Note 9 — Chapter IV

A sidenote at this point refers to Father Nieremberg’s Oculta y curiosa philosophia, last treatise, folio 431. This book is rightly named Curiosa y oculta filosofia, and was published in two parts in Madrid, 1643. Juan Eusebio Nieremberg was born in Madrid either in 1590 or 1595. His father was a Tyrolese, and his mother a Bavarian. Educated at the university at Salamanca, he took the Jesuit habit in the same city in 1614. He became known for his learning and ability and for fourteen years filled the chair of natural history at the royal school at Madrid, and for three years after that lectured on the scriptures. At the same time he was held in high esteem as a confessor, and was solicited by many prominent people as such. In 1642, he gave up teaching entirely because of an attack of paralysis. His death occurred at Madrid, April 7, 1658. He was the author of many works in Spanish and Latin, some of which have been translated into French and Arabic, and other languages. See Rose’s New General Biographical Dictionary, and Hoefer’s Nouvelle Biographie générale.