ERPENIUS or d’Erpe, Thomas, a celebrated orientalist, born at Gorcum in Holland, on the 7th September 1584. Observing his aptitude for learning, his father sent him to Leyden at the early age of ten; and it was in that city that he commenced his studies. At the end of several months, however, he went to Middelburg, where he remained some time; but in about a year he returned to Leyden, where he had opportunities of indulging his tastes with greater facility. His progress was so rapid, that at a very tender age he was admitted into the university of that city, and in 1608 took the degree of master of arts. At the solicitation of Scaliger he learned the oriental languages whilst taking his course of theology, and even then gave promise of the distinction which he was destined to attain in that department of learning. After he had completed his studies he travelled in England, France, Italy, and Germany, forming connections with learned men, and availing himself of the information which they communicated. During his stay at Paris, he contracted a friendship with Casaubon, which lasted during his life, and also took lessons in Arabic from Joseph Barbatus, otherwise called Abu-dakni. At Venice he held conferences with both Jews and Mahommedans, and profited by his residence in that city to perfect himself in the Turkish, Persic, and Ethiopic languages. After a long absence, Erpenius returned into his own country in 1612, rich in the learning which he had acquired during his travels, as well as beloved and esteemed by all the learned whom he had visited. His acquirements being already known and appreciated, he was, on the 10th February 1613, appointed professor of Arabic and other oriental languages, Hebrew excepted, in the university of Leyden. From this period he devoted himself solely to the teaching of these languages, to facilitate the study of them, and to extend a knowledge of them by means of his works. Animated by the example of Savary de Breves, who had established at his own charge an Arabic press at Paris, he caused new Arabic characters to be cut at a great expense, and erected a press in his own house. In 1619 the curators of the university of Leyden instituted a second chair of Hebrew in his favour. In 162′), the States of Holland sent him to France, to endeavour, by the promise of a chair of theology, to induce Pierre Dumoulin or André Rivet to settle in that country; but this first journey proved unsuccessful, and was followed, the year after, by a second, which [7:9:364] had the desired effect, as Rivet closed with the terms offered him, and passed into Holland. Some time after the return of Erpenius, the States appointed him their interpreter; an office which imposed upon him the duty of translating and replying to the different letters of the Moslemin princes of Asia and Africa. The king or emperor of Morocco, it is said, took great pleasure in reading his Arabic letters, and in pointing out the elegance and purity with which they were written. But be this as it may, ζhc reputation of Erpenius had now spread throughout all Europe; and several princes, the kings of England and Spain, and the archbishop of Seville, made him the most flattering offers; but he constantly refused to leave his native country, and died of a contagious distemper on the 13th of November 1624, at the early age of forty. Erpenius left several works, which are doubtless not perfect; but if we consider that he lived in an age when pursuits like his were exceedingly rare, if not wholly new, that he had little or no assistance of any kind, and that in fact he formed himself; and if w e judge him, not according to the present state of oriental literature, but by what he actually achieved under every disadvantage, we must conclude that, in the immensity and difficulty of his labours, he probably surpassed all the orientalists who have followed him; and that if his career had not been cut short by a premature death, he would have greatly enlarged the boundaries of that literature of which his name will always remain one of the greatest ornaments. The following is a list of his works :—1. Oratio de Lingua Arabica, Leyden, 1613, in 4to; 2. Annotationes in Lexic. Arab. Pr. Raphelengii, ibid. 1613, in 4to; 3. Grammatica Arabica, quinque libris methodice explicata, ^[1. This grammar, says Schnurrer, which may be regarded as the first composed in Europe, has not only been often reprinted, bu it has so made the law, or, in other words, served as a model, that several professors, particularly in Germany, who have publune Arabic grammars under their own names, have followed the footsteps of Erpenius, and have never ventured to deviate from the course marked out by their guide. ] ibid. 1613, in 4to; 4. Proverbiorum Arabicoum centurice duce, ab anοnymo quodam Arabe collecrae, ibid. 1614 and 1623, in 8vo; 5. Loemani sapientis Pabulce et selecta quoedam Arabum Adagia, cum interpretatione Latina et notis, ibid. 1615, in 8vo; 6. Pauli Apost. ad Romanos, Arabice, ibid. 1615, in 4to; 7. Novum D. N. J. C. Testamentum, Arabice, ibid. 1616, in 4to; 8. Pemtateuchus Mosis, Arabice, ibid. 1622; 9. Historia Joscphi Patriarchce ex Alcorano, cum triplici versione Latina et scholiis Th. Erpenii, cujus prcemittitur Alphabetum Arabicum, ibid. 1617, in 4to; 10. Grammatica Arabica dicta Giarumia et libellus centum regentium cum versione Latina et Commentariis, ibid. 1617, in 4to; 11. Canones de litterarum Alif, Waw, et Yé apud Arabes naturo et permutatione, ibid. 1618, in 4to; 12. Rudimenta Linguce Arabicce; accedunt Praxis Grammatica et consilium de studio Arabicofeliciter instituendo, ibid. 1620, in 8vo; 13. Orationes tres de linguarum Ebrece et Arabicce dignitate, ibid. 1621, in 12mo; 14. Historia Saracenica, ibid. 1625, in fol.; 15. Grammatica Ebrcea Generalis, ibid. 1621, in 8vo; 16. Grammatica Syra et Chaldcea, ibid. 1628; 17. Psalmi Davidis, Lyriace, ibid. 1628; 18. Arcanum punctuatidnis revelatum et Oratio de nomine Tc-tragrammato; 19. Versio et Norae ad Arabicam Paraphrasim in Evang. S. Joannis, Rostock, 1626; 20. De Peri-grinatione Gallica utiliter instituenda tractatus, ibid. 1631, in 12mo; 21. Prcecepta de Lingua Grcecorum communi, Leyden, 1662. Erpenius had projected several other works, particularly an edition of the Koran with notes, and an oriental library; and in the prefaces of his grammars he also speaks of a Thesaurus Grammaticus, which, how ever, has not seen the light. For further information respecting this celebrated orientalist, the learned reader may consult Vossius, Oratio in obit. Th. Erpenii, Leyden, 1625, in 4to, and Scriverius, Manes Erpeniani, quibus accedunt Eļìicedia variorum, ibid. 1625.