BOSSUET, JACQUES B.EXIGNE, a distinguished French pulpit orator, was b. 27th Sept., 1627, at Dijon; received his earlier education in the Jesuit college there; and then came to Paris to the college of Navarre, where he studied the sacred `captures, the works of classical antiquity, and the Cartesian philosophy. In 1652, he was made a doctor of the Sorbonne, and a canon in Metz. Here. lie was called by the bishop to reply to the cate chism of the Protestant minister, Paul Ferri, and this he did in a way that conuna»cled the admiration even of Protestants. He soon attained great distinction as a pulpit, orator, and in 1661 he was made preacher to the court. Ilis discourse on the occasion of marshal Turenne's conversion to the Catholic church obtained for him the bishopric of Cordau. The king having, in 1670, intrusted to him the education of the dauphin. be resigned his bishopric in 1671, because he believed that he would be unfaithful to his duty if he retained it during a continued absence from his diocese. He was now made a member of the academy. The care with which he attended to the education t.f the dauphin was rewarded, in 1680, by his nomination as first almoner of the dauphin. and in 1681 by his appointment to the bishopric of Meaux. He was the author of the four articles which secured the freedom of the Gallican church, and the rights of the kin, in regard to it, against the aggressions of the pope; and his eloquence in the tmsere lily of the Frenchclergy, in the year 1682, obtained their adoption of these articles. in 1697, he became a member of the council of state, and in the following year first almoner to the duchess of Burgundy. He spent the last year of his life in his diocese, where he died 12th April, 1704. Ile was alike strict in morals and in religious doctrine: his strict ness in the latter he showed particularly in his controversy with Fenaon (q.v.), when'
he accused of heresy for his defense of the Quietists (q.v.). His style is vigorous and artistic. Ilis orations at the funerals of the duchess of Orleans and the gnat Conde arc particularly noted as masterpieces of this kind of eloquence. All his writings attracted much attention. For the defense of those of the Catholic church which are rejected by Protestants, lie wrote his Exposition de la Doctrine de r.Eglise Calla:4w sy• les Matieres do Controrerse (Par. 1671). Ills greatest controversial work is his celebrated Jfistoire des Variations des Eglises Prote.stanks (2 vols., Par. 1088), in which he fonnds his argument chiefly- upon the doctrinal diversities of the churches of the rcfernintion. To the defense of the four articles of the Galilean church he devoted his Defensia declora tionis cekberrinac, yawn de Potestate Eerlesia san.rit elm-us G tillicus 16S2 (2 vols., Luxemb 1730). With a view to the instruction of the dauphin, he wrote his Disco-ars stir rills toire Unirersche jusgit'cir Empire de Charlemagne (Par. 1684 a. work particularly descry ing of notice, as the first attempt at a philosophical treatment of The continu ation of it to the year 1661 (Par. 1805) is entirely derived from materials which he left behind him, but to which the last touch of his own hand wits war, ling. Another fruit of his political and historical studies was the l'olitive tire de l'Eeritvre Sainte (Par. 1709). The most complete edition of his works is that published under the care of the Benedictines (46 vols., Versailles, 1815---19).—His nephew, Es BOSSVET, died bishop of Troyes, 12th .July, 1743. Ilis very extensive correspondence, chiefly devoted to the elucidation and investigation of the views of Ffnelon, is included in the above mentioned edition of the works of his uncle.