But Grotius’ interest in law did not mean that he stopped learning about other subjects. He became part of a very exclusive group of students, handpicked by the French humanist Joseph Justus Scaliger. At this stage, Scaliger was generally seen as the most learned man in Europe and his appointment has been a major coup for the young university of Leiden. Scaliger was officially exempt from teaching but chose to teach philology to a couple of the university’s most talented students. Scaliger praised Grotius’ skills in Greek and Latin composition and predicted that one day he might make a fine Town Pensionary.
Willem van Swanenburg (1580-1612), Portrait of J.J. Scaliger, print [BN 1236]