Sleeper, Joseph Jonathan, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, was born in Yincenttown, N. J., Jan. 24, 1793, and was converted Aug. 31, 1812, imiting with the Methodist Episcopal Church in Bur- lington. In 1823 he received a local preacher's license, and in 1837 was admitted into the New Jersey Con- ference. In 1857 he took a supernumerary relation, in which, and that of a superannuate, he remained until his death in Pemberton, N. J., Feb. 27, 1873. See Min- utes of A nnual Conferences, 1873, p. 25.
Sleepers, Seven, The. See Seven Sleepers.
Sleidau (originally rkilippson),JoHA'ss,a celebrat- ed historian of the Reformation in Germany, and an actor in the scenes he describes, was born in 1506 at Schleiden, in the present govemmental district of Aix-la-Chapelle, Prussia, and educated at Liege and Cologne, At the age of eighteen he became private tutor to a son of count Mandersheid, in whose domain the village of Schleiden was situated, and in that capacity visited France, where he devoted himself to the study of jurisprudence and became licentiate of that faculty (at Orleans, 1525). Through the influence of cardinal John du Bellay of Paris, Sleidan was appointed by king Francis I inter- preter to the embassy which attended the diet at Ha- genau in 1540; and in the following year the landgrave Philip of Hesse secured his appointment as messenger, interpreter, and historiographer to the Smalcald League (see Von Rummel, Philipp d, Grossmiilhige, etc. [Giessen, 1830], ii. 439). It is evident, therefore, that Sleidan was by that time an adherent of the evangelical faith ; and he soon afterwards proved himself a determined opponent of the Church of Rome by publishing two addresses, the one to the princes of the empire and the other to the emperor {Orutiones Dufe [Argent. 1544, and in German, 1567]). He also left the ser- vice of king Francis, and established his home per- manently at Strasburg. In 1545 he published a Latin version of Philip Comines' history of Louis XI and of the duke Charles of Burgundy ; and in tlie same year he was instructed b}' the Smalcald League " to write a complete history of the renewed religion." He there- fore began his famous work Be Statu Relig. et Reipuhl. Carolo Quinto Ccesare Commentai'ii, He also, in that year, accompanied the Protestant embass)' to England, in order to negotiate a peace with France, and on Jiis return in 1546 he married Jola von Nidbruck, wlm V)ore him three daughters and lived with him in wedlock to her death, in 1555. In 154H he pidjlished a Latin edi- tion of Comines' Charles VIII, and in 1550 a Summa Doctr. Platon. de Repuhlica et Legihus (Argent.), and a Latin edition of De Seysel on the French State and the duty of kings. He attended the Council of Trent iu 1551 in the capacity of representative of the city of Strasburg, but was not received, and in 1552 he went to the camp of king F'rancis, near Saverne, for the pur- pose of inducing the king to modify his demands for the support of the army. In 1554 he visited the Con-
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vent of Naumbiirc; as the ambassador of Strasburg (Salig, IJU:/. (I. A iii/sh. Con/. \,i'>S2; ii, 1043). The somewhat noted work I>e Quatiior Sumiids JniperiL^ Lihri Tres (Argent, loo") was probably written in the last year of the author's life. He died in \bh&. Sleidan was characterized by frankness and a love for the truth. His style as an author was natural and easy, his Latin classical, his sources well chosen. His works accord- ingly commanded attention at an early period, and will always be im|)ortant for the history of the Keformation. They were published in numerous editions, that of 1785 and 1786 ( Frankfort-on-the-Main ) being the best in German. See Dr. Theod. Paur, J. Sleidan's Commenf. iiber d. Regieningszeit Karls V, etc. (Leips. 1843), where a rich literature relating to Sleidan is given. — Herzog, lital-Kiici/klop. s. V.
Sleipner, in Norse mythology, was the famous eight-footed horse of Odin. See Svadilfar.
Sleipnisfraendi, in Norse mythology, was a sur- name of Lake, who assumed the form of a mare and en- ticed the steed Svadilfar away from his lord, afterwards giving birth to the eight-footed horse Sleipner (q. v.).
Slicer, Henuy, D.D., a distinguished minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, was born in Annapo- lis, Md., March 27, 1801. He joined the Church in Baltimore in his seventeenth year, and was licensed to preach in his twentieth year. He was received into the Baltimore Conference in 1822, and his appointments (from 1822 to 1874) may be thus classified: seven years on circuits; twenty j'ears in stations; two years agent of the Metropolitan Church, Washington, E). C. ; eight years chaplain of the Seamen's Union Bethel, Balti- more ; and tifteen years as presiding elder. He was a member of eight General Conferences — namely, 1832, 1840, 1844, 1852, 1856, 1860, 1868, 1872. When the East Baltimore Conference was formed he became a member of it, and continued such until 1868, when he returned to the Baltimore Conference. He died April 23, 1874. Mr. Slicer was a man of vigorous intellect, self-reliant and indefatigable. His ministry is an instructive ex- ample of devotion to primitive Methodist usage, of sympathy with judicious changes, and of punctilious discharge of official duties. See Minutes of Annual Conferences, 1875, p. 16.