RAPIN, DE THOYRAS PAUL, a French historian, cele brated chiefly for his History of England, was born on the 26th Mai ch, 1661, at Castres in Languedoc. After going through the usual routine of education, he went to study law at Nantes, where his father was an advocate. At the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1687, he came over to England ; and entered into a company of French cadets at Utrecht. Ile followed the Prince of Orange to England in 1689 ; and he afterwards went to Ireland as ensign in Lord Kingston's regiment. In that capacity he served at the sieges of Carrigfergus and Li merick, and at the battle of the Boyne, and on those oc casions he conducted himself with such intrepidity as to merit and obtain a captain's commission. In 1693, he was appointed governor to the Earl of Rutland's son, and having resigned his commission to a younger brother, he received from government 1501. a year for his services.
After travelling to different parts of Europe with his pupil, and finishing his engagement, he had the misfor tune to lose his pension by the death of King William.
Under these circumstances he retired to Wesel in the duchy of Cleves, where he composed his History of England. In the year 1717, he published a Dissertation on the Whigs and Tories, and his great work, the His Loire d' .4ngleterre, appeared at the Hague in 9 vols. 8vo. in 1725, 1726, embracing the history of England from the earliest periods down to the Proclamation of Wil liam and Mary. While he was collecting the materials of that work, he " An Abridgement of Ilymer's 1;•dertt," which was published in Le C!crc's Iliblio thcque Choisie.
Rapin died of a fever at Wesel, on the 16th of Mar, 1725, in the 64th year of bis age.