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BOEHME —BCEOTIA. 151
BOiCeE. (See Boiethius.) tions. He died, after several prosecutions
BOEHME, or BOEHM, Jacob; one of the and acquittals, in 1624. Abraham von
most renowned mystics of modern times; Frankenberg (who died in 1652), his bi-'
born, in 1575, at Altseidenberg, a village ographer and admirer, has also published
in Upper Lusatia, near G6rlitz; was the and explained his writings. The first col
son of poor peasants; remained to his lection of them was made in Holland, in
10th year without instruction, and em- 1675, by Henry Betke; a more complete
ployed in tending cattle. The beautifull one, in 1682, by Gichtel (10 vols., Arnsterannl sublime objects of nature kindled his dam); from whom the followers of B., a
imagination, and inspired him with a religious sect highly valued for their siprofound piety. Raised by contempla- lent, virtuous and benevolent life, have
tion above his circumnstances, and undis- received the name Gichltelians. Another
turbed by exterior influences, a strong edition appeared in Amsterdam, in 1730,
sense of the spiritual, particularly of the under the title Theologia revelata, 2 vols.
mysterious, was awakened in him, and 4to.; the most complete, in 6 vols. In
he saw in all the workings of nature England, also, B.'s writings have found
upon his mind a revelation of God, and many admirers. William Law published
even imagined himself favoired by divine an English translation of them, 2 vols.,
inspirations. The education which he 4to. A sect, taking their name from B.,
received at school, though very imper- was likewise formed in England, and
fect, consisting only of writing, spelling in 1697, Jane Leade, an enthusiastic adand reading the Bible, supplied new food mirer of his, established a particular socifor the excited mind of the boy. He be- ety for the explanation of his writings,
came afterwards a shoemaker; and this under the name of the PhiladelJphists. It
sedentary life seems to have strengthened is said that such a society still exists.
his contemplative habits. He was much John Pordage, an English physician, is
interested in the disputes which prevailed also well known as a commentator on B.
on the subject of Cryptocalvinismn in BcEOTTA; a country of ancient Greece,
Saxony; though he never took a personal bounded N. by Phocis and the country
part in sectarian controversies, and knew of the Opuntian Locrians; E. by the
no higher delight than to elevate himself, Euripus, or strait of Eubcea; S. by Attica
undisturbed, to the contemplation of the and Megaris; and W. by the Alcyonian
infinite. B. withdrew himself more and sea and Phocis; but the boundaries were
more from the world. If we take into not always the same. In the north, it is
view his retirement, his piety, his rich mountainous and cold, and the air is
and lively imagination, his imperfect ed- pure and healthy, but the soil is less ferucation, his philosophical desire for truth, tile than that of the other portion, which,
together with his abundance of ideas, and however, is infested by unhealthy vapors.
his delusion in considering many of those The mountainous part in the north was
ideas as immediate communications of called, in earlier times,./onia. Among
the Deity, we have the sources of his its mountains are several remarkable in
doctrine and his works. His writings history and mythology: Helicon (now
are very unequal, but always display a Sagara), the mountain of the Sphinx, the
profound feeling, and must be judged Taumessus, Libethrus and Petrachus.with indulgence for the causes just men- The chief occupation of the inhabitants
tioned. Iin 1594, B. became a master was agriculture and the raising of cattle.
shoemaker in Gorlitz, married, and con- It was first occupied by Pelasgian tribes.
tinued a shoemaker during his life. Sev- In the time of Bceotus (son of Itonus and
eral visions and raptures, that is, moments grandson of Amphictyon, from whom it
of strong enthusiasm, led. him to take the is said to have derived its name), these
pen. His first work appeared in 1616, were subject to the Hellenists. It was
andl was called.1urora. It contains his divided into small states, until Cadmus
revelations on God, man and nature. the Phoenician founded the government
This gave rise to a prosecution against of Thebes. In later times, all Greece
him; but he was acquitted, and called worshipped the Hercules of Thebes. Afupon, from all sides, to continue writing. ter the death of the Theban king Xanthus,
Hie did not, however, resume his pen most of the cities of B. formed a kind of
until 1619. One of his most important republic, of which Thebes was the chief
works is, Description of the three Princi- city. Epaminondas and Pelopidas raised
pies of the Divine Being. His works Thebes, for a short time, to the rank of
contain profound and lofty ideas, main- the most powerffil states of Greece. In
gled with many absurd and confused no- B. are several celebrated ancient battle