifticd a 

 grammar, a lexiconj and vocabulary, which at that period 

 were highly efteemed, and thought to be of great ufe in in- 

 ftrutling young people. Having fpent four years at Bafil, 

 he went to Orleans for the purpofe of ftudyiagjurifprud* i , 

 and he alfo taught the Greek language in that city, from 

 this place he removed to Poittiers, where he was admitted to 

 the degree of doftor. He next accompanied the count 

 of Wittemberg in a tour through Italy, and was intro- 

 duced at the court of Lorenzo de Medici, at Florence, and 

 contracted an intimacy with Ficinus, Politian, Picus, and 

 other illullrious Platonic philofophers, and was induced to 

 embrace their opinions. In thefe opinions he was confirmed 

 at Rome by the learned Hermolaus Barbaras, who, difiiking 

 the harfhnefs of the German name Reuchlin, prevailed upon 

 him to change it for one more nnufical, namely, CapniOj 

 figuifying, like Reuchlin, fmoke, and by this he was after- 

 wards known among foreigners. He conducted himfelf 

 with fo much ability and addrefs in his tour, that he was, 

 after his return to Germany, deputed as ambafiador from 

 the count of Wittemberg, to the emperor Frederic III. at 

 Vienna. During his reiidence at this court, he made fur- 

 ther progrefs in the Hebrew language, under the inltructious 

 of one of the emperor's phyficians, who was a Jew ; and it 

 was contrived by the Jew, that among the prefents which, 

 according to cuftom.he was to receive as ambafiador, fhould 

 be included a beautiful and ancient manufcript Hebrew bible, 

 as a fpecial compliment paid to him by the emperor, on ac- 

 count of his eminent literary attainments. Frederic dying 

 in 1493, Reuchlin returned to the court of Wirtemberg, 

 and was appointed to be the count's deputy to the diet of. 

 Worms, in which his prince was elevated to the ducal dig- 

 nity. Scarcely had he enjoyed that honour three months, 

 when he died, leaving his dominions to his nephew Ulric. 

 The power of this prince was contefted by another nephew, 

 who aflumed the title of Eberhard II., and who carried the 

 point. One of the firfl afts of this prince was to banilh 

 Reuchlin for his attachment to the interefts of prince Ulric. 

 He now retired to Worms, and wrote "An Epitome of the 

 Hiitory of the four Empires," for the life of the prince Pa- 

 latine. He alfo wrote at this time two Latin comedies, 

 abounding with wit and fatire, which were afterwards pub- 

 lifhed. In 1498, the elector Palatine, having been involved 

 in a difpute with pope Alexander VI., fixed upon Reuchlin 

 astheperfon beft qualified to defend his caufe, and fent him 

 for that purpofe to Rome in the capacity of his ambafiador. 

 On this occafion he pronounced an able and eloquent oration 

 before the pope and cardinals, concerning the rights of princes, 

 and the privileges of the churches in Germany, which was 

 printed by Aldus. Before he returned to Germany, a revo- 

 lution had taken place at Wirtemberg, the ufurper having 

 been expelled, and Ulric reinftaled in his rights. Upon this 

 change, Reuchlin was recalled to the ducal court by the 

 guardians whom the emperor had appointed for Ulric, and 

 very foon after he was nominated to the dignity of one of 

 the triumvirs of the league of Swabia for the emperor and 

 the electors. He was next fent ambafiador to the emperor 

 Maximilian ; and upon his return, finding the plague raging 

 in Swabia, he retired to Stutgard, where he was hofpitably 



received into a monaitery of the Dominicans, and at their re- 

 quell, he drew up a work on the art of preaching. To- 

 wards the clofe of his life he encountered much trouble and 

 danger from the refentment of the monks and other bigots of 

 Cologne, occafioned by his oppofition to their enthufiaftic 

 rage for the deilrutlion of all Jewifh books excepting the 

 bible. It is not neceflary to enter at large into the nature 

 of this controverly, it will be fufficient to obferve, that Reuch- 

 lin found himfelf compelled to carry his caufe to Rome, for 

 the definitive fentence of the papal fee. Here he had many 

 friends, and his agentcarried with him ilrong recommendations 

 from princes, prelates, and men of the greateft eminence in 

 the learned world. Thefe recommendations had great weight 

 in the court of Leo X., and Reuchlin was honourably ac- 

 quitted of the herefy with which he was charged, to the 

 great mortification of his bigotted and malignant enemies. 

 Amidlt the troubles which he met with he profecuted his 

 fludies with unabated ardour, and publilhed fome very 

 learned and profound works. Although, as we have feen, 

 he triumphed over his enemies at the court of Rome, they 

 did not ceafe to trouble him, by the invention of groundless 

 calumnies, and the moil bitter inveftives ; fo that, notwith- 

 standing his great talents, he was fcarcely able, by teaching 

 the Greek and Hebrew languages, to keep himfelf from 

 want. He died in the year 1521, at the age of fixty-eight. 

 His principal works, independently of thofe already noticed, 

 are, " The Life of Conftantine the Great," written by Eu- 

 febius : a treatife " De Verbo Mirifico," in the form of a 

 dialogue between a philolopher, a Jew, and a Chriltian ; and 

 another treatife " De Arte Cabbaliflica." For his great 

 and fuccefsful attempts towards the revival of learning, his 

 name is deferving of being remembered with gratitude by 

 pollerity. His collection of" Letters from illullrious Men," 

 of which an edition was publifhed at Zurich in 1558, is 

 (aid to be full of valuable information concerning the literary 

 hiitory of his time. Dupin fpeaks of him as one of the 

 mod learned men of that age ; and he adds, that notwith- 

 llanding his attachment to his peculiar ftudies, he had a 

 wonderful genius for the belles lettres ; was intimately con. 

 verfant with the Grecian philofophers and orators ; was a 

 perfect mafter of the Greek language, and fpoke Latin with 

 an inimitable purity and elegance ; and that he was the only 

 perfon of whom Germany at that time could boaft, who de- 

 ieived to be regarded as a competitor for fame with all the 

 learned men in Italy, who was their equal in the delicacy of 

 his I! vie, while he greatly excelled them in erudition. Mo- 

 reri. Dupin. Enfield's Hill. Phil. vol. ii. 



REUDEN, in Geography, a town of Saxony ; 5 miles 

 N.W. of Bitterfeld. 



REUDZEL, a river of European Turkey, which runs 

 into the Reut, 18 miles W. of Florefzti, in Moldavia. 



REVE, or Greve, in Ancient Cujloms, the bailiff of a 

 franchife, or manor, thus called ; efpecially in the weltern 

 parts. 



Hence, fhire-reve, fheriff, port-greve, church-reve, Sec. 

 See Sheriff, Port-greve, &c. 



Reve, Reia, is alio ufed for a duty or impofition on 

 merchandizes imported. 



M. Du-Cange derives the word from the Latin roga, of 

 rogare,toaJh ; the word formerly fignifying a tribute anciently 

 granted princes at their requeft, as a free gift. 



REVEALED Religion. See Religion and Revela- 

 tion'. 



Revealed Theology. Sec Theology. 



REVEILLE, formed of the verb reveiller, to awake, a 

 beat of drum in the morning, intended to give notice that it 



is 



