NIZOLIUS (Marius), a grammarian of Italy, who by his wit and erudition contributed much to the promotion of letters in the 16th century. He published, in 1553, Lib. 4. De veris Principiis et vera Ratione philosopho-
Surval philosophandi, contra Pseudo philosophos. In this work he attacks, with much vivacity, the schoolmen, not only for the barbarism of their terms, but for many ridiculous opinions which they held. Leibnitz was so struck with its solidity and elegance, that, to expose the obliuacy of those who were zealously attached to Aristotle, he gave a new edition of it, with critical notes of his own, 1670, in 4to. Nizolius published also, Theſaurus Ciceronianus, sive Apparatus Linguae Latinae e Scriptis Tullii Ciceronis collectus, in folio. This is a good Latin dictionary, composed of the words and expressions of Cicero; to which, it seems, Nizolius shewed as much bigotry as the schoolmen to their notions; and fell under the character of those pedants whom Erasmus has ridiculed in his Ciceronianus. We do not find the year either of his birth or death.