Gittichius Michaël , commonly called Venetianus, was the son of an Italian emigrant, who settled in Poland, in the reign of Sigismund Augustus ; and married a Polish, or Lithuanian lady. Faust Socin, in a letter to Valentine Radecius, A. D. 1603, calls him Gutichius; and A. Dinner, writing to Zeltner in 1609, says, that Michael Gittichius was the son of a German, of the name of Matthias Giittich. This statement, however, is incorrect ; as also are those of Lauterbach and Lamy, who make Michael Gittichius a Venetian. In his correspondence with his friends, it is true, Gittichius frequently omits his own surname, and subscribes himself Venetianus, Venice having been the native city of his father; but this was evidently because he was proud of his ItaHan descent, and anxious to disclaim any relationship with the German family of Giittich.

He states, in a letter addressed to Martin Ruarus, and in another addressed to Nicholas Harder, that he did not receive his heterodox impressions from his father, who seems never to have deserted the orthodox faith, on the subject of the Trinity. The change in his own views was entirely the result of personal inquiry ; and what first led him to entertain doubts concerning the commonly received opinions, was, as he himself states, the unmeaning, frivolous, contradictory and absurd things, which he found in the writings of the Fathers, and in those of modern Catholic and Protestant authors.

He received the rudiments of his education at Kokliow ; and, in his nineteenth year, ventured to engage in a dispute concerning Purgatory, with a Catholic Priest of no ordinary attainments, whom he succeeded, after a long and close discussion, in convincing of his error. After this, he lived, for some time, with Valentine Radecius, at Clausenburg ; and having extended the range of his acquirements, and strengthened the foundations of his faith, under that eminent teacher, he returned into Poland at the close of the year 1603, when he was appointed one of the Tutors in the College at Racow.

On the 10th of December, 1607, according to Zeltner, he went to the University of Altorf, accompanied by a young Polish Nobleman, of whose education he had the charge ; and who was the son of John a Woinarowa Woinarowski. He probably made choice of this University, in consequence of the high terms, in which he had heard his friends Ostorod and Voidovius speak of it, and the high character which it had attained, as a place of education ; and it was no doubt an additional recommendation to him, that Ernest Sohner at that time held the office of Rector. During his residence at Altorf, he made many converts to Unitarianism ; till at length, about the beginning of the year 1610, having become known to the Curators, as a man devoted to heresy, and bent upon doing all in his power to propagate it, he received a peremptory command to quit the town.

From Altorf, Gittichius went to Ingolstadt, where, for some time, he pursued the same zealous course. But in the month of September, 1611, he was ordained to the ministerial office, in a Synod held at Racow. From this time, as he writes to his friend Sohner, he had the charge of a small congregation of Unitarians, near Novogrodek, in Lithuania, on an estate belonging to Raphael Kosi, a Polish Nobleman.

In 1614, it was determined, that he should be recalled from Lithuania, where it was thought there was not sufficient scope for his talents, and appointed, to take charge of some congregation in Poland, in which country a wider field would lie open before him. But the Lithuanian Churches, and especially that of Novogrodek, requested that he might be allowed to stay longer with them ; and their request was granted. At this time, he was in the habit of going from his residence in the country to Novogrodek, and publicly teaching Unitarianism there, in conjunction with his colleague, John Licinius. But in 1618, they were both prohibited, by royal authority, from exercising their ministerial functions any longer in that place. Gittichius, however, continued to profess his opinions on his patron's estate, and in the neighbourhood of the town ; and remained there a great number of years. From the subscriptions of two letters, written by him to Ruarus, in 1642, it appears, that he was still acting as Chaplain to Raphael Kosi, and employed in conducting the religious services of a small congregation of Unitarians, which he calls "My Little Church".

He married a widow with a family of six children, and by her had one son, whom the Synod of Czarcow, in 1642, resolved to take under its own care; and who, in 1644, was admitted, by the Synod of Siedliski, among the number of Alumni, or Students for the ministry.

Gittichius was maliciously and falsely charged, by the Jesuits, on one occasion, with publicly praying for the success of Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden. Lubieniecius, in relating the particulars of this vile calumny, speaks of him in the highest terms, as the faithful Pastor of the Lithuanian Churches, a very learned and excellent man, and a much admired Preacher.

He died, as Sandius informs us, in the year 1645, after having done all in his power, both by his preaching and his writings, to promote the spread of the Unitarian doctrine. Albert Graver calls him "a most acute Photinian;" and he is allowed, on all hands, to have been an able defender of the Unitarian faith, though he sometimes maintained his opinions in too dogmatical and confident a manner. Zeltner remarks, that he sketched the outline of an Index of names and terms, under which the Socinians concealed the persons and things connected with their body ; or, at least, that he suggested the plan of such an Index. The same writer has inserted, in his "History of Crypto-Socinianism," (C. ii. Sect. ii. pp. 153—157,) a copy of this Index, from the "Homonymoscopia" of John Möller, amplified by much supplementary matter. It never came into extensive use among the Socinian body, but was familiarly known to those of the Students in the University of Altorf, who had embraced the opinions of Socin, and among whom caution and secrecy were necessary. The following is a translation of this curious document.

A. Altorf: Pancomium.—Anabaptists: Badenses.—Arminius (James) : Talceus.—Arminians: Protestantes.

B. Batavi (or Dutchmen): Hesperii.—Bentheim (Count): Frutestini Comes, vel Dominus. (N.B. Frutestini, as Zeltner intimates, is the anagram of Steinfurti).—Belgium: Glebium.—Bertius (Peter) : Pogonatus, or PhilosophoTheologus.

C. Calvinists: Phalantii.-—Cobus (John): Onesimus, Hilpershusanus, or Bocius.—Communists : Pythagorici.— Cornelius: Lonicerus.—Cracow: Fragosia.—Crellius (John): Solinus, Leniancer, or Helmezheimensis.

D. Dantzic: Orchestra. — Davidis (Francis): Liberius Erasmus.—Dümler: Tyrbceus, or Mulderus.

E. Enyedi (George): Monavius.—Engelbert: Angelus Berticus.—Episcopius (Simon): Horatius.

F. Fabricius (John George): Schmidlinus, or Philiatrus. —Franeker: Eleutheria.—Franzius (Wolfgang): Gallus. —Frauenburg (John Gerhard): Magdeburgus, or Faeminarius noster.—Frater ccetus Unitarii recens natus (or a recent convert to Unitarianism): Rivalis noster.—Fiihrer: Pompeius.

G. Gaul (or France): Liberia.—Germany: Andria.— Gittichius (Michael), Venetianus: Clementinus. — Goslavius (Adam): Diodes.—Graver (Albert): Canus, and Theologus disputax.

H. Hague (The): Locus in quo Sylvanus auditur.— Hainlin (John James) : Dominicus, or Galliculus.

I. Isanadius: Odontius.

J. Jena: Oenome.—Jesuits (The): Nigri.—Johannis (Erasmus): Desiderius Ulricus. K. Konig (George) : Regius.

L. Leuxner (or Leuchsner): Luceius, or Xenuleius.— Leimer: Collectus, or Meilerus.—Lithuania: Classivania. —Lubbert (Sibrand) : Theologus inquietus, and Titius.— Lucius : Lupus.—Lugdunum Batavorum (or Leyden) : Guldunum, or Pathmus.—Lutherans: Puritani.

M. Marks (Cornelius): Carmus (Qu. Carmi?).—Martini (James): Philosophus disputax.—Maurice (Prince, of Nassau) : Dominus bellicus peritissimus.—Maurice (Landgrave of Hesse): Princeps cujuspatrocinio Antiboccius commissus. [N. B. Zeltner discovered, after he had printed this list, that Moller, through mistake, had read Antiboccius instead of Anti-Puccius, p. 273.]—Mennonites: Docetce.—Moscorovius (Jerome): Eusebius, and Medicus Nobilis.

N. Nuremberg: Salamantica.

O. Ostorod (Christopher): Paschasius, or Paschahdus.

P. Pope (The): Saturnus.—Papists: Patricii.—Peuschel (Joachim): Strabo, or Scheulepius. [N. B. Moller had printed Schrilepius by mistake. Zeltner corrects the error, p. 287.]—Photiniana Religio (the Photinian, that is, the Unitarian Religion): Felicitas.—Photinianae religioni addicti (Photinians, or Unitarians) : Felicitatis amatores, and Lucenses [a word derived from Lux, as Photinus is from (...), Light].—Piccart (Michael): Niger Philosophus.—Planer: Delius, or Lapnerus.—Pisecius (Thomas): Martius Piso.—Poland: Campania, or Nolopia.—Polonus (a Pole): Nolopus.

R. Racow: Verona, or Covaria. [N. B. Moller has Cavaria, an evident mistake for Covaria, the anagram of Racovia. Vide Zeltner, p. 298.] Radecius (Valentine) : Pancratius Eubulus.—Ravensperger (Hermann) : Sylvani Successor [that is, the successor of Conrad Vorstius]— Rhaw (Matthias): Carcharias. — Reudenius (Ambrose): Facultatis Theologicce Senior.—Richter (George): Critius, or Prcetorius.—Rostoch : Rhodus, or Storochium.—Ruarus (Martin): Aretius Crispicus, or Martinus noster.—Ruarus (Joachim): Dominicus Anastasius Crispicus.

S. Sartorius [a probable mistake for Statorius", (John) ] : Hormius Histaus.— Schopper (James): Senex vester.— Seidelius: Heiminceus, or Pomeranus noster.—Sigismund III., King of Poland: Victorius.—Smalcius (Valentine) : Butyrius, or Andrew Reuchlinus.—Smiglecius (Martin): Gelasius.—Socin (Faustus): Turpilio, or Beatus Turpilio.—Sommer (John): Therinus.—Sohner (Ernest): Philetus.—Steinfurt: Petra, or Frustenium.

T. Timpler (Clement): Hiero, or Sylvani Collega.— Transylvanians: Hylcei.

V. Vogel (John) : Johannes Avitus.—Volkelius (John): Popilius, or Populceus.—Vorstius (Conrad): Sylvanus, or Trasybulus Sylvius.

W. Wittenberg: Arges.

Zeltner enters into a long and learned discussion concerning the derivation of these names, and is generally successful in tracing them to their source. Some of his etymologies will be found in different parts of the present work, which supersedes the necessity of dwelling upon the subject in this place. The reader, however, who is curious to see in what manner these feigned names were applied by the Crypto-Socinians, in their correspondence with each other, will probably be interested by the following extract from a letter, addressed by Martin Ruarus to Joachim Peuschel, A. D. 1616. "Incidi nuper in bonos quosdam viros, quos Badensium" [viz. Anabaptistarum] "nomine saepius in cassum quaesiveram, qui de Deo, persona officioque Christi, de ccena. Domini, de baptismate, aliisque religionis partibus, quarum mentionem feceram, idem cum Campanis" [Polonicis] "amicis sentiunt, licet eorum propemodum ignari, homines alias simplices, et pietatis valde studiosi: interrogati, unde opiniones huic ccelo tarn inusitatas ipsi imbibissent, responderunt, se post accuratam quorundam scripturae locorum examinationem, ardentesque preces, Bernhardi cujusdam, fabri quondam aerarii, quem ab Helvetiis fratribus inquisitorum metus hue egerat, opera, plurimum profecisse, habuisse etiam nescio quid libri Veronae," [Racoviae,] "formis descripti, Smiglia fortassis allati, et propterea Martianos" [?] "a nonnemine vocatos esse, quod convitium ipsi tamen nequaquam agnoscerent, tutiore Badensium" [Anabaptistarum] "nomine contenti. Dedi ipsis legendas Paschasii" [Ostorodi] "institutiones et catechesin Veronensem," [Racoviensem,] "ut tanto melius, si quid nostrum improbaverint, cum illis agere possim." (Ruari Epp. Cent. ii. N. ix.) The letter, from which the above passage is extracted, purports to have been written at "Plataeae," by which, as Zeltner conjectures, (p. 173,) the city of Strasburg is meant. But perhaps we have delayed too long upon this subject. The present article, therefore, will be brought to a suitable conclusion, by the following list of the writings of Gittichius.

1. Common-places from all the Writings of the Unitarians, arranged in Alphabetical Order. This was a Folio Manuscript, and is mentioned in the Acts of the Assemblies of Raszcow and Czarcow, under the title, "Venetiani Promtuarium Theologicum."

2. Letters mentioned by Albert Graver in the Preface to his "Examination of the principal Sophisms employed by the modern Photinians in the Explanation of Heb. i." These Letters were published by Ludwig Lucius at Basil in 1613, as will be seen in the next No.

3. On that highly important Question, Whether or not Christ made a Satisfaction for our Sins to Divine Justice ? a scholastic and epistolary Controversy between Michael Gittichius and Ludwig Lucius. This work went through three editions; of which the first and second were published at Basle, in 1613 and 1621, 12mo.; and the third in 1628, 8vo. Gittichius wrote a distinct work against Lucius and Graver, which seems not to have been published, because he would not consent to certain erasures and alterations, recommended by Moscorovius, Goslavius and Smalcius, who had been commissioned by the Synods of Lublin and Racow, in 1611 and 1612, to revise it, with a view to publication.

4. Explanations of various Passages of Scripture, and Sketches of Sermons, for the Use of Students in Divinity ; begun Feb. 3rd, 1640, and finished March 25th, 1641. MS.

5. A Letter concerning Christ, Whether he now has the same numerical Body which he had upon Earth ; dated Novogrodek, Nov. 16th, 1613, and addressed to John Crellius. In this Letter, which is inserted in the Works of Crellius, (Bibl. Fratr. Pol. Vol. IV. p. 538,) Gittichius ingeniously argues against the received Socinian doctrine on this subject.

6. A Sermon from Psalm cxlvi., delivered Jan. 16th, 1615. Typ. Pet. Blastus, 4to. Wilna, or Novogrodek.

7. An Index of Secret Names commonly employed by the Unitarians for disguising the proper Names of Persons and Places ; enlarged by Joachim Peuschel.

8. A Letter to Martin Ruarus concerning Grotius's Commentary on Passages in the New Testament, relating to Antichrist; written Nov. 10th, 1642, and inserted in "Ruarus's Epistles," Cent. i. No. 61.

9. Another Letter to Ruarus on Grotius's Explanation of three very useful Passages of the New Testament, &c.; written Nov. 17th, 1642. Cent. i. No. 63.

10. Another on Fasting, written July 15th, 1642. Cent, i. No. 89.

11. Another on the same Subject ; written Nov. 10th, 1642. Cent. i. No. 91.

12. Another, written Jan. 21st, 1643. Cent. i. No. 93.

13. Another, written April 6th, 1643. Cent. i. No. 95. In this friendly discussion, Gittichius represents fasting as a superstitious practice ; and Ruarus, in his replies, defends the contrary view.

14. Fragment of a Letter on the Fasting of the Ninevites ; written July 14th, 1643. Cent. i. No. 97.

15. Another Letter, written July 14th, 1643, or more probably, judging from the date, a part of the preceding, in which Gittichius accuses Grotius of dissimulation, and the intentional use of ambiguous phraseology, in the controversy about Satisfaction. Ad. Calc. Cent. i.

16. Explanation of the First Epistle of Peter, MS. ; being part of a letter without date, addressed to Simon Pistorius.

17. Anti-Lessius: or, A Reply to Leonhard Less, the Jesuit, on the Choice of a Religion ; probably the translation of a Polish work by Thomas Pisecius. (Vide Art. 165, No. 5.)

18. A Letter to Nicholas Harder, Rector of the Lutheran School at Wilna. The object of this Letter was to bring his correspondent over to his own opinion concerning the person of Christ. An outline of its contents is given by Bock, in his "Hist. Antitrin." T. I. P. i. pp. 383—385.

19. Two Examples of singular Divine Benignity: One, in receiving back into Favour those, who, through want of Consideration, fall back from the Christian Religion ; the other, in guarding the unlearned from being seduced by Impostors, and precipitated into various Errors. This was an autograph manuscript, formerly in the possession of Bock, whose intention it was, some time or other, to publish it whole.

20. A Quarto Volume of Letters in the Latin and Polish Languages, some of which are published, while others remain unpublished. These Letters are for the most part addressed to persons, entertaining the same religious opinions as the writer, particularly Conrad Vorstius, and the Crypto-Socinians of Altorf,—Sohner, Paul Groe, John Murer, John Crellius, and others. The collection appears to have escaped the researches of Zeltner ; but Bock, who had access to it, has extracted from it three Letters to Nicholas Harder; three to Jerome Moscorovius ; two to some correspondent, whose name does not appear ; and one to Valentine Smalcius. These he has published at the end of his account of Gittichius, who left behind him