Nigrinus George, (Germ. Schwartz,) was held in no mean estimation by the Socinians; but must not be confounded with Bartholomew Nigrinus, who became sufficiently notorious by his repeated tergiversation.

This Bartholomew Nigrinus, though born of Socinian parents, first joined the Evangelico-Lutheran Church; then became a Pastor in the Reformed Church, and Minister of St. Peter's at Dantzic ; and ended by publicly and solemnly professing himself a Roman Catholic, March 25^th, 1644. It was mainly in consequence of his representations, that Vladislav IV., King of Poland, was led to entertain the Utopian project of bringing about a union of all the religious bodies in his kingdom. Bartholomew Nigrinus represented it as an easy matter to effect this object; and the King, taking it for granted, that a man, who had tried so many religions, and was at last about to take refuge in the bosom of the Catholic Church, must be more competent than any one else to give advice on such a subject, lent a willing ear to the scheme which he propounded, and resolved to invite to a friendly meeting a number of Divines of different confessions, to which was given the name of "Colloquium Charitativum." The Proceedings of this Conference were published, at Warsaw, in the year 1646, 4to., under the title of "Acta Conventus Thorunensis," with a Preliminary Address from the King, "to all and singular the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Dukedom of Lithuania, and the Provinces thereto annexed." On the appointed day, (August 28^th, 1645,) the Divines delegated by the respective Confessions assembled at Thorn, and the first sitting took place on the day following; but the parties quarrelled at the beginning of the deliberations, which, after thirty-six meetings, produced no result. Instead of bringing about the proposed reconciliation of religious parties, this Conference tended rather to increase the differences which had previously existed, and was terminated in a very summary manner on the 21^st of November, when the Royal Commissioner lamented its unsuccessful issue, and the Assembly, after hearing the replies of the several Confessions, separated, and commenced a paper war, which was carried on with great acrimony on all sides.

With the unprincipled adventurer, who caused all this confusion, George Nigrinus has sometimes been confounded, on account of the identity of the surname. But he was in no way connected with the movement, either as principal or accessory. The particulars of his history, as given by Bock, are as follow. He studied in the University of Konigsberg; and in the list of students for 1621, is designated "George Nigrinus, of Treptow, a Pomeranian." How he was engaged on the completion of his academical course, and by what means he was induced to join the ranks of the Socinians, are points which have never been clearly ascertained. We know, however, that he was Pastor of the Lutheran Church at Meseritz, before he avowed himself an Antitrinitarian. Being deprived of his cure in 1630, he afterwards changed his German name of Schwartz into Nigrinus. In 1633, he was deemed a suitable person to preside over the Socinian Church at Meseritz; but his appointment to the office of Rector of the College at Racow appeared to the Synod a more desirable and advantageous arrangement. It was accordingly resolved, in the same year, that he should be nominated to that office, Adam Franck, who had been appointed Rector in 1630, being about to remove into Transylvania. But Nigrinus would not consent to take his turn in this office for more than one year; and at the expiration of that time, in 1634, the Synod passed a vote of thanks to him, accompanied by a present, for his disinterested conduct, in leaving his wife, family and home, and undertaking, at a great sacrifice, the arduous duties of this scholastic office. In 1635, he was appointed Minister of the Socinian Church at Meseritz; but when the Socinians, a short time afterwards, were persecuted in that town, he was advised, by the Synod of 1637, to leave Meseritz, which he appears to have done. He is not known to have published anything, for which reason no account is given of him by Sandius.

Mention is made, in the Synodical Acts, of " Nigrinus, Junior," who, by a resolution of the Synod in 1640, received his education free of expense, and is supposed to have been the son of George Nigrinus.

(Vidend. Bock, Hist. Ant. T. I. pp 554-556. Krasimki de Hist.Croquis de la Réf. en Pologne, vol. II. Chap. xi.)

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