A Biographical Dictionary of the Celebrated Women of Every Age and Country/Schurman, (Anna Maria)
SCHURMAN (ANNA MARIA), was born at Cologne 1607, of Parents sprung from noble Protestant Families.
From her infancy she discovered an uncommon dexterity of hand; for at six years of age, she cut with her scissars all sorts of figures upon paper, without any pattern or model. At eight she learned in a few days to design flowers in a very agreeable manner; and two years after, took no more than three hours in learning to embroider. She was afterwards instructed in music, painting, sculpture, and engraving; and succeeded to admiration in all these arts. Her hand writing in all languages was inimitable; and some curious persons have preserved specimens of it in their cabinets. Mr. Joby, in his journey to Munster, relates, that he had a view of the beauty of her writing in French, Greek, Hebrew, Syriac, and Arabic; and was an eye witness of her skill in drawing in miniature, and making portraits upon glass with the point of a diamond. She painted her own picture; and made artificial pearls so nearly resembling natural ones, that they could not be distinguished, except by pricking them with a needle.
The powers of her understanding were equally capacious; for at eleven years of age, when her brothers were examined in their Latin exercises, she frequently whispered them what to answer, though she had only heard them say their lessons en passant; which her father observing, and perceiving she had a genius for literature, determined to cultivate those talents he saw she was possessed of, and accordingly assisted her in gaining that noble stock of learning, for which she was afterwards so eminent. The Latin, Greek, and Hebrew languages were so familiar to her, that she not only wrote, but spoke them fluently, to the surprize of the most learned men. She made a great progress also in the oriental languages, which have an affinity with the Hebrew, as the Syriac, Chaldee, Arabic, and Ethiopic; understood the living languages perfectly well, and could converse readily in French, English, and Italian. She was likewise competently versed in geography, astronomy, philosophy, and the sciences; but as her mind was naturally of a religious cast, these learned amusements gave her but little satisfaction; and at length she applied herself to divinity, and the study of the holy scriptures.
While she was an infant, her father had settled at Utrecht, but afterwards, for the more convenient education of his children, removed to Franeker, where he died 1623. Upon which his widow returned to Utrecht, where Anna Maria continued her studies very intensely; which undoubtedly kept her from marrying, as she might advantageously have done with Mr. Cots, pensionary of Holland, and a celebrated poet, who wrote verses in her praise, when she was no more than fourteen years of age.
Her modesty, which was as remarkable as her knowledge, would have kept her merit and learning in obscurity, if Rivetus, Spanheim, and Vossius, had not produced her, contrary to her own inclination, upon the stage of the world. To these three divines we may add Salmasius, Beverovicius, and Huygens, who maintained a literary correspondence with her, and by shewing her letters, spread her fame into foreign countries. This procured her letters from eminent men, and her name became so famous, that persons of the first distinction, even princesses, paid her visits; and cardinal Richelieu shewed her marks of his esteem.
About the year 1650, she made a visible alteration in her religious system. She no longer went to public worship, but performed her devotions in private; which occasioned a report that she was inclined to popery; but the truth was, she had attached herself to Labadie, the famous Quietist, and embracing his principles and practices, accompanied him wherever he went. She lived some time with him at Altena, in Holstein, where she attended him at his death in 1674. She afterwards retired to Wiewart, in Friseland, where Mr. William Penn, the Quaker, visited her in 1677; and died at this place, 1678. She took for her device these words of St. Ignatius, Amor meus crucifixus est, my love is crucified.
Her works are, "De Vitæ Humanæ Termino." Ultraject. 1639. "Dissertatio de Ingenii Muliebris ad Doctrinam; and Meliores Literas aptitudine." Lugd. Bat. 1641. These two pieces, with letters in French, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, to her learned correspondents, were printed at Leyden, 1648, in 12 mo. under the title of "A. M. a Schurman Opuscula, Hebræa, Græca, Latina, Gallica; Prosaica et Metrica." Enlarged in the edition of Utrecht, 1652. She wrote afterwards, "Eukleria, seu Melioris Partis Electio." This is a defence of her attachment to Labadie, and was printed at Altena in 1673, when she was with him.