(Denis), or Dionysius Petavius, a French Jesuit of great erudition, born at Orleans in 1583. His father was a man of literature, and observing strong parts and an excellent genius for letters in his son, he took every means in his power to improve them. He used to tell his son, that he ought to qualify himself so, as to be able to attack and confound "the giant of the Allophyle;" meaning that most eminent scholar Joseph Scaliger, whose abilities and learning were allowed to have done great honour and much service to the reformed. Young Petavius seems to have entered readily into his father's views; for he studied most intensely, and afterwards levelled much of his erudition against Scaliger. He joined the study of the mathematics to that of the belles lettres; and afterwards applied himself to a course of philosophy, which he began in the college of Orleans, and finished at Paris. He afterwards maintained theses in Greek, which was as familiar to him as Latin; and the Latin, it is said, he understood better than he did his own native language. When he was pretty well advanced, he had free access to the king's library, which he often visited on account of the Latin and Greek manuscripts. Among other advantages which accompanied his literary pursuits, was the friendship of Isaac Casaubon, whom Henry IV. called to Paris in 1600. It was at Casaubon's instigation, that Petavius, though then but very young, undertook an edition of The Works of Synesius. In this edition he corrected the Greek from the manuscripts, translated that part which yet remained to be translated into Latin, and wrote notes upon the whole. He was but 19 years of age when he was made professor of philosophy in the university of Bourges; and he spent the two following years in studying the ancient philosophers and mathematicians. In 1604, when Morel, professor of Greek at Paris, published The Works of Chrysostom, some part of Petavius's labours on Synesius were added to them; from the title of which we learn, that he then took the name of Petus, which he afterwards changed into Petavius. His own edition of The Works of Synesius did not appear till 1612.

He entered into the society of the Jesuits in 1605, and did great credit to it by his vast and profound erudition. He became a zealous advocate for the church of Rome; and there was no way of serving it more agreeable to him than that of criticising and abusing its adversaries. He was most bitter against Scaliger; nor did he even spare his friend Casaubon whenever he came in his way.—Petavius excelled particularly in the dark science of chronology; the learned world in general being obliged to him for some exact and nice disquisitions on this subject. His chief work, which is in great repute to this day, he intitled, Rationarium Temporum. It is an abridgment of universal history, from the earliest times to 1632, in chronological order, with references to proper authorities. It was improved, and several additions made to it, by Perizonius, and others after his death. This eminent father, after a very laborious life, died at Paris in the end of the year year 1652, aged 69. Gaffendus, in his life of Peret- chius, says he was the most consummate scholar the Jesuits ever had; an opinion very likely to be true, when we consider that he often contended successfully with Scaliger, Salmasius, and others, whose abilities have been universally acknowledged. His judgment, however, was not equal to his erudition, and his con- troversial writings are full of soursness and spleen. We have the following character of a great work of Pe- tavius by an author of much celebrity, but who per- haps is as much biased on the side of infidelity as he thinks this learned Jesuit was in favour of the church of Rome. The Dogmata Theologica of Petavius are a work of incredible labour and compass: the volumes which relate solely to the incarnation (two folios, 5th and 6th, of 837 pages) are divided into 16 books—the first of his history, the remainder of controversy and doctrine. The Jesuit's learning is copious and cor- rect; his Latinity is pure, his method clear, his argu- ment profound and well connected: but he is the slave of the fathers, the scourge of heretics, and the enemy of truth and candour, as often as they are inimical to the Catholic cause.