His first work, published in 1769, was a Lcttre sur la Sculpture, written, like all the others, in French. It was followed in 1770 by the Lettre sur les desirs, in 1772 by the Lettre sur Vliomme et ses rapports, in 1778 by Sophyle, a dialogue on the relation between soul and body, in 1779 by Aristec, a dialogue on the existence of the Divine Being, in 1787 by Alexis ou Tdge d or, by Simon, oudes facultes de I dme, and by the Lettre de Diodes a Diotimc sur Vatliilsme. Collected editions of his works have been published in 1792 (2 vols.), and more completely by Meyboom, in 1846-50 (6 vols.). See Grucker, Francois Hemsterhuis, sa Vie et scs (Euvres (Paris, 1866).
HEMSTERHUIS, Tiberius (1685–1766), philologist and critic, was born on January 9, 1685, at Groningen in Holland. His father, a learned physician, recognizing the abilities of his son, gave him so good an early education that, when he entered the university of his native town in his fifteenth year, he speedily proved himself to be the best student of mathematics. After a year or two at Groningen, he was attracted to the university of Leyden by the fame of Perizonius ; and while there he was entrusted with the flattering duty of arranging the manuscripts in the library. Though he accepted an appointment as professor of mathematics and philosophy at Amsterdam in his twentieth year, he had already directed his attention to the study of the ancient languages. In 1706 he completed the edition of Pollux s Onomasticon begun by Lederlin ; but the praise he received from his countrymen was more than counterbalanced by two letters of criticism from Bentley, which mortified him so keenly that for two months he refused to open a Greek book. In 1717 Hemsterhuis was appointed professor of Greek at Franeker, but he did not enter on his duties there till 1720. In 1738 he became pro fessor of national history also. Two years afterwards he was called to teach the same subjects at Leyden, where he died, April 7, 1766. Hemsterhuis deserves special note for reinstating the study of Greek in its honourable place among his fellow-countrymen, while he was also the founder of a laborious and useful Dutch school of criticism, of which Valckenaer, Lennep, and Ruhnken are the most famous disciples.
His chief writings are the following : Luciani Colloquia et Timon, 1708; Aristoplianis Plutus, 1744; Notce, &c., ad Xcno- phontcm Eplwsium in the Miscellanea Critica of Amsterdam, vols. iii. and iv. ; Observations ad Chrysoslomi Homilias ; Orationcs, 1784 ; a Latin translation of the Birds of Aristophanes, in Kuster s edition ; notes to Bernard s Thomas Magistcr, to Alberti s Hcsy- chius, to Ernesti s Callimachus, and to Burmaun s I ropertius. See Elogium T. Hemsterhusii (with Bentley s letters) by Ruhnken, 1789 ; and Supplemcnta Annotationis ad Elogium T. Hcmsterhusii, &c., Leyden, 1874.
HÉNAULT, Charles Jean François (1685–1770), French historian, was born in Paris 8th February 1685. His father, a farmer-general of taxes, was a man of literary tastes; and young He nault obtained a good education at the Jesuit college and the College des Quatre-Nations. Captivated by the eloquence of Massillon, he in his fifteenth year entered the oratory with the view of becoming a preacher, but after two years residence he changed his intention, and, inheriting a position which secured him access to the most select society of Paris, he at an early period achieved distinction by his gay, witty, and graceful manners, and by his literary talent as manifested in the composition of various light poetical pieces, and of two discourses which respectively gained a prize at the French Academy in 1707, and at the Acad6mie des Jeux Floraux in 1708. In 1706 he became councillor of the parliament of Paris, and in 1710 he was chosen pre sident of the court of enquetes. He was admitted into the French Academy in 1723, and subsequently into the leading literary societies of Europe. After the death of Bernard de Coubert he became superintendent of the household of Queen Marie Leczinska, whose intimate friendship he had previously enjoyed. On his recovery in his fiftieth year from a dangerous malady, he professed to have undergone religious conversion and retired into private life, devoting the remainder of his days to study and devotion. His devotion was, however, according to the Marquis d Argenson "exempt from fanaticism, persecution, bitterness, and intrigue;" and it did not prevent him from continuing his friendship with Voltaire, to whom it is said he had formerly rendered the service of saving the manuscript of La ffenriade, when its author was about to commit it to the flames. The literary work on which Renault bestowed his chief attention was the Alrege Chronologize, first published in 1744 without the author s name. It is a model of its kind, and is valuable both for popular use and as a work of reference. In the compass of two volumes he has com prised the whole history of France from the earliest times to the death of Louis XIV. His information is for the most part drawn from original sources, and for such a work the number of errors committed by He nault was remark ably small. The results of deep researches and lengthened disquisitions on public law are summed up in a few words. The moral and political reflexions are always short and generally as fresh and pleasing as they are just. A few masterly strokes reproduce the leading features of each age and the characters of its illustrious men; accurate chrono logical tables set forth the most interesting events in the history of each sovereign and the names of the great men who flourished during his reign; and interspersed throughout the work are occasional chapters on the social and civil state of the country at the close of each era in its history. Con tinuations of the work have been made at separate periods by Fantin des Odoards, byAuguis with notes by Walckenaer, and by Michaud. Besides some other historical works of minor importance He nault wrote several dramatic pieces of no particular merit. He died at Paris, 24th November 1770. His Memoircs, published in 1854, are somewhat fragmentary and disconnected, but contain many interesting anecdotes and details regarding persons of note.
See the Correspondance of Grimm, of Madame du Dcffand, and oi Voltaire ; the notice by "VValckenaer in the edition of the Abrt?y Chronologique ; and Sainte-Beuve, Causerlcs du lundi, vol. xi.
