50 
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during his controverfy with Dr. Dodwell, under the title 
of “ Ahglicani Schifmatis Redargutio,” See. 1691, 4to, 
Gen. Blog. 
NICEPH'ORUS (Gregoras), one of the Byzantine 
liiftorians, who flourifhed in the fourteenth century. He 
was a favourite of Andronicus Palasologus the elder, who 
made him librarian of the Conftantinopolitan church, 
and fent him on an embafly to the prince of Servia. He 
followed that emperor after his depofition, and was with 
him at his death. He afterwards went to the court of 
Andronicus the younger, where he was the caufe of the 
refufal of the Greeks to enter into a conference with the 
legates of pope John XXII. In the difputes between 
Barlaam and Palamas, he took the part of the former and 
of Acyndinus, whom he warmly fupported in the council 
held at Conftantinople in 1351. On this account he was 
put in prifon, but was liberated on the return of John 
Palasologus. Nicephorus wrote eleven books of the By¬ 
zantine Hiftory, comprehending a period of 145 years, 
from Theodore Lafcaris I. to the death of the younger 
Andronicus, in 1341. This was firll printed at Balil in 
1561, with a Latin verfion by Jerome Wolff. A more 
correct edition, with a new verfion, was publilhed from 
the Louvre prefs in 1702, by M. Boivin, jun. The au¬ 
thor’s attachment to the elder Andronicus has made him 
partial to his caufe; and Cantacuzenus charges him with 
much mifreprefentation refpefclinghimfelfand the younger 
Andronicus. Gregoras alio wrote the life of his uncle 
John metropolitan of Herac'lea; and compofed fcholia on 
Synefius De Infomniis, which have been publilhed, be- 
fides other pieces ftill in manufeript. Gen. Blog. 
NICERON' (John Francis), a French monk and inge¬ 
nious mathematician, was born at Paris, in the year 1613. 
He early difplayed a love for learning; and, by the progrels 
which he made in his elementary ftudies, afforded fair 
promife of future excellence. At the age of nineteen he 
entered into the order of Minims; and, before he had 
gone through his courfe of philofophy, difeovered that 
his predominant inclination was to the ftudy of the ma¬ 
thematical fciences, to which, after he had completed his 
theological courfe, he devoted all the time that was not 
neceffarily occupied by the duties of his profeflion. The 
fcience of optics was what principally engaged his atten¬ 
tion ; and he left behind him, in different houfes belong¬ 
ing to his order, particularly that at Paris, fome excellent 
performances, which afforded latisfaftory evidence of his 
profound (kill in this branch of the mathematics. He 
was twice lent on bufinefs to Rome, and was appointed 
regent of the philofophical claffes. Afterwards he was 
nominated to accompany father Francis de la Noue, vicar- 
general of the order, in his vifitation of all the convents 
of Minims in France. Qur young monk fell fick at Aix 
in Provence, and died there in the autumn of 1646, when 
he was only thirty-three years of age. This event was 
lamented as a confiderable lofs to the republic of letters. 
Pie was the author of the following works, which are held 
in high eftimation ; 1. The Interpretation of Cyphers, 
or, a Rule for the perfe£l Underftanding and certain Ex¬ 
planation of all Kinds of Ample Cyphers, taken from the 
Italian of the Sieur Anthony Maria Cofpi, Secretary to 
the Grand Duke of Tufcany ; enlarged, and particularly 
accommodated to the French and Spanilh Languages $ 
1641, 8vo. 2. Curious Perfpe&ive; or, artificial Magic 
produced by the wonderful Efrefls of Optics, Catoptrics, 
and Dioptrics, &c, *638, folio; which was only intro- 
duffory to, 3. Thaumaturgus Opticus; five, admiranda; 
Optices, Catoptrices, et Dioptrices, Pars prima, de iis quas 
fpeftantad vifionem direftam; 1646, folio. On this work 
he was employed fix years, and was prevented by his death 
from proceeding to the completion of the intended fecond 
and third parts, relating to the effeffs of refledtion from 
plane, cylindrical, and conical, mirrors, and the refradfion 
of eryllals. This talk his friend father Merfenne under¬ 
took, not only by corredling what father Niceron’s papers 
in Latin and French would kirnilh toward-s it, but by lup- 
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plying what might be neceffary to perfedf it. But the 
other occupations of this learned mathematician, during 
the two remaining years of his own life, prevented him 
alfofrom finifliing the work, which, upon his death, was 
committed for that purpofe to M. de Roberval, profeffor- 
royal of mathematics at Paris. Gen. Biog. 
NICERON' (John Peter), a man of letters, defeended 
from an ancient and refpedtable family, was born at Paris 
in 1685. He entered into the congregation of Barnabites, 
in which he took his vows at the age of twenty; and, after 
completing his courfe of ftudies at Montargis, he was 
fent to Loches as profeffor, firit of the languages, and 
then of theology. He took prieft’s orders in 1708 ; and 
paffed fome years in teaching rhetoric and philofophy at 
Montargis, at the fame time performing the paftoral duties 
of his fundfion. In 1716, he was called to refide at Paris, 
where he thenceforth occupied himfelf in literary pur- 
fuits, to which he was always greatly attached. Befides 
the learned languages, he was acquainted with the princi¬ 
pal modern tongues of Europe ; a circumftance of infi¬ 
nite advantage in the compolition of thofe works which he 
has given to the public, and which he carried on with great 
afiiduity to the time of his death, which happened after a 
fhort illnefs, July 8, 1738, at the age of fifty-three. His 
works are, 1. he grand Feh-ifuge; or, a Differtation to 
prove that common water is the bell remedy in fevers, and 
even in the plague, tranllated from the Englilh of John 
Hancock minifter of St. Margaret’s, London ; in nmo. 
This little treatife made its appearance, amongft other 
pieces relating to this fubjedl, in 1720 ; and was attended 
with a fuccefs which carried it through three editions; the 
laft came out in 1730, in 2 vols. 121U0. entitled, A Trea¬ 
tife on Common Water; Paris, printed by Cavelier. 2. 
The Voyages of John Ouvington to Surat, and divers 
parts of Alia and Africa; containing the hiftory of tire 
revolution in the kingdom of Golconda, and fome obfer- 
vations upon filk-worms; Paris, 1725, 2 vols. nmo. 3. 
The Converfion of England to Chriftianity, compared 
with its pretended Reformation ; a work tranllated from 
the Englifh; Paris, 1729, 8vo. 4. The Natural Hiftory 
of the Earth, tranllated from the Englilh of Mr. Wood¬ 
ward, by M. Nogues, dodlor in phyfic ; with an anfwer 
to the objections of Dr. Camerarius; containing alfo fe- 
veral letters written on the fame fubjedl, and a methodical 
diftribution of folfils, tranllated from the Englilh by Ni- 
ceron; Paris, 1735, 4to. 5. Memoires pour fervir a 
l’Hiftoire des Hommes Illuftres dans la Republique des 
Lettres, avec un Catalogue raifonne des leurs Ouvrages. 
Of this publication the firit volume appeared at Paris in 
1727, nmo. and the reft were printed in fuccellion to the 
forty-third ; but in the three laft there are feveral articles 
not written byNiceron. This is confiaered as a valuable 
addition to literary biography, although the ftyle is negli¬ 
gent, and no great degree of fagacity is Ihown in charac- 
terifing the different perfons who are its fubjedls. He 
has applied the title of iUwJlrious men to a number of 
authors, many of whom are obfeure or contemptible; but 
the refearches into the hiftory of publications are ufeful, 
and often curious. Ency. Bvit. 
NICE'TAS (David), a Greek hillorian, a native, as 
fome relate, of Paphlagonia, who lived about the end of 
the ninth century. He wrote the Life of St. Ignatius, pa¬ 
triarch of Conftantinople, which was tranllated into Latin 
by Frederic Mntius, bilhop of Termoli; he compofed alfo 
feveral panegyrics in honour of the apoftles and other 
faints, which are inferred in the laft continuation of the 
Bibliotheca Patrum by Combefis. 
NICE'TAS, furnamed Serron, a learned Greek pre¬ 
late who flouriftied in the latter part of the eleventh cen¬ 
tury, was a contemporary and correfpondent of Theo. 
phyla< 5 l, metropolitan of Bulgaria, as appears from let¬ 
ters of that prelate to him which are ftill extant. He was 
made deacon and mailer, or teacher, of the great church 
at Conftantinople; from which fituation he was promoted, 
at firft to the archbiihopric of Serron, or of the Serraj in 
4 Macedonia, 
