Nicholas, a celebrated chemist, born at Rouen in Normandy in 1645. After having made the tour of France, he, in 1672, commenced an acquaintance with M. Martyn apothecary to Monsieur the Prince; and performed several courses of chemistry in the laboratory of this chemist at the Hotel de Conde; which brought him to the knowledge and esteem of the prince. He provided himself at length with a laboratory of his own, and might have been made a doctor of physic: but he chose to continue an apothecary, from his attachment to chemistry, in which he opened public lectures; and his confluence of scholars was so great as scarcely to allow him room to perform his operations. The true principles of chemistry in his time were but ill understood; Lemery was the first who abolished the senseless jargon of barbarous terms, reduced reduced the science to clear and simple ideas, and promised nothing that he did not perform. In 1681, he was disturbed on account of his religion; and came to England, where he was well received by Charles II.: but affairs not promising him the same tranquillity, he returned to France, and sought for shelter under a doctor's degree; but the revocation of the edict of Nantz drove him into the Romish communion to avoid persecution. He then became associate chemist and penionary in the Royal Academy of Sciences, and died in 1715. He wrote, A course of chemistry; An universal pharmacopoeia; An universal treatise of drugs; and, a treatise on antimony.