more important than if they paffed their time in finging and embroidery. Befides, the neceffity they are under to fuccour, by a thousand little kind offices, the poor women and girls who work there, renders them more condescending, kind and humble, more ferviceable to fociety, than if they had only converfed with perfons of rank and diftin&tion. Accordingly we fee here none of those airs of preeminence and difdain, which are met with in other places. When they leave the houfe, they carry with them to their relations, linen, cloaths, and money. If they chufe to enter a convent, and live a religious life, a fufficient fum is alloted to them for that purpose. M. Languet ufed befides to grant great fums of money to fuch ladies, as were examples of economy, virtue and piety, in thofe religious houfes which he had the goodness to fuperintend. The poor women and children, who form the second part, are provided with food every day, and work at the fpinning-wheel. They make a great quantity of linen and cotton. Different rooms are affigned to them. They are un der different claffes. In each room are two ladies of the fociety of St. Thomas, of Ville-Neuve, of which M. Languet was fuperior-general. Thefe ladies are placed there to overfee the work, and to give fuch inftructions as they think proper. They never leave the room, till others come in their places. The women and the girls who find employment in this house, have, in a former period of their lives, been licentious and diffolute, and are generally reformed, by the examples of virtue before their eyes, and by the falutary advice given to them.

They

The life of M. LANGUET, the fa. mons vicar of St. Sulpice, in Pa

ris.

Jo

[Ohn Baptift Jofeph Languet, doctor of the Sorbonne, the celebrated vicar of St. Sulpice, at Paris, and one of those extraordinary men whom Providence raifes up for the relief of the indigent and wretched, for the good of fociety, and the glory of nations, was born at Dijon on the 6th day of June, 1675. His father was Denis Languet, procurator general of that city. After having made fome progrefs in his ftudies at Dijon, he continued them at Paris, and refided in the feminary of St. Sulpice. He was received into the Sorbonne the 31st day of December, 1698, and took his degree with applaufe. He was ordained priest at Vienne in Dauphiny, after which he returned to Paris, and took the degree of doctor the 15th day of January, 1703. He attached himfelf from that time to the community of St. Sulpice, and was of great fervice in the parish. Monf. de la Chetardie, who was vicar there, conscious of his talents, chofe him for his curate. M. Languet continued in that office near ten years, and fold his patrimony to relieve the poor. During this period, M. de St. Vallier, bishop of Quebec, being prifoner in England, requefted of the king, that M. Languet might be his affiftant in North America. M. Languet was about to accept of the place, prompted to it by his zeal for the converfion of infidels, but his patrons and frien ds advised him to decline the voyage, as his constitution was by noeans ftrong. He fucceeded

Monf. de Chetardie, vicar of St. Sulpice, in the month of June, 1714. His parish church being much out of repair, and, like that of a poor village, fcarce fit to hold 1200, or 1500 perfons, whereas the parish contained 125,000 inhabitants, he conceived a defign to build a church capable of containing fuch a great number of people, and worthy of the majefty of that God whom we adore; and fome days afterwards undertook this great work, putting his truft in God, and having no greater fund to begin with than the fum of one hundred crowns, which had been left him, for this defign, by a pious and benevolent lady. He laid out this money in ftones, which he caufed to be carried through all the ftreets, to fhew his defign to the public. He foon obtained confiderable donations from all parts, and the duke of Orleans, regent of the kingdom, granted him a lottery. That prince likewife laid the firft ftone of the porch, in the year 1718, and M. Languet fpared neither labour nor expence, during his life, to make the church one of the fineft in the world, both for architecture and ornaments. It was confecrated in the year 1745, with fo much fplendor, that his prefent majefty of Pruffia wrote the vicar a letter, which we here tranfcribe:

66

"that which I am perfuaded diftinguishes you much more, is "the piety, beneficence, and zeal, "which you have difplayed "throughout the whole undertaking; qualities, which, however "neceffary in a man of your func"tion, do not, on that account, "the lefs merit the efteem and at"tention of all mankind: it is to "these, Sir, that you owe the tef"timony which I am defirous to " give you of my regard. I pray "God to have you in his holy pro"tection. Potfdam, October 4, 1748.

FREDERICK."

Another work, which does not lefs honour to Monf. Languet, is the houfe de enfant Jefus. The establishment of this houfe, fo advantageous to the community, will beft evince the piety and the talents of our celebrated divine. It confifts of two parts. The firft is compofed of about 35 poor ladies, defcended from families illuftrious from the year 1535 to the prefent time. The fecond of more than four hundred poor women and children of town and country.

Those young ladies whofe anceftors have been in the king's fervice are preferred to all others. An education is given to them fuited to the dignity of their birth. They are employed, by turns, in infpecting the bakehoufe, the poultryyards, the dairies, the laundries, the gardens, the laboratory, the linen warehouses, the fpinningrooms, and other places belonging to the house. By thefe means they become good houfe-wives, and able to relieve their poor relations in the country. Services, thefe, far

more important than if they paffed their time in finging and embroidery. Befides, the neceffity they are under to fuccour, by a thousand little kind offices, the poor women and girls who work there, renders them more condescending, kind and humble, more ferviceable to fociety, than if they had only converfed with perfons of rank and distinction. Accordingly we fee here none of thofe airs of preeminence and difdain, which are met with in other places. When they leave the house, they carry with them to their relations, linen, cloaths, and money. If they chufe to enter a convent, and live a religious life, a fufficient fum is alloted to them for that purpose. M. Languet used befides to grant great fums of money to fuch ladies, as were examples of economy, virtue and piety, in thofe religious houses which he had the goodness to fuperintend. The poor women and children, who form the fecond part, are provided with food every day. and work at the fpinning-wheel. They make a great quantity of linen and cotton. Different rooms are affigned to them. They are un der different claffes. In each room are two ladies of the fociety of St. Thomas, of Ville-Neuve, of which M. Languet was fuperior-general. Thefe ladies are placed there to overfee the work, and to give fuch inftructions as they think proper. They never leave the room, till others come in their places. The women and the girls who find employment in this houfe, have, in a former period of their lives, been licentious and diffolute, and are generally reformed, by the examples of virtue before their eyes, and by the falutary advice given to them.

They

works paid them in money when they leave the house. They become industrious and exemplary, and, by this establishment, are reflored to the community and to religion. There were in the house de l'enfant Jefus, in 1741, more than 1400 women and girls of this fort, and the vicar of St. Sulpice employed all the means in his power to make their fituation agreeable. Although the land belonging to the house measured only 17 arpens*, it has a large dairy which has given milk to more than 2000 children belonging to the parish, a managery, poultry of all forts, a bakehoufe from whence more than one hundred thousand pounds of bread have been distributed every month to the poor of the parish, fpinning rooms, a very neat and well cultivated garden, and a magnificent laboratory where all forts of medicines are made.

The order and ceconomy obferved in this houfe, in the education, inftruction, and employment of fo many people, were so admirable, and gave fo great an idea of the vicar of St. Sulpice, that cardinal Fleury propofed to make him fuperintendant-general of all the hofpitals in the kingdom: but M. Languet used to answer him, with a smile, I have always faid, my lord, that it was the bounty of your highness led me to the hofpital. The expence of this establishment was immenfe. He spent his revenue on it, an inheritance which came to him by the death of the baron of Montigni his brother, and the cftate of the abbé de Bernay, granted him by the king.

esteemed for his beneficence and his zeal in aiding the poor of every fort. Never man took more pains than he did, in procuring feveral donations and legacies, which he diftributed with admirable prudence and difcretion. He enquired with care, if the legacies which were left him, were to the difadvantage of the poor relations of the teftator; if he found that to be the cafe, he reftored to them, not only the legacy, but gave them, when wanting, a large fum of his own. Madame de Cavois, as illuftrious for the benevolence of her difpofition as for her rank in life, having left him, by her laft will, a legacy of more than 600,coo livres, he took only 30,000 livres for the poor, and returned the remaining fum to her relations. It is faid, from very good authority, that he difburfed near a million of livres in charities every year. He always chofe noble families reduced to poverty, before all others: and, we have heard from perfons who knew him well, that there were fome families of diftinction in his parish, to each of whom he has diftributed 30,000 livres per annum. Always willing to ferve mankind, he gave liberally, and often before any application was made to him. When there was a general dearth in the year 1725, he fold, in order to relieve the poor, his houfhold goods, his pictures, and fome fcarce and curious pieces of furniture which he had procured with difficulty. From that time, he had only three pieces of plate, no tapetry, and but a mean ferge bed, which madame de Cavois had lent him,

Lim, having fold before, for the poor, all the presents she had made him at different periods. His charity was not confined to his own parish. At the time that the plague raged at Marseilles, he fent large fums into Provence to affift those perfons who were afflicted with that disease. He interested himself with great zeal in the promotion of arts and commerce, and in whatever

concerned the glory of the nation. In times of public calamity, as conflagrations, &c. his prudence and affiduity have been much admired. He understood well the different difpofitions of men. He knew how to employ every one according to his talent or capacity. In the most intricate and perplexed affairs he decided with a fagacity and judgment that furprised every one. Monf. Languet refufed the bishopric of Couferans, and that of Poitiers, and feveral others which were offered him by Louis XIV. and Louis XV. under the miniftry of the duke of Orleans and cardinal Fleury. He refigned his vicarage to Monf. l'abbé du Lau, in 1748, but continued to preach every Sunday, according to his cuftom, in his own parish church, and continued alfo to fupport the house de l'enfant Jefus, till his death, which happened on the 11th day of October, 1750, in the 75th year of his age, at the abbey de Bernay, to which place he went to make fome charitable establishments. His piety and continued application to works of beneficence, did not hinder him from being lively and chearful. He had a fine genius, which fhewed itfelf by the agreeable repartees, and fenfible remarks he made in converfation.

VOL. VI.

He was the fon of Bernardo Taffo, the author of feveral ingenious compofitions both in verfe and profe, and of Portia de Roffi, a lady of an illuftrious family of Naples. He was born at Sorento on the 11th of March 1544. The fondnefs of the Italians for their most admired author, has caufed them to relate many extravagant fictions concerning him. They pretend, that at fix. months old he not only spoke clearly and diftinétly, and expreffed his wants, but that he answered queftions, thought, and reafoned.

His father being obliged to accompany the prince of Salerno to the Charles the Vth, upon emperor a deputation from Naples to remonftrate against erecting the inquifition there, committed the care of his fon, then three years old, to Angeluzza, a man of great learn-. ing, who, we are told, at this tender age, began to teach him gram-. mar: at four he was fent to the Jefuits college, and at feven was well acquainted with Latin and Greek. At the fame age he is faid to have C

made