Mateo Aimerich (1715–1799) was a

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...

born in Bordils, Province of Girona,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Life

He entered the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

at eighteen, and, having finished his studies, taught philosophy and

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

in several colleges of his Order. He was subsequently rector of

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

and

Cervera Cervera () is the capital of the ''comarca'' of Segarra, in the province of Lleida, Autonomous Community of Catalonia, Spain. The title Comte de Cervera is a courtesy title, formerly part of the Crown of Aragon, that has been revived for Leonor ...

, and chancellor of the University of Gandia. He was in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

, supervising the printing of some books, when the decree of the expulsion of the Society from Spain was announced. He went on board ship without complaint, reportedly thinking only of consoling his companions, several of whom were old and infirm. He took up his abode in Ferrara,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and it was there, in exile, that he carried out much of his philological work. His only help was the public

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

, and even that his infirmities often prevented him from consulting. Aimerich died in Ferrara, Italy, in 1799.

Works

Besides some works of scholastic philosophy, ascetical works, and discourses, we have from his pen the following works: *''Monina et acta Episcoporum Barcinonencium'' *''Quinti Moderati Censorini de vitâ et morte linguae Paradoxa philologica, criticis nonnullis dissertationibus opposite, asserta, et probata'', of which there were but a few copies printed; the book is consequently very rare. *a defense of the preceding work; *''Specimen veteris romanae literaturae deperditae vel adhuc latentis''; *''Novum Lexicon historicum et criticum antiquae romanae literaturae''. This work, which is the sequel to the preceding, was the one which made Aimerich's reputation. He left also an MS., which was a supplement to his dictionary; and a number of Latin discourses.

References

1715 births 1799 deaths 18th-century Spanish Roman Catholic theologians 18th-century Spanish Jesuits Spanish philologists Spanish emigrants to Italy {{spain-philosopher-stub