Johannes Narssius [1] (9 November 1580 – 1637) [2] was a Dutch physician and Neo-Latin poet, initially a Remonstrant minister.
He was born Johan van Naars(s)en in Dordrecht on 9 November 1580, [3] and studied philosophy and theology at the University of Leiden. [4] He may have lived in the house of Gerardus Vossius in 1602. [5] A disciple of Jacobus Arminius, his theological beliefs came into question in 1605. [6] In one of the early Leiden debates involving Arminius, he responded to Johannes Kuchlinus. [7]
Narssius was a subscriber to the Confessio orthodoxa of Conrad Vorstius, successor to Arminius at Leiden, and was strongly reprimanded for that by the Synod of Harderwijk. [4] He was pastor at Grave and then Zaltbommel, but lost his posts because of his combative Remonstrant approach. [5] He reportedly travelled to England to present Arminian documents to Archbishop George Abbot, meeting a very hostile reception. [8] After the general exile of Remonstrants from the Netherland he was at the Arminian colony of Friedrichstadt in Holstein. [9]
He spent time in Poland, and Sweden, where he was court poet. [10] In Riga he knew Rütger Hemsing (1604–1643), another physician-poet, and an associate of Galileo. [11] He corresponded with Ole Worm on archaeology. [12] Under the name Hans van der Ast he took letters from Frederick V, Elector Palatine in Germany to his wife Elizabeth of Bohemia, who was in The Hague. [13]
Returning to the Netherlands, he took a position with the Dutch East India Company. He travelled to the Indies, where he died. [4]
Narssius belonged to the "Dordrecht School" of Latin poets, which included also the Remonstrant Samuel Naeranus. [14] He is remembered for Gustavidos sive de bello Sueco-austriaco libri tres 1632) and Gustavidos liber quartus (1634), published in Hamburg, which were Latin epic poems. [15] He also wrote a tragedy Gustavus saucius (1629 and 1632) on Gustavus Adolphus, for whom he was physician and historiographer, from 1625 or 1626. [16] [17] [18]
Other poetical works were:
An epitaph of his was collected in Robert Monro, Monro his Expedition with the Worthy Scots Regiment. [21] It was for John Sinclair, third son of George Sinclair, 5th Earl of Caithness, killed at Newmarke in the Palatinate, in 1632. [22]
Johannes Narssius [1] (9 November 1580 – 1637) [2] was a Dutch physician and Neo-Latin poet, initially a Remonstrant minister.
He was born Johan van Naars(s)en in Dordrecht on 9 November 1580, [3] and studied philosophy and theology at the University of Leiden. [4] He may have lived in the house of Gerardus Vossius in 1602. [5] A disciple of Jacobus Arminius, his theological beliefs came into question in 1605. [6] In one of the early Leiden debates involving Arminius, he responded to Johannes Kuchlinus. [7]
Narssius was a subscriber to the Confessio orthodoxa of Conrad Vorstius, successor to Arminius at Leiden, and was strongly reprimanded for that by the Synod of Harderwijk. [4] He was pastor at Grave and then Zaltbommel, but lost his posts because of his combative Remonstrant approach. [5] He reportedly travelled to England to present Arminian documents to Archbishop George Abbot, meeting a very hostile reception. [8] After the general exile of Remonstrants from the Netherland he was at the Arminian colony of Friedrichstadt in Holstein. [9]
He spent time in Poland, and Sweden, where he was court poet. [10] In Riga he knew Rütger Hemsing (1604–1643), another physician-poet, and an associate of Galileo. [11] He corresponded with Ole Worm on archaeology. [12] Under the name Hans van der Ast he took letters from Frederick V, Elector Palatine in Germany to his wife Elizabeth of Bohemia, who was in The Hague. [13]
Returning to the Netherlands, he took a position with the Dutch East India Company. He travelled to the Indies, where he died. [4]
Narssius belonged to the "Dordrecht School" of Latin poets, which included also the Remonstrant Samuel Naeranus. [14] He is remembered for Gustavidos sive de bello Sueco-austriaco libri tres 1632) and Gustavidos liber quartus (1634), published in Hamburg, which were Latin epic poems. [15] He also wrote a tragedy Gustavus saucius (1629 and 1632) on Gustavus Adolphus, for whom he was physician and historiographer, from 1625 or 1626. [16] [17] [18]
Other poetical works were:
An epitaph of his was collected in Robert Monro, Monro his Expedition with the Worthy Scots Regiment. [21] It was for John Sinclair, third son of George Sinclair, 5th Earl of Caithness, killed at Newmarke in the Palatinate, in 1632. [22]