T U R 



His fon, Francis Turretini, was born at Geneva in 

 1623, and received his education under feveral eminent 

 German profeflbrs, alfo at Leyden, and afterwards at Paris, 

 where he attended the ledures of GafTendi. Returmng to 

 Geneva, he was adnutted to the exercife of his miniftry. 

 Having for fome time officiated as paftor of the Calvinift 

 church at Lyons, he became, on his return to Geneva m 

 1653, profeffor of theology, in which ftation he contmued 

 through life. He was employed in various departments of 

 public bufinefs, and died in 1687. Among other theolo- 

 gical writings, didaftic and controverfial, he publifhed 

 " Inftitutionum Theologix Elenchticae Partes tres," 1679 — 

 1685, exhibiting a fair and candid view of the points that 

 were controverted between the different communions. 

 Moreri. 



A fon of the preceding, John Alphonso Turretini, 

 and the moft celebrated of the name, was born at Geneva 

 in 1 67 1, and having, in confequence of diftinguilbed 

 talents and application, the tuition of able mailers, accefs to 

 a well-ilored library, and an ample patrimony, laid the 

 fomidation of learning at home, he commenced, in his 20th 

 year, his travels, and at Leyden ftudied ecclefiaftical hiftory 

 under Spanheim. During his reildence heqe he publilhed, 

 in 1692, his " Pyrrhonifmus Pontificius, five Thefes Theo- 

 logico-Hiftoricse dc Variationibus Pontificiorum, circa Ec- 

 clefis Infallibilitatem," defigned to counteraft the influence 

 of Boffuet's book " Les Variations des Eglifes Protef- 

 tantes," by fhewing that the Roman Catholic church had 

 been equally fluftuating in its opinions. At this time he 

 vifited England, and being introduced to Burnet, Tillotfon, 

 and Wake, he laboured to cancel the falfe notions that were 

 entertained by fome Englifh divines concerning the Genevan 

 church. Upon his vifit to Paris, he is faid to have afto- 

 nifhed the doftors of the Sorbonne, in a public difputation, 

 by the purity of his Latin, the depth of his reafoning, 

 and his polite manner of arguing. When he returned to 

 Geneva, he commenced the exercife of his miniftry in 1694, 

 and was much admired as a preacher. The magiftrates 

 eftablilhed for him, in 1699, a profeflbrfhip of ecclefiaftical 

 hiftory, the duties of which he difcharged without any 

 falary. Thefe lefturcs were introduced with an oration, 

 " De Sacrarum Antiquitatum ufu et Prseftantia ;" and 

 the fubftance of thefe leftures comprifed a body of eccle- 

 fiaftical hiftory, divided into more than 300 diflertations. 

 In 1 701 he was chofen reftor of the academy of Geneva; 

 and in this ftation, which he occupied for ten years, he 

 delivered ten annual difcourfes, difplaying eloquence united 

 with erudition and excellent moral fentiments. Upon being 

 appointed to the office of profefTor of theology in 1705, he 

 delivered an inaugural fpeech, " De Theologo Veritatis et 

 Pacis ftudiofo." In his courfe of divinity leAures, he dif. 

 cuffed tlie moft important topics of divinity, without the 

 formality of fyftem ; fuch as natural religion, the excel- 

 lence and evidences of the Chriftian revelation, the perfec- 

 tions of the Deity, the interpretation of Scripture, and limilar 

 fubjefts. It was very much the objeft of his wilh to unite 

 all Proteftants ; and with this view he took part with thofe 

 German minifters who, in 1706, obtained a difpenfation from 

 the neceffity of figning the formulary, intitled " Confenfus," 

 introduced during the violent difputes that had occurred 

 concerning Grace and Predeftination. Some other pubKc 

 offices were devolved upon him, which engaged his attention, 

 and occupied much of his time and labour. His alTiduous 

 exertions, together with the uneafinefs that was occalioned 

 by the perturbed ftate of Geneva, are thought to have 

 fhortened his life, which terminated in May 1737, at the 

 age of nearly 66 years. His works in 3 vols. 4to. were 

 publifhed in 1737 > ^^^ a^ter liis death appeared his Com- 



T U R 



mentaries on the Epiftlee to the Romans and Theffalonians. 

 Moreri. Gen. Biog. 



TURRITIS, in Botany, fo called, as Clufius fays, from 

 turris, a tower, in allufion to its pyramidal form of growth ; 

 whence alfo its Englifh name of Tower-muftard. — Linn. 

 Gen. 341. Schreb. 444. Willd. Sp. PI. v. 3. 542. Mart. 

 Mill. Dift. V. 4. Brown in Ait. Hort. Kew. v. 4. 108. 

 Sm. Fl. Brit. 715. Prodr. Fl. Grxc. Sibth. v. 2. 29. 

 Purfh 438. JufT. 238. Gaertn. t. 143 — Clafs and order, 

 TelraJytiamia Siltquofa. Nat. Ord. Siliquojji, Linn. Cru- 

 c'tfert, JufT. 



Gen. Ch. Cal. Perianth inferior, of four ovate -oblong, 

 ere£l leaves, converging in a parallel manner, deciduous. 

 Cor. cruciform, of four ovate-oblong, obtufe, ereft, undi- 

 vided petals, with ereft claws. Stam. Filaments fix, awl- 

 fhaped, ereft, the length of the claws, two of them fhorter ; 

 anthers fimple. P'tjl. Gcrmen the length of the flower, 

 roundifh, Hightly compreffed ; ftyle none ; ftigma obtufe. 

 Perxc. Pod remarkably long, ftraight, quadrangular, but 

 with two oppofite angles obfolete and flattened, of two cells, 

 and two keeled ribbed valves, fcarcely equal in length to 

 the partition. Seeds very numerous, roundifh, emarginate ; 

 their cotyledons accurabent. 



EfF. Ch. Pod very long and ftraight, linear, two-edged ; 

 its valves ribbed and keeled. Calyx clofed, ereft. Corolla 

 ere (El. 



All botanifts, who have examined into the fubjeft, have 

 found great difficulty in diftinguifhing this genus from 

 Arabis (fee that article); the charafter of the four pro- 

 minent fcales, or neftariferous glands, in the latter, being 

 very uncertain. The beft attempt at difcriminating thefe 

 genera that has ever perhaps been made, is Mr. Brown's, in 

 the Hortus Ke-wenfis, which is founded on the feeds of yirabis 

 being ranged in a fimple row in each cell, while thofe of 7ur- 

 ritis compofe a double one ; for this is, in fa<fl, the only 

 real difference in our learned friend's charafters. By his 

 rule, Turritis hirfuta and alpina are removed to Arabis ; while 

 Brajfica arvenfis and Sifymlrium Loefelii, with probably fome 

 others, become fpecies of Turritis. In the latter cafe, great 

 violence is offered to natural affinity, but perhaps the cha- 

 rafter itfelf is not clear in S. Loefelii, and its merit is there- 

 fore not invalidated by this fpecies, whofe clofe relationfhip 

 to 5. Irio we have noticed in the proper place. ( See Sisym- 

 brium. ) We are almoft perfuaded of the merit of the above 

 diftinftion, in fending away to Arabis all the fpecies of Tur- 

 ritis which have a fimple row of feeds, and fome of which 

 have always been ambiguous. They meet in that genus 

 with their natural aUies. Neverthelefs, as we have not yet 

 treated of thefe fpecies, we fhall retain them here, for the 

 prefent at leaft, indicating under each Mr. Brown's altera- 

 tions, for the guidance of thofe who may with to judge of 

 his fentiments, or hereafter to conform to them. On fub- 

 jefts connefted herewith, the reader will find fome remarks 

 under Tetradynamia. 



I. T. glabra. Common Smooth Tower-muftard. Linn. 



Sp. PI. 930. Willd. n. I. Ait. n. 3. Fl. Brit. n. i. 

 Engl. Bot. t. 777. Curt. Lond. fafc; 4. t. 47. Fl. 

 Dae. t. 809. (Turritis; Ger. Em. 272. Turrita vul- 

 gatior ; Cluf. Hift. v. 2. 126.) — Radical leaves toothed, 

 hairy ; the reil entire, clafping the ftem, fmooth. — Native 

 of dry open gravelly places, in moft parts of Europe, from 

 Sweden to Greece, flowering early in fummer. In England 

 it is not one of the moft common plants, being confined to a 

 gravelly, chalky, or limeftoiie foil. The root is annual, or 

 biennial, tap-fhaped. Stem fimple, ercft, w.and-Uke, two 

 or three feet high, round, fmooth ; covered with numerous, 

 fomewhat crowded or imbricated, ereft, very fmooth, ovate, 

 acute, glaucous leaves, arrow-fhaped at their bafc ; while 



the 



