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Humanism in an Age of Science: The Amsterdam Athenaeum in the Golden Age, 1632-1704 (Brill's Studies in Intellectual History) PDF

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Humanism in an Age of Science Brill’s Studies in Intellectual History General Editor A.J. Vanderjagt, University of Groningen Editorial Board C.S. Celenza, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore M. Colish, Oberlin College J.I. Israel, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton W. Otten, University of Chicago VOLUME 179 Humanism in an Age of Science Th e Amsterdam Athenaeum in the Golden Age, 1632–1704 By Dirk van Miert Translated by Michiel Wielema, with Anthony Ossa-Richardson LEIDEN • BOSTON 2009 On the cover: Eighteenth-century engraving, coloured, of the Athenaeum Illustre (Pierre Fouquet, Afb eeldingen van de wyd-vermaarde koopstad Amsterdam, benevens des zelvs voornaamste gebouwen en gezigten, alle naar het leeven geteekend, Amsterdam 1780, no. 28 (University Library Amsterdam, shelf mark OTM: OL 63–684). Th is book is printed on acid-free paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Miert, Dirk van. [Illuster onderwijs. English] Humanism in an age of science : the Amsterdam Athenaeum in the Golden Age, 1632-1704 / by Dirk K.W. van Miert. p. cm. — (Brill’s studies in intellectual history, 0920-8607 ; v. 179) Includes index. ISBN 978-90-04-17685-0 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. Universiteit van Amsterdam— History—17th century. 2. Athenaeum Illustre (Amsterdam, Netherlands)—History— 17th century. 3. Education, Higher—Netherlands—A msterdam—History—17th century. 4. Universities and colleges—Netherlands—Amsterdam—History—17th century. 5. Amsterdam (Netherlands)—Intellectual life—17th century. I. Title. II. Series. LF4077.M5413 2009 378.492’352—dc22 2009021766 Th is book is a revised and translated version of Illuster Onderwijs. Het Amsterdamse Athenaeum in de Gouden Eeuw, 1632-1704, Amsterdam 2005. Th is publication was made possible by a translation grant from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientifi c Research (NWO). Th e illustrations were sponsored by the University of Amsterdam Historiography Committee. ISSN 0920-8607 ISBN 978 9004 17685 0 Copyright 2009 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, Th e Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Hotei Publishing, IDC Publishers, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers and VSP. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Brill has made all reasonable eff orts to trace all right holders to any copyrighted material used in this work. In cases where these eff orts have not been successful the publisher welcomes communications from copyright holders, so that the appropriate acknowledgements can be made in future editions, and to settle other permission matters. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Koninklijke Brill NV provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to Th e Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. printed in the netherlands CONTENTS Acknowledgements .............................................................................. xi List of Illustrations .............................................................................. xiii PART I A HISTORY Introduction .......................................................................................... 3 Th e university that was never founded ....................................... 3 Th e myth of the wise merchant .................................................... 3 A scarcity of sources ....................................................................... 5 Th e historiography of Athenaeum and University .................... 10 Research question ............................................................................ 17 Structure of this book ..................................................................... 18 Editorial principles .......................................................................... 20 Chapter One Higher Education in the Low Countries .............. 21 Foundations ...................................................................................... 21 A nursery for the state .................................................................... 22 A nursery for the church ............................................................... 24 Advantages for the city .................................................................. 25 Advantages for the parents ............................................................ 29 Th e specifi c function of an illustrious school ............................. 30 Th e practical utility of knowledge ................................................ 35 Th e controversial start of the Amsterdam Athenaeum ............ 40 Chapter Two An Amsterdam Cortege .......................................... 45 Th e inauguration of the Illustrious School ................................. 45 Th e fi rst period: “Th e illustrious beginning” .............................. 47 Vossius and Barlaeus: the workaholic and the melancholic .............................................................................. 49 ‘Th e illusions of Martinus Hortenius’ ..................................... 55 Cabeliau’s commas ..................................................................... 60 Christianus Ravius, an ‘extraordinary teacher’ ...................... 64 Th e end of the fi rst period ........................................................ 67 vi contents Th e second period ........................................................................... 68 Johannes Klenckius: Royal knight, Lord of Odessa, and a ‘silly and empty-headed man’ .............................................. 68 Th e respectable philosopher Arnoldus Senguerdius ............. 70 Alexander de Bie: versatile and long-serving ......................... 73 Albertus Rusius: able enough ................................................... 75 Johannes Christenius, the marriage specialist ....................... 76 David Blondel’s obscure words ................................................ 77 Th e scandals and talents of Alexander Morus ....................... 79 Keuchenius: ‘hateful and detestable to the Muses’ ............... 85 To good to be true: Graevius, Gronovius and Gudius ......... 87 Marcus Meiboom; hungry rogue and wandering inventor .................................................................................... 88 Th e many activities of Gerard Blasius ..................................... 92 Th e end of the second period ................................................... 93 Th e third period .............................................................................. 95 Louis Wolzogen: a Cartesian halfway between Spinoza and De Labadie ............................................................................... 96 Th e ‘princeps philosophiae’ Johannes de Raei ....................... 97 Th e public relations of Petrus Francius .................................. 100 Johannes van den Broeck, who ‘did not become famous’ ... 102 Pieter Bernagie: playwright, corpse cutter and ‘ground beetle’ ......................................................................... 104 Morinus’ modesty ....................................................................... 105 Gerbrandus van Leeuwen, preacher of tolerance .................. 107 Gregorius Leti: a literary adventurer ....................................... 107 Th e end of the third period ....................................................... 109 Conclusion ............................................................................................ 110 PART II TEACHING PRACTICES Chapter Th ree Private teaching ...................................................... 115 Introduction ..................................................................................... 115 Variables in private teaching ......................................................... 116 Location of private teaching ..................................................... 117 Organisation of private teaching .............................................. 120 Regular and non-regular students ................................................ 126 contents vii Regular and non-regular teachers ................................................ 129 Conclusion ........................................................................................ 133 Chapter Four Public teaching ........................................................ 135 Introduction ..................................................................................... 135 Th e lectio publica ............................................................................ 135 Praelectiones and lectiones publicae ............................................ 136 Audience composition .................................................................... 142 Conclusions ...................................................................................... 148 Chapter Five Semi-public teaching ............................................... 149 Introduction ..................................................................................... 149 Th e disputation ................................................................................ 149 Th e didactic aspects of the disputation ................................... 149 External characteristics of the disputation ............................. 151 Authorship ................................................................................... 153 Th e ceremony .............................................................................. 156 Th e practice oration ........................................................................ 160 Practical education .......................................................................... 164 Conclusion ........................................................................................ 165 Chapter Six Holidays, timetables and absences .......................... 167 Introduction ..................................................................................... 167 Th e academic year ........................................................................... 167 Series Lectionum .............................................................................. 170 Absences ............................................................................................ 175 Conclusion ........................................................................................ 180 PART III THE CONTENTS OF TEACHING Chapter Seven Th e arts I: the rhetorical subjects Introduction ..................................................................................... 185 Philosophy and the arts ............................................................. 186 Th e infl uence of the humanists: rhetoric as a cohesive component ............................................................................... 188 History, politics, classical literature and rhetoric .................. 189 History and eloquence .................................................................... 192 Vossius (1632–1649) .................................................................. 192 viii contents Failure and decline (1650–1670) .............................................. 196 Wolzogen (1670–1690) .............................................................. 199 Francius (1674–1704) ................................................................. 202 Oriental languages ........................................................................... 210 Introduction ................................................................................. 210 Ravius (1646–1647) .................................................................... 212 De Bie (1653–1690) .................................................................... 214 Morinus (1686–1700) ................................................................. 215 Conclusions ...................................................................................... 218 Chapter Eight Th e arts II: the philosophical subjects ................ 221 General introduction ...................................................................... 221 Th ree periods: Barlaeus, Senguerdius and De Raei ................... 225 Th e wise merchant ...................................................................... 226 Th e true philosopher .................................................................. 229 Th e wisdom of the ancients ...................................................... 230 Th ree periods: conclusions ........................................................ 232 Logic .................................................................................................. 232 Introduction ................................................................................. 232 Logic: the fi rst period ................................................................. 235 Logic: the second period ............................................................ 237 Logic: the third period ............................................................... 241 Logic: conclusion ........................................................................ 245 Physics and mathematics ............................................................... 246 Introduction ................................................................................. 246 Physics and mathematics: the fi rst period .............................. 247 Physics and mathematics: the second period ........................ 255 Th e debate over comets ......................................................... 259 Meteorology ............................................................................ 264 Other physical subjects ......................................................... 267 Physics and mathematics: the third period ............................ 269 Physics and mathematics: conclusion ..................................... 272 Moral philosophy ............................................................................ 275 Introduction ................................................................................. 275 Ethica ............................................................................................ 276 Oeconomica ................................................................................. 280 Politica: the fi rst period ............................................................. 281 Politica: the second period ........................................................ 285 Politica: the third period ............................................................ 287 Moral philosophy: conclusion .................................................. 288 Philosophy at the Athenaeum: conclusion ................................. 289 contents ix Chapter Nine Th e teaching of law ................................................. 297 Introduction ..................................................................................... 297 Th e fi rst period ................................................................................ 299 Th e second period ........................................................................... 302 Th e third period .............................................................................. 306 Conclusion ........................................................................................ 308 Chapter Ten Th e teaching of medicine ........................................ 309 Introduction ..................................................................................... 309 Developments in medicine ............................................................ 309 Th e Amsterdam medical world .................................................... 311 Premature plans ............................................................................... 313 Senguerdius (1648–1667) ............................................................... 315 Blasius (1660–1685) ........................................................................ 319 Bernagie (1692–1699) ..................................................................... 324 Conclusion ........................................................................................ 327 Chapter Eleven Th e teaching of theology .................................... 329 Introduction ..................................................................................... 329 Th e Athenaeum and the Remonstrant Seminary ...................... 331 Th e Athenaeum and the other religious denominations .......... 335 Th eological ideas in teaching prior to Van Leeuwen ................ 336 Gerbrandus van Leeuwen .............................................................. 344 Conclusion ........................................................................................ 347 PART IV CONCLUSION AND APPENDICES Chapter Twelve Conclusion ............................................................ 351 Introduction ..................................................................................... 351 Th e Athenaeum as a traditional institute of higher education ...................................................................................... 351 Th e Athenaeum as a city venture ................................................. 354 Th e Athenaeum in the academic landscape ............................... 358 Th e Athenaeum: humanism in an age of science ...................... 359 Appendix 1: Timeline of professors ................................................. 365 Appendix 2: Geographical origins of students defending disputations, 1650–1670 ................................................................. 366

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