burgh, was elected dean of the cathedral there. He obtained great reputation for his abilities and prudence, and was consulted on various public occasions. In 1500, the king of Denmark and the duke of Holstein made him their umpire in a dispute with the people of Dithmarsh. He died in 1517. The works of this writer were: "Chronica Regnorum Aquiloniorum Daniæ, Sueciæ, Norvegia," folio; "Saxonia, sive de Saxonicæ gentis vetusta origine," folio; "Vandalia, sive Historia de Vandalorum origine," folio; "Metropolis, sive Historiaecclesiastica de Saxonia," folio. Several writers have spoken of Krantz with great respect, on account of the freedom and sincerity of his narrations, and the depth of his researches. He is said, however, to have given too much credit to the fables of ancient times, and to have displayed more industry than judgment. Vossii Hist. Lat. Moreri. Nouv. Dict.

Hist.-A.

KRAUS, MARTIN, (Lat. Crusius), an eminent philologist, born in 1526, at Grebern, in the bishopric of Bamberg, was the son of a Lutheran minister. He received his classical education first at Ulm, where he acquitted himself with so much credit, that the magistrates of the city gave him a pension to assist him in his studies. These he further pursued at Strasburg, where he added theology and the Hebrew language to his former acquisitions. In 1554, he undertook the direction of the public school at Memmingen, which he rendered celebrated by adopting the methods followed at Strasburg. In 1559, he was nominated to the chair of moral philosophy and the Greek language at the university of Tubingen, which thenceforth became his residence. At

the age of eighty-one, foreseeing his approaching end, he gave an entertainment to the academical body, presented it with a valuable goblet, and soon after died, in 1607. Like most of his Lutheran brethren, he was a great friend to wedlock, and entered thrice into that state. Crusius is reckoned one of the principal promoters of Greek literature in Germany. He published a great number of works, grammatical and critical; with orations, Greek and Latin; Greek poems, sermons, &c. which are now forgotten. His most valuable publication was entitled "Turco-Grecia libri octo," Basil, 1584, containing an excellent collection of pieces relative to modern Greece, with the language and literature of which he was well acquainted. His "Annales Suevici, ab initio rerum ad ann.1594." Francof. two volumes folio, is rare, and much esteemed. Moreri.-A.

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KROMAYER, JOHN, a learned German divine, in the former part of the seventeenth century, of the Lutheran persuasion, was descended from a noble family, and born at Dolblen in Misnia, in the year 1576. After he had been instructed in the rudiments of learning at a school in his native place, he was sent to study successively at Stralsund, Butzback, and Naumburg; whence he went to Leipsic, more particularly to apply himself to the study of divinity. In this university he gave such proofs of talents and learning in the public disputations, and in his pulpit exercises, that for his encouragement he had a liberal stipend granted him by the administrator of Saxony. In the year 1600 he was honoured with the degree of M. A. and appointed deacon, and sometime afterwards pastor, of the church of St. Peter and St. Paul, at Eisleben. Here he acquired so high a reputation as a preacher, that the duchess dowager of Saxony appointed him chaplain to the court. Afterwards the duke of Weymar nominated him superintendant-general of the churches in that district, and the senate of the city chose him pastor of the church of Weymar. He died there in 1643, about the age of sixty-seven. He was the author of "Harmonia Evangelistarum,' 8vo.; "Historiæ Ecclesiastica Compendium;" "Specimen Fontium, Scripturæ sacræ apertorum, &c." 8vo.; "Examen Libri Christianæ Concordiæ," 12mo.; "A Paraphrase on the Prophecy and Lamentations of Jeremiah," held in high estimation; "Exposition of the Epistles and Gospels throughout the Year," 4to.; "Sermons," &c. Freheri Theat. Vir. Erud. Clar. Nouv. Dict. Hist.-M.

KROMAYER, JEROME, nephew of the preceding, and a learned professor in the university of Leipsic, was born at Zeitz, in the year 1610. From the grammar-school, where he had made a very commendable proficiency, he was sent to the university of Leipsic, and immediately received on the list of the electoral exhibitioners. Here he closely attended the lectures of the professors of philosophy, and, after going through the regular courses, was admitted B. A. in 1629. He now removed for further improvement to the university of Wittemberg, where he spent one year; and afterwards he pursued his studies for some time at the university of Jena. Returning at length to Leipsic, he went through the usual exercises preparatory to his being admitted M. A. with great applause, and took that degree in 1632. From that time he became a private lecturer on logic, rhetoric, natural philosophy, and astro,

nomy, and acquired no little reputation in that department. In the year 1643, he was appointed professor of history and oratory; and in 1650, upon a vacancy taking place in the lesser college of princes, to be filled up by a native of Misnia, he was nominated to that honourable post, which he occupied till his death. Four times he was called to the office of dean of the university; twice he presided as prochancellor, at the creation of masters; once he was chosen rector; and in the lesser college he was three times honoured with the post of provost. In the mean time, he had sedulously applied to the study of divinity; and was admitted bachelor in that faculty in 1640, licentiate in 1645, professor extraordinary in the following year, and doctor of divinity in 1651. In 1657, he was appointed professor of divinity in ordinary; in the following year, canon of Zeitz, which in 1661 he exchanged for a similar dignity at Meissen; in 1662, he was elected into the Decemviral-college; and in 1666, he was nominated a member of the electoral and ducal consistory. Afterwards he succeeded to the chair of first professor of divinity. These several posts and dignities he filled with eminent reputation, and great advantage to the university. He died in 1670, when about fifty years of age. He was the author of "Commentaria in Epist. ad Galatas;" "Comment. in Apocalypsin;" "Historie Ecclesiastica Centuria XVI.;" "Theologia Positivo Polemica;" "Loci Antisyncretistici;""Polymathia Theologica;" some controversial "Tracts;"" Dissertations," &c. Freheri Theat. Vir. Erud. Clar. Nouv. Dict. Hist.--M.

KUHLMAN, QUIRINUS, one of the vision aries who made much noise in the seventeenth century, was born at Breslaw in Silesia, in the year 1651. From the early progress which he made in learning, great hopes were entertained that he would prove an ornament to science; but these were disappointed, in consequence of a disorder which attacked him at the age of eighteen, by which his intellects were deranged. On the third day of his illness he was thought to be dead; but then, according to the account which he afterwards gave of himself, he was only in a trance, and had a terrible vision. He thought himself surrounded with all the devils in hell, and this at mid-day, when he was awake. This vision was followed by another of God himself, surrounded by his saints, and Jesus Christ in the midst of them; when he saw and felt things inexpressible. Two days afterwards he had more visions of the same kind; and when he was cured of his

disorder, his mind was found to be irrecoverably possessed by delusion and fanaticism. He perceived, indeed, as he imagined, a great change with regard to these visions; but he saw himself perpetually accompanied with a circle of light on his left hand. Sometimes he had such extatic distractions, that they prevented. him from seeing or hearing those who were about him; and he formed the plan of a vast number of books, which were to exhibit compendious methods of learning every thing, in the utmost perfection and with very little labour. As he did not meet with that attention and credit in his native country which he thought to be due to his pretensions, at nineteen years of age he set out to visit the universities. For polite learning he had no longer any taste. When at Jena, he entertained a low opinion of the public lectures and disputations, and determined to have no other master than the Holy Ghost. He published a treatise on morality; but as he received extraordinary illumination from day to day, he found the sheets which the printer sent to him unworthy of him, so much was his knowledge increased during the course of the impression. In the year 1673, he felt so strong a desire to visit Holland, that notwithstanding the terrible war in which that country was then involved, he landed at Amsterdam in the month of September, three days before the retaking of the city of Naerden. A few days afterwards he went to Leyden, where he met with Jacob. Behmen's works, of which he had not before heard any mention. The reading of the labours of such a congenial fanatic, like oil thrown into the fire, served to increase the disorder of his mind. He was surprized that Behmen should have prophesied of things, of which he thought no person but himself had the least knowledge. Meeting afterwards with the writings of Drabicius, his ruin was completed, and he was carried to the utmost extravagance of fanaticism. Conceiving himself to be the person designated by the mystical language in some of the prophecies of that visionary, he doubted not but that he should in a short time overthrow Antichrist and Babylon with his pen. To this purport he wrote to John Rothe, the head of a party of fanatics in Holland, who took upon himself to prophecy that the glorious kingdom of Jesus Christ was coming on, and that he was to be more than standard bearer of this new world. At the same time Kuhlman addressed Rothe in the most humble manner imaginable, styling him a man of God, and John III. son of Za

charius, desiring the assistance of his knowledge, and pronouncing woes against those who did not hearken to him. The letters that passed between these two fanatics, were printed under the title of "Theosophica Epistolæ Leidenses."

In the year 1674, Kuhlman printed at Leyden, and dedicated to Rothe, his "Prodromus Quinquennii Mirabilis," exhibiting the most magnificent promises, and vast designs which our visionary believed himself destined to fulfil. The curious observers of the various forms which fanaticism assumes, if they meet not with the original work, may see a sufficient specimen of these in Morhof's "Polyhistor," pages 357-362. This "Prodromus" was to be followed by two other volumes; in the first of which he had a design to introduce the studies and discoveries made since his first vision till the year 1674. The last was to be a key to eternity, and veternity, and time. He communicated his design to father Kircher; and, after commending the books which that Jesuit had published, particularly the "Ars combinatoria, sive Ars magna Sciendi," he let him know, that he had only sketched out what himself had a design to carry much further. Kircher wrote him a civil answer, in which he evidently laughed at him, while he pretended to bow to his superior knowledge and illumination. "I frankly own myself," said he, "incapable of your sublime and celestial knowledge. What I have written, I have written after an human manner, that is, by knowledge gained by study and labour, not divinely inspired and infused, which I think is not to be obtained pure among men. I do not doubt, but that you, by means of the incomparable and vast extent of your genius, will produce discoveries much greater and more admirable than my trifles." And in a second letter he said, "you promise great and incredible things, which, as they far transcend all human capacity, so I affirm boldly that they have never been attempted or even thought of by any person hitherto; and, therefore, I cannot but suspect, that you have obtained by the gift of God such a knowledge, as the scriptures ascribe to Adam and Solomon. I mean an Adamic and Solomonic, in short, an infused knowledge, known to no mortal but yourself, and inexplicable by any other." All this Kuhlman took for serious compliment, without perceiving that the Jesuit ridiculed him; and he took care to publish father Kircher's answers, making use of capital letters in those passages in which he thought himself praised. This, indeed, was

not a singular instance of his vanity: for there was no compliment written to him, either by those to whom he had sent copies of his works, or by others, which he did not prefix to his "Prodromus." But with his ridicule father Kircher intermingled some serious advice, which would not be well relished by our fanatic. He earnestly recommended it to him, not to make a discovery to any person of the profound infused knowledge which he possessed, that he might not expose himself to the scoffs and contempt of that sarcastic age and in reply to Kuhlman's intimation of his desire to communicate to the pope, through the hands of Kircher, his great secrets for the good of Christianity, the latter informed him of the caution and circumspection necessary for conducting matters at Rome, and that his great work (dedicated to the pope) would be applauded and admired, provided that he left nothing in it which might offend the censors of books, and took care not to ascribe to himself an inspired knowledge. It is impossible not to be struck with the mixture of knavery and fanaticism displayed by Kuhlman on this occasion. For about the same time when he was willing to write respectfully to the pope for the good of Christianity, he wrote to others letters full of hopes of the destruction of the papacy. It is not certain when Kuhlman left Holland; but we are informed that he wandered about a long time in England, France, Turkey, the Holy Land, and other parts of Asia, and that at last he was burnt in Muscovy in 1689, for uttering some predictions of a seditious nature. This fanatic was not one of those pretendedly inspired men, who value themselves upon their continence; for he cohabited successively with more than one woman, without submitting to the formalities of marriage which the canon and civil law have prescribed. Neither was he ignorant of the art of getting money from those who were so credulous as to be persuaded of his pro-phetic mission; and there were some, to whom he wrote in a magisterial and prophetic style, that it was necessary for the advancement of the new kingdom of God, that they should raise such and such a sum, in failure of which he threatened them with the most dreadful judgments from the vengeance of the most. high. Van Helmont was one of those who, received such letters, but without paying any regard to them. Further particulars concern-ing this fanatic, and his writings, may be seen in Bayle, and Henningii Diarium Biographicum,, part ii.-M.

KUHN, JOACHIM, a learned critic, was the son of a rich merchant at Gripswalde in Pomerania, where he was born in 1647. He studied at the university of Jena, and after visiting several parts of Germany, was appointed, in 1669, principal of the college at Öetingen in Suabia. In 1676 he was chosen professor of Greek in the college of Strasburg, and in 1685 obtained the chair of Greek and Hebrew in the university of that city, where his reputation, especially for Greek literature, brought him a number of auditors from foreign parts. He died in 1697. Kuhn became known to the learned world by his editions of "lian's Various Historics," 1687, and of "Diogenes Laertius," two volumes 4to. Amsterdam, 1682. He had before published remarks in Latin on "Julius Pollux." After his death appeared his "Quæstiones Philosophiæ ex sacris Veteris et Nov. Test. aliisque scriptoribus," 4to. Strasburg, 1698; and an edition of "Pausanias," Gr. Lat. with notes, Lipsia, 1711. Moreri.-A.

KULCZINSKI, IGNATIUS, a learned Polish abbot in the eighteenth century, was born at Vlodomir, in the year 1707. When young he embraced the monastic life in the order of St. Basil, and rose to the honourable post of abbot of Grodno. From his talents for business he was deputed to Rome, in the character of attorney-general of his order. He died in his abbey at Grodno, in 1747, at the early age of forty, after he had acquired high reputation by his "Specimen Ecclesiæ Ruthenicæ." As a proof of his laborious industry, he left behind him in MS. "Opus de Vitis Sanctorum Ordinis Divi Basilii magni," in two volumes folio. Nouv. Dict. Hist.-M.

KUNCKEL, JOHN, a celebrated chemist, was born in 1630, in that part of the duchy of Sleswic which belonged to the duke of Holstein Gottorp. Having acquired much reputation by his ability and skill in chemistry and the mechanical sciences, he ingratiated himself into the favour of various princes, and formed his first establishment in Saxony, where, in 1676, he gave private lectures on chemistry. He was also valet-de-chambre and chemist to John George II., elector of Saxony, who entrusted him with the care of his famous and superb laboratory at Annaberg, near Wittemberg, on the Elbe. In 1679, he was invited to Berlin, by Frederic William, elector of Brandenburg, to be chemist to the court; and in this situation he attained to great celebrity by his discoveries, and particularly by that of phosphorus from urine.

The

honour of this discovery, however, has been disputed. Claude Commire, in a treatise on phosphorus, asserts that Fernelius, first physician to Henry II. king of France, was the first person who made dry phosphorus, a specimen of which he presented to that prince at Boulogne, under the name of Indian-stone. A professor of Wittemberg ascribes the invention to an Italian, named Caneparius; and Leibnitz maintains that the secret of this discovery was communicated both to Kunckel and Kraft, by Henry Brandt, a chemist of Hamburgh. The claim of Kunckel, however, has been strongly supported by various other authors, and particularly by Kirchmayer. About 1693, Kunckel left Berlin, and repaired to Sweden, to which he was invited by Charles XI., who conferred on him the title of counsellor of mines, and, at the same time, gave him letters patent of nobility, with the surname of Lowenstein. He was elected also a member of the Acad. curios. Naturæ in Germany; but having lost his intimate friend. Kirchmayer in 1700, he survived him only a very short time, and died in Sweden, in 1702. His principal works are "Utiles Observationes sive Animadversiones de Salibus fixis et volatilibus, Auro et Argento potabili, Spiritu mundi," &c. London and Rotterdam, 1678; but this is only a translation by C. A. Ramsay, the original having appeared in German at Hamburgh, in 1676, 8vo. "Observationes Chymica in quibus agitur de principiis Chymicis, salibus Acidis et Alcalibus fixis et volatilibus," &c. London, 1678, 8vo. translated by the same as the preceding; "Collegium Physico-Chymicum experimentale curiosum," Hamburgh, 1716, 8vo. German, ibid. 1722.-J.

In

KUSTER, LUDOLPH, a verbal critic of eminence, was born in 1670 at Blomberg, in Westphalia, of which town his father was magistrate. He studied under his elder brother at the Joachim-college of Berlin, and having acquired the reputation of an able scholar, was appointed tutor to the two sons of the count von Schwerin. On quitting that station with a pension, he was sent to study civil law at Frankfort on the Oder, and there published, in 1696, his first work, entitled "Historia critica Homeri," affixing to it the name of Neocorus, signifying a sacristan in Greek, as his proper name does in German. Thence he visited Leyden and Utrecht; at the latter of which he resided some time, engaged in giving lectures on the law of nations, and published in five separate tomes his "Biblio

theca Librorum," from 1697 to 1699. On leaving Utrecht he went over to England, and thence to France, for the purpose of collating MSS. for a new edition of Suidas. Returning to England, he applied to this work with great assiduity. He lived in familiarity with several learned men here, and was favoured by Dr. Bentley, who engaged Mr. Wasse to assist him in his laborious task. The edition was printed at Cambridge in 1705, partly at the expence of the university, which honoured him with the degree of doctor of laws. Several advantageous offers were made him to continue in England; but he was recalled to Berlin, in order to occupy a professorship in the Joachim-college, which had been promised him upon the first vacancy. His situation there was, however, rendered uncomfortable, by disputes respecting his salary, and by the suspicion he had incurred of being addicted to the principles of Arianism; so that he thought proper, after a short time, to retire to Amsterdam. He had been allowed to sell his professorship, together with the place of king's librarian, to which he had been appointed; and with this resource, and the profit he made of his publications, he supported himself in Holland, till the failure of his banker reduced him to poverty. At this juncture he received an invitation to Paris, from his friend the abbé Bignon. Le Clerc affirms that he was previously converted to popery by some Jesuits at Antwerp, and that he abjured the protestant faith in their church: Kuster himself, however, affirmed that no abjuration was required from him, but that a conformity with that religion was the condition of his receiving favours from the French government. He certainly did join himself to the catholic church in 1713, and was rewarded by a pen

sion from the king, and admission into the Academy of Inscriptions. He persisted in his learned labours, which were brought to an untimely conclusion by an internal abscess or scirrhus, supposed to have been occasioned by his habit of sitting to write almost double at a very low table, surrounded by circles of booksplaced on the ground. He died in 1716, at the age of forty-six.

Kuster was a man of a clear head, a cool temper, and an inoffensive behaviour. His change of religion, if not the result of absolute conviction, was probably much promoted by his experience of that intolerant spirit among Protestants which has so often discredited their principles. In his literary capacity he was exclusively a verbal critic, regarding (according to his own expressions) the history and chronology of Greek words as the most solid entertainment of a man of letters. It is said. of him, that one day having taken up in a bookseller's shop Bayle's Commentaire Philosophique, he threw it down again, exclaiming, "This is nothing but a book of reasoning: Non sic itur ad astra." Such a narrow estimate of the pursuits of the human understanding, will not inspire a high idea of his judgment; yet he was useful and respectable in his proper profession. Besides the works already mentioned, he published " Iamblicus, Porphyrius, et Anonymus apud Photium de Vita Pythagoræ, 4to. 1707: A new edition of Dr. Mill's Greek Testament, containing a collation of the text with twelve additional MSS. "Aristophanes, Gr. & Lat." folio, 1710: "De vero usu Verborum mediorum," 1714, much esteemed as a grammatical treatise: and some pieces inserted in the collection of Greek and: Roman antiquities by Grævius and Gronovius. Biog. Britan.-A.