HOUBIGANT, CHARLES FRANCIS, a priest of the Oratory, and an eminent Biblical scholar, was born at Paris in 1686. He was distinguished in early life by his great attainments, and lectured successively on the belles-lettres at Juilly, on rhetoric at Marseille, and on philosophy at Soissona. He afterwards removed to Paris, where his devotion to study and tho duties of his profession produced a serious illness, which terminated in total deafness. Being thus incapacitated for public duty, ho devoted all his time to study, directing his principal attention to the Hebrew language, in which he followed the system of 3lasclef, who was a strenuous opponent of vowel points. In 1732 Houbigant published his 'Raciness Ilebralqucs ;' and in 1746, his 'Prolegomena' to a new edition of tho Hebrew Bible, in which he attempted to show that numerous errors had been introduced into the text. His great work, entitled 'Biblia Hebraics cum Notis Criticia et Versions Latina ad Notes Criticaa appeared at Paris in 1753, in 4 vols. fob ; each page is printed in two parallel columns, one of which contains the Hebrew text of Van der Hooght without points, and the other the Latin translation. In the margin of the Pentateuch
the various readings of the Samaritan Pentateuch are given. The notes and emendations of the text are printed at the end of each volume. The critical notes and prolegomena were reprinted at Frankfurt, 2 vols. 4to, 1777 ; and the Latin version, which is usually considered very elegant and correct, at •Peris, 5 vols. 8vo, 1753. Houbigant learned the English language late in life, and translated into French Sherlock's 'Sermons,' Lesley's ' Short Method against the Deists,' and Forbes's' ' Thoughts on Natural Religion.' Houbigant died on the 31st of October 1783, in tho ninety-seventh year of his age. An account of Houbigant's life, together with a list of his works, is given by Adry in the ' Magamin Encyclop6dique,' May, 1806.
tOUBRAKEN, the name of two distinguished Dutch artists, father and son