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IS now Three Weeks fince I defired to "have a Hearing, but could not obtain it. I beseech you, for Jefus Chrift's Sake,, nor tà deny me what you would not deny a Turk, when "I defire you to do me Juftice. I have feveral "Things to tell you, that are very important and necellary.

"As for the Orders you gave, that something "fhould be done to keep me clean, they have not "been performed; and I am more miferable than "ever Besides, I am very much troubled with Cold "by Reason of my Cholick and Rupture, which "occafions fome other Miferies that I am afhamed to write. 'Tis a great Piece of Cruelty, that I fhould not be allowed to fpeak in order to fupply my Wants For God's Sake, my Lords, give fome Orders about it, either out of Compaffion, or out "of Duty. From your Prifon at Geneva, October

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Michael Servetus

fhall conclude with this, laft Petition of Servetus,

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THE Character of M. FLECHIER, tate Bishop of Nifmes. By the Jefuits of Trevoux.

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SPRIT FLECHIER, deceased the 16th of February 1710, was born at Perne in the Coun 25 ry of Avignon the 10th of June 1632. God, who o defigned he fhould be a great Orator of the Chriftian Church, and a moft excellent Bifhop, beftowed 13 upon him a found Judgment, a noble Imagination, good Principles, virtuous, Inclinations. Providence, Sin order to improve his natural Endowments pre

pared a Mafter for him well qualified to lead him foto the most perfect Eloquence It was Father Her arcules Aydiffret, fince General of the Congregation of the Chriftian Doctrine, Uncle to Mr. Flechierm Fa urther Hercules was one of thofe Men of a wonderful Genius, who make themselves a Way to those things, that cafe true sands beautiful bassido ven 10q9M; nochengx เรา X He found the French Eloquence ftrange y corrupted, and ftill clogged with thofe frequent Quotations, vs and that vaine fhew of Learned, Remarks, which be. ing interfperfed through an odd Gompofure, made one doubt whether it was a Sermon or a Differta

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tation, a Latin or a French Piece. The Orators, who left by Degrees that Pedantick Method, ran into another Fault ftill more inconfiftent with true Eloquence. Spoiled by the Spanish and Italian Preach ers, they exhaufted their Mind in frivolous Quibbles, fuperfluous Ornaments, and mere Flashes of Wit. A Thought appeared to them mean, if it was reasonable an Argument feemed to them weak, if it was com mon: They judged an Expreffion to be flat, because it was fimple: They rather chofe to furprife their Hearers, than to perfuade them. They placed the Beauty of a Thought in its Oddnefs; the Strength of an Argument in its Novelty, and if we dare fay fo, in its being contrary to common Senfe; and the Sublimi ty of an Expreffion in the most extravagant Meta phor, whereby that pretended Sublimity became a perfect Ridicule. Reason froke feldom in the Pulpit: A loofe and difordered Imagination reigned in that facred Place, and offered nothing and but Giant Monsters.

Father Hercules difcovered true Eloquence among thofe Phantoms, that went by her Name: He was fenfible that Sublimity and Elevation are neceflary to

ceived, that nothing but what is natural can per

Ai Orator; but at the fame Time he per

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ade, because it preferves the Character of Truth. Laftly, he was fenfible that a Man may be fublime without departing from Nature; that a Thought may be ingenious without being odd; that the most common Arguments are the most folid, as being molt agreeable to common Senfe; that one may be stow upon them the Gracefulness of Novelty by ftudied, infinuating, and moving Turns; that Purity, Noblenels, and Harmony, are the true Beauties of Expreffion; that a Metaphor may be used with good Succefs, if it be ufed with Prudence; that thofe Flights of Imagination, which furprise and amaze, are mere Flathes of Wit, which rather dazzle than light: They do no good; they cannot bear the Teft of Reflexion, and immediately vanifh away. of Cunt pe and♥

Eloquence

Eloquence wants to be fupported by Imagination But the latter must be directed by Reafon blt is Fire, which being well managed, gives bleat and i Light otherwife it vanishes into Smuke, or poils [ and disfigures what it fhould embellish. In a Wordi It proves more prejudicial than ufeful. Tisvhighes ly probable, that thefe Reflections, which we layw down as the Principles of true Eloquence, offered themselves to Father Hercules. He formed his Taftew by them; at leaft, it is this Sort of Eloquence which we have obferved in fome of his Manufcript Pieces, 2 that have been communicared to us One mayis alfo perceive in all his Works thofe eminent Quani lities, whereby he diftinguished himself, that have been fo well imitated by M. Flechier, the faithfuls Difciple of fuch a Mafter, an honeft Heart, a found Judgment, a great Skill in the facred Writings, and a folid Piety,

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M. Flechier made himself known at firft by a. Deng Icription of a Carroufel in Latin Verfe, and by fome French Poems, which gave him a Rank among que greatest Poets. Every Body wondered how he couldha defcribe in fuch fine Latin Verles a Carroufel, which was wholly unknown to Ancient Rome. Onex matris be a perfect Mafter of a Language, to make wafasdfw it fo fuccefsfully stay mont beleg 18 10 8T The Sweetnefs of his Converfation, and the Regu" 1 larity of his Life, gained him the Love and Affectibus of feveral Perfons of Note. His Firft Sermons did very much increase his Reputation Tho' his Voice and His Delivery had nothing in them that was veryo! taking, the Juftnefs of his Divifions, the natural Beau sq ty of his Thoughts, and the Charms of his Expreffions,ɔs were generally applauded. an aid on noisiilogA 21oWasho Inaval Hiw He made Balzar the Model of his Style, avoiding T the falle Thoughts, and the fwelling Expreffions of that Author. Balzac, faid he, had a Noble and Har⚫ monious

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monious Diction, which cannot be fufficiently admireds He also frequently read the Works of M. du Bellay, and the Italian and Spanish Preachers; he read them för his Diverfion: He called them his Jotters, and confeffed that thofe ridiculous Preachers had been of fome Ufe to him to refine his Tafte, and give him a Notion of what is true and folid, without which there is no Beauty, nor Strength in Eloquence. He used to say of M. du Bellay, that it was his Misfortune to have too much Wit, and too grear Facility. He compared him with a plentiful Spring Ill managed: Had it been kept within Bounds, and well directed, one might have made a charmingandrufeful Canal of it; but he turned it into Water Spouts, or fuffered it to overflow its Banks, whereby it became a muddy Bog. bauol £129H Denod s

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Among the Illuftrious Friends, whom his Merit gained him, the Duke of Montaufier was one of the moft zealous. A Friend of fuch a Character is as great a Proof of M. Flechier's Virtue, as it is of his Noble Genius The Duke introduced him to the Dauphin and he was made his Reader. Being pitch'd uponcns1672. to pronounce a Funeral Oration upon the Duke of Montaufier, he discovered, the first Time, that Excellent Genius for this Sort of Compofures, which was admired all over the Kingdom, as it ap peared from thofe Orations which he made upon the Duchefs of Aiguillon, the Marefchal de Turenne, the Fiche Prefident de la Moignon, Queen Mary Therefa, the Dauphinefs, and Chancellor le Tellier.

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Sho the World was fond of him, he was not forb of the World: He did not think himfelf dif pensed by Reason of his great Reputation, from acquiring anew Merits and notwithstanding his Application to his Sermons, he enriched the Publick with feveral other Works, that were the Fruits of a Tane well husbanded, and of his Retirement in the Middle of the Courts so une den 92 an bar eldok & beder bidh

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