Feith, Rhijnvis

Feith, Rhijnvis was born at Zwolle Feb. 7, 1753. He received a careful Christian training. At fifteen he entered the University of Leyden. In 1781 he competed with Lannoy in celebrating De Ruyter. His epic received the gold, and his lyric the silver medal. As a poet, he enjoyed a high reputation through life. He excelled chiefly as a didactic poet, though he also tried his hand at lyric and dramatic poetry. His lyric on Immortality (De Onsterfelijkheid) is beautiful and sublime. His didactic poem on the Grave (Het Graf) is his longest, and is regarded as one of his best. productions, abounding in the beautiful, the striking, and the sublime. His poetic writings are very numerous; and he also wrote several volumes of prose. He was appointed one of a commission to prepare a book of hymns for the use of the Reformed Church in Holland. This duty he discharged with great zeal and fidelity. To this collection he contributed himself a large number of beautiful and appropriate hymns, most of them original, and a few translated from the German. Though a layman, he was a successful cultivator of theology. Two essays or treatises of his on important questions received the premium from Teyler's Theological Society, and another was crowned by the Hague Society. He died February 8, 1824, at his villa near Zwolle. See Siegenbeek's Geschiedenis der Nederlandsche Letterkunde (Haarlem, 1826); Hofdijk's Geschiedenis der Nederlandsche Letterkunde, bl. 415 en very. (Amsterd. 1864); Glasius, Godgeleerd Nederland, blz. 460 en very.; Ge. schiedenis der Christelijke Kerk in Nederland door B. ter Haar, W. Moll, E. P. Swalue, etc., ii Deel, blz. 593 en verv. (Amsterd. 1860); Evangelische Gezangen, introduced in 1807. (J. P. W.)