S I M 



of laws. M. Pelletier de Souzy engaged him as preceptor 

 to his fon, and afterwards employed him as his own fecre- 

 tary, and as a remuneration for his fervices made him coun- 

 fellor of the fortifications. He became very famous as a 

 writer of infcriptions and legends of medals ftruck. on public 

 occafions, and on this account he was nominated a member 

 of the Academy of Infcriptions and Belles-Lettres. He 

 contributed feveral learned difiertations to the Memoirs of 

 that body : and he read before it feveral parts of a medallic 

 hillory of Lewis XIV. He was an excellent writer both 

 in the Latin and French languages, and in verfe as well as 

 profe. In 1712 he was appointed keeper of the royal 

 cabinet of medals. He died in 1719. 



Simon, Richard, a bibhcal critic, was born at Dieppe 

 in 16^8. He received his early education in the college of 

 the Fathers of the Oratory in that place, and aftervrards 

 entered into that congregation. Quitting it in a very (hort 

 time, he purfued the itudy of theology, and of the Orien- 

 tal languages, in which he made a great proficiency. He 

 entered himfelf again a member of the Oratory in 1662, 

 when his Angular turn of thinking, and unaccommodating 

 temper, involved him in differences, which had nearly caufed 

 him to abandon the fociety for that of the Jefuits. Thefe 

 were, after a time, compromifed, and he was fent as pro- 

 feflbr of philofophy to one of their colleges. The houfe 

 of the Oratory in Paris poffefiing a library rich in Oriental 

 writings, Simon was engaged to draw up a catalogue of 

 them, on which occafion he became known to M. de La- 

 moignon, firlt prefident of the parliament of Paris. Having 

 performed the talk, he returned to his profellbrrtiip, and 

 there employed himfelf in literary labours. In the year 

 1670 he was ordained prieft, and in the fame year he gave 

 a proof of the liberality of his mind, by undertaking the 

 defence of the Jews at Metz, who had been accufed of 

 facrificing the child of Chriftian parents. In 1674 he pub- 

 lifhed, under the name Ricared Simeon, " A Treatife on 

 the Ceremonies and Cultoms at prefent preferved among 

 the Jews, tranflated from the Itahan of Leo of Modena, 

 with a Supplement refpefting the Sefts of the Caraites and 

 Samaritans." It was reprinted in 1681, with a fupplement, 

 containing " A Comparifon between the Ceremonies of the 

 Jews and Difcipline of the Church." In 1678 he pub- 

 liihed " A Critical Hiftory of the Old Teftament," which, 

 by the boldnefs of fome of its opinions, gave a confiderable 

 degree of offence ; and though it was protefted by the ap- 

 probation of a doftor of the Sorbonne, and a royal privi- 

 lege, an order was procured for prohibiting its fale, and the 

 privilege was revoked. In the fame year he quitted the 

 Oratory, in order that he might enjoy that freedom which 

 is natural to the mind, and of which he was enthufiattically 

 fond. He was accuftomed to exprefs his fenfe of the ad- 

 vantages of liberty by repeatmg the words " Alterius ne 

 fit qui fuus efle poteft." For the purpofe of enjoying ttill 

 more liberty, he rcfigned his cure four years after this, and 

 fpent the remainder of his life in the compofition of feveral 

 works, of which a great part was controverfial. He died 

 at Dieppe in 17 12, at the age of 74. 



Simon was a man of extenfive and very deep learning, and 

 an acute critic, but fond of Angularity. Few men of letters 

 have engaged in more difputes, and among his adverfaries 

 are fome of the moft eminent men of his time, Catholic as 

 ■well as Proteftant. He has, however, been ever regarded 

 as one of thofe, who have much contributed to the free 

 and learned difcufiions which have improved fcriptural 

 theology, and though not avowedly a reformer, he was an 

 effeftive promoter of the Reformation. He pubhfhed a 

 number of works, and in addition to thofe already noticed, 

 we may mention " Hiftoire critique du Teste du Nouveau 



SIM 



Teflament ;" " Hiftoire critique des Verfions du Nouveao 

 Teftament ;" " Hiftoire critique des principaux Commen- 

 tateurs du Nouveau Teftament ;" " Nouvelles Obferva- 

 tioiis fur le Texte et les Verfions du Nouveau Teftament ;" 

 " Une Traduftion Frasgoife du Nouveau Teftament, avec 

 Remarques Litterales et Critiques," 2 vols. 8vo. This 

 was condemned in the paftoral letters of Noailles, arch- 

 biftjop of Paris, and Bofl'uet, bifhop of Meaux. " Biblio- 

 theque Critique," 4 vols, published under the name of 

 Sainjore, a work fuppreffed by order of council. " Nou- 

 velle Bibliotheque Choifie," being a fequel to the former. 

 " Lettres Critiques," 4 vols. " Critique de la Biblio- 

 theque des Auteurs Ecclefiattiques de M. Dupin, et des 

 Prolegomenes fur la Bible du meme," 4 vols. 8vo. " Hif- 

 toire Critique de la Croyance et des Coutumes des Nations 

 du Levant." M. Simon left his MSS. and a number of 

 printed books, with marginal notes written with his own 

 hand, to the cathedral library of Rouen. 



There was another Simon of fome celebrity, a doftor of 

 laws, the author of " A Dictionary of the Bible," explain- 

 ing the geography of the Old and New Teftament, and the 

 ceremonies of the Jews, iirft printed at Lyons in 1693, 

 and again in 1703, with confiderable additions, forming 

 two vols, folio. 



Simon, a great mufician among the ancients, who, re- 

 jefting former rules of his art, invented a new mode, which 

 was called " Simodia," from his name, in the fame manner 

 as the genus invented by Lyfes, was called Lyfodia. 



Simon, M., inventor of pedals for the harp, or harp 

 a pedak. See Ha IIP. 



Simon, in Ichthyology, a name by which fome authors 

 have called the dolphin. It is affirmed, that this fifti lovet 

 the name, and will come to a perfon who calls him by it ; 

 but this, though recorded by authors of credit, meets with 

 no faith among the judicious readers. 



Simon'j- Bay, in Geography, a bay on the coaft of Africa, 

 1 1 miles on the W. fide of the Cape of Good Hope : 

 this is the only convenient ftation for fhips to lie in ; for 

 although the road without it affords good anchorage, it is 

 too open, and but ill-circumftanced for producing neceffaries, 

 the town being fmall, and fupplied with provifions from 

 Cape Town, which is about 24 miles diftant. The anchoring 

 place is fituated in S. lat. 34° 20', or 34° 23'. E. long. iS"* 

 29'. In April 1780, the difi of the S. end of the magnetic 

 needle was 46° 47', and variation of the compafs 22° 16' W. 

 On the full and change days it was high water at 5'' 55" 

 apparent time ; the tide rofe and fell 5 feet 5 inches ; at the 

 neap tides it rofe 4 feet I inch. Cook's Third Voyage, 

 vol. iii. 



SIMONETTA, Giovanni, in Biography, an hiftorian, 

 was a native of Caffaro, in Sicily. In 1414 he entered 

 into the fervice of Francefco Sforza, duke of Milan, of 

 which prince his brother Cicco was the confidential minifter. 

 After the death of Francefco, he attached himfelf to his 

 fon Galeazzo Maria, to whom he, with his brother, conti- 

 nued fo faithful, that when Ludovico Sforza ufurped the 

 dukedom, they were arrefted and fent prifoners to Pavia. 

 Cicco, in the following year, was beheaded, and Giovanni 

 was banifhed to Vercelli. He, however, returned to Milan, 

 where he was buried about the year 1491. Simonetta com- 

 pofed in Latin a hiftory of the aftions of Francefco Sforza 

 from 1423 to 1466, which is accounted one of the bed 

 works of that time. It was feveral times printed. It is 

 alfo found in Muratori's coUeftion of Italian hiftorians. 



SIMONIAC AL is applied to a perfon guilty of fimony ; 

 that is of purchafing a benefice, or other facred matter, with 

 money. See Simony. 



SIMONIANS, or Simonites, in Eukfiafiical Hillory^ 



a fed 



I 



