Huarte, Juan

Huarte, Juan the representative of Spanish philosophy in the Middle Ages, was a Frenchman by birth, and born about 1530. He was educated at the University of Huesca, and afterwards devoted himself to the study of medicine and philosophy. The work to which he owes his great reputation is entitled Examen de Ingenios, para las sciencias donde de nuestra la differencia de habilidades que hay en los hombres, y el genero de letras quecada uno responde en particular offcina plantiniana (1593; sm. 8vo, Pamplon. 1575, and often). This work aims to show, "by marvelous and useful secrets, drawn from true philosophy, both natural and divine, the gifts and different abilities found in man, and for what kind of study the genius of every man is adapted, in such a manner that whoever shall read this book attentively will discover the properties of his own genius, and be able to make choice of that science in which he will make the greatest improvement." It has been translated into English by Carew and Bellamy, under the title Trial of the Wits; into German by Lessing (Priüfung der Köpfe), and into many other languages. Huarte has been severely reproached for having published as genuine a spurious letter of Lentulus, the proconsul, from Jerusalem, in which a description of the Savior's person is given. He died near the close of the 16th century. See Antonio, Biblioth. Hispana nova, 1, 543; Bayle, Histor. Dict. 3, 528; Ticknor, History of Spanish Lit. 3, 189; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Géneralé, 25, 333 sq. (J. H.W.)