Simonis Theodore, of Berchstedt, in the Duchy of Holstein, studied in various Schools and Colleges of Germany, and was distinguished both as a Greek scholar, and a Philosopher. He was brought up among the EvangelicoLutherans, and on the 11^th of August, 1615, became a student in the University of Altorf, where he is said to have imbibed Socinian notions, from an open avowal of which, however, he studiously refrained. He spent some time in the Low Countries; and when he had completed his education, exercised the profession of a Schoolmaster, at Luneburg. The license allowed in the Protestant Churches, combined with the arguments of Leonard Less, the Jesuit, in favour of Catholicism, induced him to pass over to the Church of Rome; and he did not scruple to defend his apostasy, in a public Conference, held at Halberstadt, on the 16^th of January, 1629, with Paul Muller, Pastor of the Cathedral Church. But he was vanquished in argument, and compelled to give up the contest. After this, he appears to have been very unsettled in his religious views, and is described by Bock as more mutable than Proteus. In 1630, he renounced Catholicism; and published a defence of his return to the Protestant Communion, in a "Retractation," which he inscribed to the Ministers at Hamburgh. He resided at Dantzic about two years, in the capacity of domestic tutor to George Fhelavius; and after this went into Poland, and again professed himself an Antitrinitarian. In 1640, he was still at Dantzic, and was at that time invited by Ruarus, at the request of the Synod, to fill the office of Rector of the Academy at Kissielin, in Volhynia, which had arisen out of the ruins of the College at Racow. In this office he succeeded Peter Stegmann; but having become obnoxious to the different religious bodies, which he had successively deserted, and particularly to the Catholics, he assumed the name of Philippe Cosmius.

Some have erroneously attributed to him a work, supposed to have been published under the title of " Religio Simonis," at Cracow, A. D. 1588. But in that year our Simonis was not yet born; besides that the work alluded to is now known to have been one of those, which passed in controversy between Marcellus Squarcialupus and Simon Simonius. The following is a list of the genuine works of Theodore Simonis.

1. A Retractation, in which are set forth the Causes, why the Author, disregarding the Judgment of the Roman Pontiff, has again embraced the pure Doctrine of the Law and the Gospel, laid down in the Augustan Confession. 1630, 4to. The place where this was published is not inserted in the title-page; but in the year following another edition appeared, in 8vo., with this title. "A Dissertation on the false Principles and Idolatry of the Popish Religion, in which the Author assigns the Reason of his abandoning Popery. Leyden." Of this work Sandius was unable to procure even so much as the above titles; but John Moller, in his "Cimbria Litterata," calls it "libellus eruditus," and gives the title of what he conceives to have been a German translation of it, from the Leipzic Autumnal Catalogue for 1631, p. 33.

2. A Letter to Cornelius Jansenius, dated Emmerich, Feb. 12^th, 1632. This Letter was inserted in Gisbert Voetius's controversy with Jansenius, and was republished in Simonis's work "On the State of Popery," together with Voetius's " Apologetic Epistle" against Libertus Fromundus.

3. On the State and proper Religion of Popery, against Cornelius Jansenius, Bishop of Ypres. Leyden, 1638, 8vo. To this work, which treated both on Popery in general, and its several errors, were prefixed, 1st. A Letter to Cornelius Jansenius ; 2ndly. A Dedicatory Epistle to Andrew Rivet, Gisb. Voetius, Andrew Colvius, and Martin Lydius, Divines of the Reformed party, written at Heusden, July 1^st, 1637. Srdly. An Apologetical Epistle addressed to Libertus Fromundus, Regius Professor and Doctor of Theology of the University of Louvain. The work itself is divided into Two Parts, the former containing nine, and the latter thirteen Chapters. An outline of its contents maybe seen in Bock's Hist. Ant. T. I. pp. 114—116.

4. A Greek Version of Comenius's "JanuaLinguarum." Lubieniecius informs us, that this was prepared during the translator's residence at Kissielin. It was published at Amsterdam, in 1642 and 1640, 12mo; and in an amended form, by Curcellaeus, in the same city, A.D. 1644, 1649 and 1665, 8vo. Moller has specified many editions of it.

5. In 1641, Simonis undertook a translation of John Crellius's Book, "De Uno Deo Patre" into Greek, for which he received from the Synod of Czarcow, in the year following, the sum of 100 florins. When completed, this translation was taken by John Stoinius to Kiow; and in 1643, Ruarus received a conditional order from the Synod of Siedliski to print it; but whether this order was ever carried into effect, the present writer has been unable to discover.

6. On Providence. A sum of money having been offered for a treatise on this subject, Simonis determined to prepare one; and the plan which he proposed to himself to adopt is set forth in the Acts of the Assembly of Czarcow for 1642.

(Vidend. Sandii B. A. p. 143. Bock, Hist . Ant. T. I. pp. IlI—116. Molleri Cimbria Litterata, T. I. pp. 63. 629. Lubieniecii Hist. Ref. Polon. L. ill. C. xvi. p. 277. Zettneri Hist. Crypto-Socin. Altorf. pp. 37. 1221. Vogt, Catal. Libr. Rar. p. 628. WalcUi Bibl. Theol. T. II. p. 195.)

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