FLECHIER, ESPRIT, 1632-1710; a French preacher of the congregation of Christian Doctrine. In 1659, he was professor of rhetoric at Narbonne. His chief celebrity arose from his eloquence as an orator, but he was also in great favor with his contemporaries for his political compositions, among which were Carmen Eudaristicum, celebrating the peace of the Pyrenees; one on the birth of the dauphin; and Circus Regius, describing a tournament given by Louis XIV. in 1662. He also wrote Memoires sur les Grand lours d'Auverone, in which he relates, in half romantic and half historic form, the prb ceedings of that. extraordinary court of justice. His sermons increased his reputation, which was afterwards raised to the highest pitch by his funeral orations. His discourse on the death of Mine. Montausier secured his admission to the academy at the same time with Racine. Honors were bestowed upon him until he became bishop of Nismes. There lie had occasion for the daily exercise of his greater qualities—gentleness and moderation. The edict of Nantes had been repealed two years before: but the Calvin
ists were still very numerous at Nismes, and the sincerity of the conversion of such as had made abjuration was doubtful at best. Flechier, by his prudent conduct, in which zeal was tempered with charity, succeeded in bringing over some of them to his views, and made himself esteemed and beloved even by those who declined to change their faith. During the troubles in the Cevennes, he softened to the utmost of his power the rigor of the edicts, and showed himself so sensible to the evils of persecution, and so indulgent even to wliat he regarded as error, that his memory was long held in venera tion amongst Protestants of that district. In the famine which succeeded the winter of 1709, he did much to alleviate the prevalent distress by assisting the poor in his diocese without regard to their religious tenets, declaring that all alike were his children.— [From Eneye..Brit. 9th ed.]