(James), a celebrated professor of Arabic and the mathematics at Leyden, was descended from a very honourable family, and born at the Hague in the year 1596. He was put to the university of Leyden, where he studied under Erpinius; and having made himself master of all the learned languages, applied himself to the mathematics, physic, and divinity. He afterwards travelled into Africa and Asia; and became greatly esteemed by the king of Morocco, and the sultan of the Turks. He at length returned to Leyden, loaded with manuscripts; and in 1624, succeeded Erpinius in the Arabic chair. As he had been an eye-witness of the wretched state of Christianity in the Mahometan countries, he was filled with the compassion of a fellow-christian; and none ever solicited for a place of honour and profit with greater eagerness, than he for procuring a new edition of the New Testament, in the original language, with a translation into the vulgar Greek, by an Archimandrite; and as there are some of these Christians who use the Arabic tongue in divine service, he also took care to have dispersed among them an Arabic translation of the Confession of the Protestants, together with the Catechism and Liturgy. In 1626, he was also chosen professor of mathematics; and discharged the functions of both professorships with the greatest applause during 40 years. He was likewise appointed interpreter in ordinary to the states for the Arabic, Turkish, Persian, and other eastern languages, for which he had an annual pension, and a present of a gold chain, with a very beautiful medal, which he wore as a badge of his office. He published, 1. The life of Tamerlane, written in Arabic. 2. The history of the Saracens, written by Elmacin. 3. Alferganus's elements of Astronomy, with a new version, and learned commentaries. 4. An excellent Arabic lexicon. 5. A Persian Dictionary. He died in 1667.