[When I said at the outset that I had only taken books from my own store, I
should have added that I did not make any search for information given as
_part_ of a work. Had I looked _through_ all my books, I might have made
some curious additions. For instance, in Schott's _Magia Naturalis_[78]
{65} (vol. iii. pp. 756-778) is an account of the quadrature of
Gephyra_u_der, as he is misprinted in Montucla. He was Thomas Gephyrander
Salicetus; and he published two editions, in 1608 and 1609.[79] I never
even heard of a copy of either. His work is of the extreme of absurdity: he
makes a distinction between geometrical and arithmetical fractions, and
evolves theorems from it. More curious than his quadrature is his name;
what are we to make of it? If a German, he is probably a German form of
_Bridgeman_. and Salicetus refers him to _Weiden_. But _Thomas_ was hardly
a German Christian name of his time; of 526 German philosophers,
physicians, lawyers, and theologians who were biographed by Melchior
Adam,[80] only two are of this name. Of these one is Thomas Erastus,[81]
the physician whose theological writings against the Church as a separate
power have given the name of Erastians to those who follow his doctrine,
whether they have heard of him or not. Erastus is little known;
accordingly, some have supposed that he must be Erastus, the friend of St.
Paul and Timothy (Acts xix. 22; 2 Tim. iv. 20; Rom. xvi. 23), but what this
gentleman did to earn the character is not hinted at. Few words would have
done: Gaius (Rom. xvi. 23) has an immortality which many more noted men
have missed, given by John Bunyan, out of seven words of St. Paul. I was
once told that the Erastians got their name from _Blastus_, and I could not
solve _bl = er_: at last I remembered that Blastus was a _chamberlain_[82]
as well as Erastus; hence the association which {66} caused the mistake.
The real heresiarch was a physician who died in 1583; his heresy was
promulgated in a work, published immediately after his death by his widow,
_De Excommunicatione Ecclesiastica_. He denied the power of excommunication
on the principle above stated; and was answered by Besa.[83] The work was
translated by Dr. R. Lee[84] (Edinb. 1844, 8vo). The other is Thomas
Grynaeus,[85] a theologian, nephew of Simon, who first printed Euclid in
Greek; of him Adam says that of works he published none, of learned sons
four. If Gephyrander were a Frenchman, his name is not so easily guessed
at; but he must have been of La Saussaye. The account given by Schott is
taken from a certain Father Philip Colbinus, who wrote against him.
In some manuscripts lately given to the Royal Society, David Gregory,[86]
who seems to have seen Gephyrander's work, calls him Salicetus
_Westphalus_, which is probably on the title-page. But the only Weiden I
can find is in Bavaria. Murhard has both editions in his Catalogue, but had
plainly never seen the books: he gives the author as Thomas Gep. Hyandrus,
Salicettus Westphalus. Murhard is a very old referee of mine; but who the
_non nominandus_ was to see Montucla's _Gephyrander_ in Murhard's _Gep.
Hyandrus_, both writers being usually accurate?]