FORMEY

formey, johann heinrich samuel (1711-1797), franco-german author, was born of french parentage at berlin on the 31st of may 1711. he was educated for the ministry, and at the age of twenty became pastor of the french church at brandenburg. having in 1736 accepted the invitation of a congregation in berlin, he was in the following year chosen professor of rhetoric in the french college of that city and in 1739 professor of philosophy. on the organization of the academy of berlin in 1744 he was named a member, and in 1748 became its perpetual secretary. he died at berlin on the 7th of march 1797. his principal works are _la belle wolfienne_ (1741-1750, 6 vols.), a kind of novel written with the view of enforcing the precepts of the wolfian philosophy; _bibliotheque critique, ou memoires pour servir a l'histoire litteraire ancienne et moderne_ (1746); _le philosophe chretien_ (1750); _l'emile chretien_ (1764), intended as an answer to the _emile_ of rousseau; and _souvenirs d'un citoyen_ (berlin, 1789). he also published an immense number of contemporary memoirs in the transactions of the berlin academy. formia (anc. _formiae_, called mola di gaeta until recent times), a town of campania, italy, in the province of caserta, from which it is 48 m. w.n.w. by rail. pop. (1901) 5514 (town); 8452 (commune). it is situated at the n.w. extremity of the bay of gaeta, and commands beautiful views. it lay on the ancient via appia, and was much frequented as a resort by wealthy romans. there was considerable imperial property here and along the coast as far as sperlonga, and there are numerous remains of ancient villas along the coast and on the slopes above it. the so-called villa of cicero contains two well-preserved _nymphaea_ with doric architecture. its site is now occupied by the villa caposele, once a summer residence of the kings of naples. there are many other modern villas, and the sheltered hillsides (for the mountains rise abruptly behind the town) are covered with lemon, orange and pomegranate gardens. the now deserted promontory of the monte scauri to the e. is also covered with remains of ancient villas; the hill is crowned by a large tomb, known as torre giano. to the e. at scauri is a large villa with substructions in "cyclopean" work. the ancient formiae was, according to the legend, the home of the laestrygones, and later a spartan colony ([greek: hormiaidia to euormon], strabo v. 3. 6, p. 233). it was a volscian town, and, like fundi, received the _civitas sine suffragio_ from rome in 338 (or 332 b.c.) because the passage through its territory had always been secure. this was strategically important for the romans, as the military road definitely constructed by appius claudius in 312