Petrus Nannius
Dutch poet
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Petrus Nannius (Dutch: Pieter Nanninck; b. 1496, Alkmaar – d. 1557) was a Dutch poet, accomplished Latin scholar and humanist of the 16th century.[1] A contemporary of Desiderius Erasmus, he was born in Alkmaar and was an important figure in the humanism of the time, having provided a foundation with his teaching for the later flowering of humanism in the region.[2]
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Petrus Nannius | |
|---|---|
| Pieter Nanninck | |
Pieter Nanninck by Philip Galle | |
| Born | 1496 Alkmaar |
| Died | 1557 (aged 60–61) Leuven |
| Occupations | Humanist, Teacher |
| Title | Rector of the Collegium Trilingue |
| Predecessor | Conrad Goclenius |
| Successor | Cornelius Valerius |
Life
We first hear of Nannius teaching in Gouda, South Holland. His appointment here is considered a turning point in the humanism of Gouda, in that the humanistic spirit was being found less inside monasteries, and more in public, secular life.[3] In 1539, Nannius succeeded Conrad Goclenius as Latin teacher at the Collegium Trilingue,[1] where he taught renowned intellectuals of the age such as Jacobus Cruquius. Nannius was described by Flemish humanist Justus Lipsius as the first person to introduce a love of letters in the Collegium Trilingue.[4] Nannius served in this capacity from 1539 to his death in 1557.[5][6] For his many scholarly endeavours, he could rely on the financial help of influential patrons, such as Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle.[7]
Works
Nannius was also a writer who wrote a commentary on the Ars Poetica of Horace, and saw in it many similarities to Menippean satire.[8] He translated the works of many Greek authors, including Aeschines, Plutarch, and Athanasius.[9] He also produced ten books of critical and explanatory Miscellanea, and commentaries on the Eclogues and fourth book of the Aeneid by Virgil.[4]
Selective bibliography
Philological Commentaries
- Vergil: Aeneis IV (1544),[11] Bucolica (1559, published posthumously)
- Livy: Ab Urbe condita III (1545)
- Cicero: In Verrem (1546)
- Σύμμικτα or Miscellanea (1548)
- "Symmachi, & Ambrosii de Religione Epistolæ adversariæ, Petri Nannii Alcmariani, et Victoris Giselini scholiis illvstratæ". Aurelii Prudentii Clementis Opera. Antverpiae: Plantin. 1564.
- Horace: Ars poetica (1608, published posthumously)
Latin translations of Greek texts
- Lucian: 7 Dialogues of the Gods and 4 Dialogues of the Sea Gods (1528)
- Basil of Caesarea: several homilies (Leuven, 1538 and 1539). The 1538 edition is available on KU Leuven Special Collections.
- Plutarch: Lives of Phocion and Cato the Younger (1540)
- Athenagoras: On the Resurrection of the Dead (1541, editio princeps)
- Athanasius: Complete works (1556)
Original literary output
- Vinctus (1522)
- Declamatio de Bello Turcis Inferendo (1535/6)[12][13]
- Orationes tres (1541)
- Dialogismi heroinarum (1541 and 1550)
- Declamatio quodlibetica, de aeternitate mundi (1549)
- Dream orations (1611, published posthumously)
- Somnium, sive Paralipomena Virgilii: Res Inferae a Poeta relictae
- Somnium alterum In lib. Il Lucretii Praefatio
