A celebrated reformer, born at Noyon, in Picardy, 10th July, 1509. His family name was Cauvin, which he Latinized into Calvinus. He was first intended for the church, and, subsequently, for the profession of civil law. Having embraced the principles of Protestantism, he was under the necessity of quitting France; and he settled at Basle, where he published his celebrated "Institutions of the Christian Religion." After having visited Italy, he was returning by the way of Geneva, in 1536, when Farel and other reformers induced him to take up his abode in that city. He was chosen one of the ministers of the gospel, and professor of divinity. A dispute with the city authorities soon compelled him to leave Geneva, and he withdrew to Strasburg; whence he was recalled in 1541. From the time of his recall, he possessed almost absolute power at Geneva; and he exerted himself vigorously in establishing the Presbyterian form of church government. The reformer, who so loudly exclaimed against the tyranny of Rome, directed the whole torrent of his persecution against Servetus, a physician, who had in an ambiguous style written upon the Trinity; and his vengeance was not appeased till the unfortunate heretic had expired in the flames. He died May 26, 1564; and, though he had long enjoyed a high reputation and exercised an unbounded authority, he left only three hundred crowns to his heirs, including his library, the books of which sold afterwards at a great price. The works of Calvin were printed in twelve volumes, folio, Geneva, and in nine, Amsterdam, in 1667.