Johannes Meursius

Johannes Meursius (van Meurs) (1579 – September 20, 1639), Dutch classical scholar and antiquary, was born at Loosduinen, near the Hague.

He was extremely precocious, and at the age of sixteen produced a commentary on the Cassandra of Lycophron. In 1610 he was appointed professor of Greek and history at Leiden, and in the following year historiographer to the states-general. In consequence of the disturbed state of his country he welcomed the offer (1625) of Christian IV of Denmark to become professor of history and politics at Soro, in Zealand, combined with the office of historiographer royal.

Meursius was the author of classical editions and treatises, many of which are printed in JF Gronovius's Thesaurus antiquitatum graecarum. Their lack of arrangement detracts from their value, but they are a storehouse of information, and Meursius does not deserve the epithets of "pedant and "ignoramus" which Scaliger applied to him. Meursius also wrote on the troubles in the Netherlands and the history of Denmark.

Complete edition of his works by J Lami (1741–1763). See Van der Aa's Biographisch Woordenboek der Nederlanden (1869), and JE Sandys, Hist, of Class. Scholarship (1908), ii. 311.

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.