N I C 
no fmall degree to dift'ufe more enlightened notions in 
theology and philofophy, as. well as a more correct tafte 
in polite literature among the Germans. He poflefted a 
great fund of ufeful knowledge ; found and enlightened 
judgment; indefatigable induftry, and many other excel¬ 
lent qualities, which entitle him to a place among the belt 
German writers. His romances are not indeed diftin- 
guifhed by much animation of ftyle ; but his narrative is 
agreeable, and his characters, on the whole, are well 
drawn. One of his biographers remarks, that “ he was 
confidered at Berlin as a deiti;” but he adds, that “ he lived 
on an intimate footing with the pallors of his communion, 
and that the molt learned among the clergy of the coun¬ 
try where he was born fpoke of him with elteem.” Gen. 
Biog. Suppl. 
NICOLA'ITAN, f. One of a feft, who, according to 
ancient writers, taught the lawfulnefs of lewdnefs and 
idolatrous facrifices.— By .Nicolaitans in Scripture are 
thought to be meant, in general, lewd and profligate per- 
fons, who aim at nothing but their own fecular advantage. 
Bp. Percy. —Thou hateft the deeds of the Nicolaitans. 
Rev. ii. 6.—That vile and impure left of the Nicolaitans. 
South's Sermons. 
The Nicolaitans (fays Mr. Ephraim Chambers) are 
one of the molt ancient fefts in the Chriftian church ; 
thus denominated from Nicolas, a perfon ordained a dea¬ 
con of the church of Jerufalem together with St. Stephen. 
Their diftinguilhing tenet, as reprefented by ecclefiaftical 
hillorians, is, that all married women ftiould be common, 
to take away all occafion of jealouly. Other authors tax 
Nicholas with other impurities ; but Clemens Alexan- 
drinus imputes them all to his difciples, who, he fays, 
abufed their mailer’s words. 
In the charge urged againft the Nicolaitans (Rev. ii. 6, 
14, 15.) they are not reproached with erroneous opinions 
concerning the Deity, but with thelicentioufnefs of their 
praftice, and the contempt of that folemn law which the 
apoftles had enaCted (ACts xv. 29.) againft fornication, 
and the ufe of meats offered to idols. It is, however, cer¬ 
tain, that the writers of the fecond and the following cen¬ 
turies, Iremeus, Tertullian, Clemens, and others, affirm, 
that the Nicolaitans adopted the fentiments of the Gnof- 
tics, concerning the two principles of all things, the teons, 
and the origin of this terreftrial globe. The authority of 
thefe writers, fays Molheim,We-uld be entirely fatisfaClory 
in this matter, were there not fome reafoii to imagine, 
that they confounded, in their narrations, two feCts very 
different from each other; viz. that of the Nicolaitans, 
mentioned in the Revelations ; and another, founded by 
a perfon named Nicolaus, in the fecond century, upon 
the principles of the Gnoftics. Chambers's Cyclopcedia. 
NIC'OLAS, a final] illand near the north coall of Cuba. 
Lat. 23. 15. N. Ion. 79. 40. W. 
NICOLAU', or Nikolo'wice, a town of Silelia, in the 
principality of Ratibor: ten miles fouth-eail of Miflowitz, 
and twenty-feven eaft of Ratibor. 
NICOLA'US DAMASCE'NUS,aphilofopherand hifto- 
rian, was in great efteem in the age of Auguftus, by w'hom, 
as well as by king Herod, he was admitted to intimate 
friendlhip. He was born at Damalcus, of the Peripatetic 
fed, and was very extenfively learned. Many of his 
writings are referred to by Suidas and others, of which 
only fome fragments are come down to our times. A 
Hiftory of Aflyria, of his compofition, is quoted, which 
isfaid to have been part of an Univerfal Hiftory, in many 
books, referred to by Jofephus, Suidas, and AthenEeus. 
Somepaflages ofthis are cited by Jofephus, whoimpeaches 
the author’s veracity with refped to the account of Herod, 
written during the life of that prince. Strabo quotes 
from him certain matters relative to India. Henry de 
Valois publiflied at Paris, in 1634, in Greek and Latin, 
the collections from different works of this author made 
by Conftantine Porphyrogenitus, and brought from the 
Ifle of Cyprus by Peirefc. 
NICOLA Y'KEN, or St. Nicholas, a town of Pruffia, 
NIC 67 
in the province of Natangen : fixty-eight miles fouth- 
fouth-eaftof Konigfburg. Lat. 53. 38. N. Ion. 21.43. E. 
NICO'LE (Claude), ufually called the Prefident Nicole, 
born at Chartres in France, 1611, and died in 1685. His 
works (in 2 vols. 4to.) confift of tranflations into French 
verfe of feveral works of Ovid, Horace, Perfius, Martial, 
Seneca the Tragedian, Claudian, and others. 
NICO'LE (Peter), a celebrated French divine, was 
born at Chartres in the year 1625. As he exhibited early 
indications of a lively genius, a happy memory, and a 
docile difpofition, his father, who was a good ciaiTical 
fcholar, took delight in undertaking the province of 
his tutor. So rapid was his proficiency, that at the ag-e of 
fourteen he was well grounded in the Latin and Greek 
languages, and had read the beft authors of profane anti¬ 
quity. Having laid this foundation, in 1642, Peter was 
lent to Paris, for the purpofe of purfuing his academic 
fludies. After going through his courfe of philofophy, 
in 1644 he was admitted to the degree of M.A. and then 
entered upon his courfe of divinity at the Sorbonne. 
While he was purfuing this courfe, he learned the He¬ 
brew language, and entered into a ft rift intimacy with 
the celebrated folitaries of Port-Royal, whofe diftinguifh- 
ing principles he adopted. After he had finiflied the ufual 
three years in the divinity-clafs, in 1649 he took the de¬ 
gree of bachelor in that faculty, and fuftained the proba¬ 
tion thefis, called thel'entative, with very diftinguifhed re¬ 
putation. Fie then prepared himfelf to proceed licen¬ 
tiate ; but the difputes which at that time agitated the 
faculty of divinity at Paris, on the fubjeft of the five pro~ 
pojitions deduced from the writings of Janfenius, deter¬ 
mined him to content himfelf with his bachelorffiip. 
Having now more of his time at his own command, his 
engagements with the gentlemen of Port-Royal became 
more frequent and ciofe ; till at length he took up his 
abode in their community, where he continued for feve¬ 
ral years, and affifted the celebrated Arnauld in writing 
the numerous pieces which he publiflied in defence of the 
bifhop of Ypres and his principles. In 1664, he and Mi 
Arnauld went to relide with M. Varet at Chatillon, near 
Paris, where our author employed his pen in writing both 
againft the Calvinifts and the relaxed cafaijls. From time 
to time he left this retreat, and relided at Port-Royal, at 
Paris, and other places. In the year 1677, a letter which 
he wrote to pope Innocent IX. in favour of the bifhops 
of St. Pont and Arras, and againft the relaxed cafuijis , 
drew down on his head a ftorm which obliged him to 
withdraw into retirement. He firft went to Chartres, 
where his father was at the point of death ; and, after fet¬ 
tling his affairs fecretly, took refuge fora fliort time with 
his friend M. de Buzenval, bifhop of Beauvais. In 1679, 
he found it neceffary to retire out of the kingdom ; when 
he went firft to Bruffels, afterwards to Liege, and from 
thence to Orval, and other places. Before the end of the 
year, a letter which he wrote to M. de Harlay, archbifhop 
of Paris, facilitated his return into his native country j 
and fome time afterwards he obtained the archbifhop’s 
leave for his living privately at Chartres, where he went 
by the name of M. de BerCy, and occupied himfelf dili¬ 
gently in his ftudies. In 1683, he obtained the prelate’s 
permiifion for his return to Paris, where he fpent the re¬ 
mainder of his life in adding to his numerous lift of publi¬ 
cations. During fome of his laft years he entered the lifts 
in two celebrated difputes concerning monaftic ftudies 
and quietifm ; defending the fentiments of Mabillon 
in the former, and thofe of Bofluet in the latter, with 
temperance and difpaffionate argument. In 1693, find¬ 
ing nis infirmities greatly increafing, he refigned a fmall 
benefice which M. de Buzenval had given him within 
the jurifdiftion of Beauvais ; and, after languifhing for 
two years longer, he fell a facrifice to a ftroke of apo¬ 
plexy in 1695, when about feventy years of age. 
M. Nicole is entitled to the praile of being one of the 
moft polifhed and correft writers in his native tongue. 
Among his irumerous productions are, 1. Moral Eilays, 
3 14 vols. 
