HA RDOUIN, JOHN, commonly called PERE }IAI1DOUIN, was born of obscure parents, at Quimper in Brittany, In 1647. He entered the society of the Jesuits at an early age, and devoted himself to the study of belles-lettres, the learned languages, hiator7, philosophi, and divinity. A large portion of his life was spent in undertaking to prove, chiefly from medals, that the greater part of those writings which are considered as ancient, both classical and of the early Christian age, were forged by monks of the 13th century. lie excepted only the works of Cicero, Pliny'. 'Natural History,' Virgil's ' Georgics,' and Horace's 'Satires and Epistles.' These ho supposed to be the only genuine works of antiquity remaining, except a few inscriptions and fasti ; and that from these the monks had drawn up and published Terence's Plays, Livy's and Tacitua's Histories, Virgil's llorace's Odes, ,ba. (See his Chronologist) ex Nummis Anti
qui. reatitutte : Prolusio, do Nummis Ilerodiadum; 4to, Paris, 1693.) His opinions upon religious subjects were not less wild than those upon profane learning.
The Society of Jesuits at last Interfered, and Hardouin, in 1703, published the recantation of his fancies.
His edition of Plioy's 'Natural History,' prepared for the use of the dauphin, was published at first in 5 vols. 4to, Paris, 1685; republished with great improvements in 3 vela. folio, Paris, 1723, with a more copious Index than had up to that period been appended to any classic. In 1715 he edited a new edition of 'The Councils,' printed at the royal press in 12 vols. folio.
Pere Hardouin died at Paris on the 3rd of September 1729. After his death a volume of his ' Opuscula; in folio, was published by an anonymous friend.