Born at
Amsterdam, he was brought up by his uncle in
Leiden, and afterwards studied
law and philology under
CA Duker and
Arnold von Drakenborch at
Utrecht. In 1735 he was appointed professor of eloquence and history at
Franeker, with which the chair of
poetry was combined in 1741. In the following year he left Franeker for Amsterdam to become professor of
history and philology at the
Athenaeum Illustre of Amsterdam. He was subsequently professor of poetry (1744), general librarian (1752), and inspector of the gymnasium (1753). In 1777 he retired, and died on 24 June 1778 at Santhorst, near
Wassenaar. He resembled his more famous uncle in the manner and direction of his studies, and in his violent disposition, which involved him in quarrels with contemporaries, notably Saxe and
Christian Adolph Klotz. He was a man of extensive learning, and had a great talent for Latin poetry. His most valuable works are: •
Anthologia Veterum Latinorum Epigrammatum et Poematum (1759–1763) •
Aristophanis comoediae Novem (1760) •
Rhetorica. He completed the editions of
Virgil (1767) and
Claudian (1760), which had been left unfinished by his uncle, and commenced an edition of
Propertius, one of his best works, which was only half printed at the time of his death. It was completed by L. van Santen and published in 1780. ==Notes==