became acquainted with Mrs. Harcourt and Mrs. Bathurst, because it far exceeds the

at

finest tetons in the world. But as Madamoifelle de Calonges was a woman of fenfe and virtue, fhe could not relign to this part of interior religion, and ftarted up in a paffion, giving the director a pounce, and afking him what he meant by fuch behavior?

The minifter replyed, fans être déconcerté, et avec un air devot; je vois bien ma fille, que vous étes encore bien éloignée de la perfection, reconnoiffez humblement vôtre foibleffe, et demandez pardon a Dieu d'avoir été fi peu attentive aux myfteres que vous deviez mediter. Si vous y aviez apporté toute l'attention néceffaire, vous ne vous fuffiez pas apperçue de ce qu'on faiffoit à votre gorge. Mais vous étiez fi peu détachée des fens, fi peu concentrée avec la divinite, que vous n'avez pas été un moment à reconnoître que je vous touchois. Je voulois éprouver fi votre ferveur dans l'oraison vous élevoit au deffu de la matiére, et vous uniffoit au fouverain etre, la vive fource de l'immortalité et de la fpiritualité, et je vois avec beaucoup de douleur, que vos progres font très petits: vous n'allez que que terre à terre. Que ce la vous donne de la confufion, ma fille, et vous porte à mieux remplir les faints devoirs de la priére mentale.

This fpeech (continue the hiftorians) was fo far from fatisfying the beautiful Mifs Calonges, as fhe perceived the dreadful confequence of fuch doctrine, and knew it might be extended to the moft impure tranfactions, if women must not sense, in order to be thoroughly concentred with the divinity, that it enraged her as much as the action of Labadie, and she would never after have any more to say to him. Elle rompit entierement avec luy.

Bayle fays he will not warrant the truth of this ftory, and Bernard tells us he has fome doubt about it; but

Henri Bafnage, in his Hiftoire des Ouvrages des favans affures us he had the account of this affair from

*

the

When Bayle was obliged, by a diforder in his head, to difcontinue his valuable Nouvelles de la Republique des Lettres, he pitched upon this gentleman to fill his place, and go on with the work under another title. He writ it with the greatest applaufe for a long time, till a difpute with furieu turned his pen another way. He likewife publifhed a new edition of Furetiére's Univerfal Dictionary, in which he made great corrections, and to which he added as much more : And the Univerfal Dictionary, published by the Jefuits at Trevoux in 1704, three volumes in folio, is word for word the Amfterdam edition of Bafnage, tho they have omitted his name, and that of Furetiére, the ori ginal writer. Henri Bafnage dyed in March 1710, aged fifty-four. He was brother to Jacques Bafnages, that great man, who obliged the world with twentynine excellent books; two of which are, Hiftoire de la Religion des Eglifes Reformées, in answer to Boffuet bifhop of Meaux, Hiftoire des Variations des Eglifes Proteftantes: And, Hiftoire des Juifs, depuis Fe fus Chrift jufques à prefent. Thefe admirable books I recommend to your perufal. The first of them cannot be read too often over; as it is not only a just and beautiful refutation of the labored work of the eloquent and cunning Boffuet; but a noble defence of chriftian religion. The valuable edition is that of 1725, two tomes, in 4to. Rotterdam. The author augmented this edition to as much more as the two former editions; which were two tomes in 8vo.

The beft edition of the Hiftoire des Juifs is à la Haye 1716, 15 volumes in duodecimo: And with it you fhould get a very curious piece in duodecimo, called Hiftoire des Juifs Reclame; which is a fevere and just thing against Du Pin, who published an anonimous edition of Hiftoire des Juifs, at Paris 1710, and left out what did not please him in the Rotterdam edition

of

the mouth of Mademofelle de Calonges: he fays he heared her relate it feveral times, and that the always spoke with horror of the falfe and hypocritical devotion of Labadie.

But

of 1706. This piece is a fine vindication of Baf nage's hiftory of the Jews. Jacques Bafnages was minister of the Wallone church at Rotterdam, and died the 22d of September 1723, in his feventy firft year.

Boffuet, his antagonist, the celebrated bishop of Meaux, famous for his Expofition of the doctrine of the catholic church; for his Hiftory of the variation of the proteftants; and for his proceedings, ambitious and malicious, against that fine genius Fenelon, archbishop of Cambray; dyed at Paris the 12th of April 1704, in his feventy-feventh year:And Fenelon dyed at Cambray the 7th of January 1715, ætatis fixty-four.

Jurieu, a famous man in his time, the other anta→ gonift of Jacques Bafnage, tho his brother in-law, and as zealous a writer against popery, dyed at Rotterdam the 11th of January 1713, aged feventy-fix.

Madame Bourignon, whom I have mentioned, was fe parated from her earthly tabernacle the 20th of October 1680, St. Vet. anno; having lived fixty-four years, nine months and fourteen days. She dyed at Franeker, in Weft Friefland, and had fuffered greatly in many perfecutions. She had an extraordinary fine underftanding, and would have been a valuable and useful creature, if he had not gone in to vifion. Many admirable things however there are in her works, which fhe published herself at feveral times, and to that purpofe, had a printing-house of her own, in the island of Nord-Strand in Holftein; which island fhe purchased - from Monfieur Cort, one of the fathers of the oratory. Her works were afterwards printed at Amfterdam, 1686, in nineteen volumes in octave, and on account of the excellency of fome pieces, and the curiofity of the whole, I think the labors of this bright vifionary de

But all this notwithstanding, I have fome doubts, as to the veracity of Mis Calonge's relation: not that I think

ferve a place in your closet. A prefiding good sense
appears every now and then in her writings, and kept
her from finking into the profunditys, unions, and an-
nihilations of Labadie, whom the defpifed, tho Mrs
Schurman was fo fond of him. Labadie wanted her to
come and live with him and Mrs. Schurman, and be one
of the perfectionists in their retreat. He preffed her to
it, but fhe would have no connection with them. She
told them their plan and oeconomy were weak, and
they had not the operation of the spirit in what they
fchemed and did. The two best books in this lady's
works are, The Light of the World,
and Solid
Virtue. They have been tranflated into English; but
are not now to be found.

Madame Guion, the other illuftrious vifionary.I have mentioned, dyed the 9th of June 1717, at Blois, in the feventieth year of her age. The archbishop of Cambray's troubles were all owing to this lady. She debauched his understanding with her fplendid vifions and notions of perfection and quiet, and to his last moment he had the moft fingular veneration for her, and thought her to be what our grand vifionary, the reverend Mr. Law, calls her, in one of his pieces against Dr. Trapp, the enlightned Guion. Notwithstanding the prelate made a public recantation, through fear, of his maxims of the faints, yet he was, to his extreme unction, a thorow Guionist; that is, by affociating and concentring with the divinity, as Madame directed, he was all light, all eyɛ, all spirit, all joy, all rest, all gladness, all love; pure love. Thefe are their terms. They reft in quietness, and are abforped in filent Spiritual pleafure, and inexpreffible fweetness. Filled with a rapturous ftillness, they fit the hours away at a royal banquet, and enjoy a divine repofe in the sweet fellowship of the bridegroom. They even become fometimes like angels without bodys, fo exceeding light and easy do they feel themselves with

the

think fuch behavior has never been practifed by a myftic. There is a lady now living, who was debauched by a mass-priest, while he was inftructing her how to be perfect

the body. Miferable ftuff, Jewks. Wretched delufion. It is all a wild, fenfelefs fancy. It wants the beams of eternal and unalterable reason, and therefore can never be that useful, glorious piety, called chriftianity; can never be that heavenly religion which was promulgated by Jefus ; which confifts in offering prayers with our lips, praifing and giving thanks to the one true God the Father, at proper feasons; and in reducing the principles of the gospel to practice; by a righteousness of mind, and an active univerfal benevolence..

--

Mrs. Guion's works are twenty volumes of explications and reflexions on the old and New Teftament, concerning the interior life.-5 vol. of Spirituel Cantiques and emblems on pure love two vols. of Religious difcourfes. Four volumes of letters Her life in three volumes. Three volumes of Juftifications in defence of herself against her perfecutors. And two volumes des Opufcules.

As to Fenelon, archbishop of Cambray, he was to be fure a great and beautiful genius, and his Telemaque cannot be enough admired: but that bright genius he layed at the foot of mystery: His noble reafon he would not use in religion, and therefore, in this article, was as poor a creature as any of the people. His maxims of the faints declare the weak vifionary; and his fubmitting of them after to the cenfure of the man of fin, called the Sovereign pontiff, renders his fpeculating religious cha racter very defpicable. He was a thorow vifionary ; and at the fame time a thorow papift. The letter he dictated for Lewis the XIVth's confeffor, after he had received extreme unction, fhews that no man ever had more at heart that monstrous, and most audacious corruption of the chriftian religion, called popery. In his expiring moments he conjures that bloody tyrant, the king of France, to order him a fucceffor that will, like him, do every thing to oppofe and fupprefs the Janfenifts; the A a only