ANTINE, FRANCIS DE, the author of a celebrated work, L'4rt de Verifier les Dates, was born at Gou rieux, in the diocese of Liege, April 1st, 1688. He was early sent to Douay, to study Dialectics ; but that branch of literature not being suitable to his genius, he rejected it ; and not long afterwards, renounced the world at the early age of twenty-three. He then en tered the congregation of St Maur, of the Benedictine order, and in 1712, made his vows at the abbey of St Lucien de Beauvais. The piety and regularity conspi cuous during his noviciate were now confirmed ; the progress of his studies in the sciences most congenial to his mind, was continued ; and, rising in the esteem of his superiors, he was charged by them with the of fice of teaching philosophy, in the abbey of St Nicaise, in Rheims. His pupils, however, were deprived of the benefit of his tuition, from his being called upon to as sist in the prosecution of an important ecclesiastical work, the Decretalia, which had been interrupted by the death of Messrs Coussin and Monipot, at Paris.
A long time preceding this event, the congregation of St Maur had undertaken a new edition of a learned and useful work, the Glossarium Scriptorum Medii 2Evi of Du Cange, which the successive editors had occa sionally abandoned. Antine was now employed in com pleting their object; and he accordingly published four folio volumes of the work, at Paris, in 173;, and two others, terminating it, appeared in subsequent years. In the mean time he left Paris, and retired to Puintoise ; but being recalled to the capital, he undertook a new translation of the Psalms from the original Hebrew, which was favourably received by the public, and went through several editions.
From Antine's employment in preparing the Dccrc talia, he was led to study the ancient classical histori ans, and also those of the middle ages. The informa tion he derived from them, regarding past events, and the matter contained in the charters and manuscripts, constantly the subject of research, induced him to con ceive the plan of a great chronological work, L'4rt do Verifier les Dates. In the prosecution of this, he be stowed infinite labour and attention ; but, although it was well advanced, he did not live to bring it to a close, for he was struck with an apoplexy, which, after vari ous returns, put a period to his existence, in 1746. The learned, however, have not lost the benefit of his ex tensive researches ; the work above alluded to was pub lished, and has from the beginning enjoyed universal celebrity. The third edition, which is considered the best, was printed at Paris, in in three large folio volumes. Its general plan includes a chro nological abstract of the history, both ancient and mo dern, of all the countries in the world ; with the pe riods of the accession of their sovereigns, or ruling powers ; in which are also enumerated the heads of some less considerable continental principalities. It contains a chronological list of all the eclipses of the sun and moon, since the birth of Jesus Christ ; calen dars of saints ; historical lists of councils, and such other subjects of record, as may tend to ascertain the exact period of past events. (c)