Hegius, Alexander

Hegius, Alexander (the name, according to some accounts, being Latinized from the name of his native village, Heck), a German humanist of the 15th century, was born within the diocese of Mitnster about 1433 or 1455 (the exact date is undetermined), and died at Deventer, Holland, in the latter part of 1498. He claims notice here because of his influence in reviving classical learning, especially by means of the celebrated college which he established at Deventer. This school is named by Hallam (Lit. of Europe, 1, 109, Harpers' ed.) as one of the three schools thus early established in Western Europe, outside of Italy, for instruction in the classic languages, "from which issued the most conspicuous ornaments of the next generation." Hegius is said to have been a friend of Rudolph Agricola, and to have himself received instruction in classical literature from Thomas a Kempis. Among his pupils may be named Erasmus, Hermann von dem Busche, Murmellius, and others, whose labors and success in literature add lustre to their teacher's fame. Hegius's writings were but few, and those mainly in the form of poetry and brief grammatical and philosophical treatises; one of a theological type is found in a miscellaneous collection of writings by him, published at Deventer, 1530, 4to, and entitled De Incarnationis Mysterio Dialogi duo, quibus additum de Paschae et Celebratione et inventione. Hallam (1. c. note) attributes to him "a small 4to tract entitled Conjugationes Verbornum Graeca, Daventrice Noviter extremo labore collectae et impressae," without date or printer's name, and which he regards as the first book printed this side of the Alps in Greek. — Herzog, Real-Encyklop. 19, 616; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Géneralé, 23, 763. (J. W. M.)