HENAULT (Charles John Francis), was son of John Remi Henault lord of Mouffy, and born at Paris in 1685. He early discovered a sprightly benevolent disposition, and his penetration and aptness soon distinguished itself by the success of his studies. Claude de Lille, father of the celebrated geographer, gave him the same lessons in geography and history which he had before given to the duke of Orleans afterwards regent; and which have been printed in seven volumes, under the title of "Abridgment of Universal History." On quitting college, Henault entered the Oratory, where he soon attached himself to the study of eloquence; and, on the death of the Abbé Rene, reformer of La Trappe, he undertook to pronounce his panegyric; which not meeting the approbation of father Massilon, he quitted the Oratory after two years, and his father bought for him, of maréchal Villeroi, the "lieutenance des chasses," and the government of Corbeil. At the marshal's he formed connections, and even intimate friendships, with many of the nobility, and
Henault. and passed the early part of his life in agreeable amuse-
ments, and in the liveliest company, without having
his religious sentiments tainted. He associated with
the wits till the dispute between Rouilleau and de la
Motte soon gave him a disgust for these trifling so-
cieties. In 1707, he gained the prize of eloquence
at the French Academy; and another next year at
the academy des jeux Floraux. About this time
M. Reaumur, who was his relation, came to Paris,
and took lessons in geometry under the same master,
Guinée. Henault introduced him to the Abbé Big-
non, and this was the first step of his illustrious
course. In 1713 he brought a tragedy on the stage,
under the disguised name of Fuseler. As he was
known to the public only by some flatter pieces,
"Cornelia the Vestal" met with no better success. He
therefore locked it up without printing. In his old
age his passion for these subjects reviving, and Mr Ho-
race Walpole being at Paris in 1768, and having formed
a friendship with him as one of the most amiable men
of his nation, obtained this piece, and had it printed at a
price which he had at his country seat, from whence
a beautiful edition of Lucan had before issued. In 1751
M. Henault, under a borrowed name, brought out a se-
cond tragedy, intitled, "Marius," which was well re-
ceived and printed. He had been admitted counsellor
in parliament in 1706, with a dispensation on account of
age; and in 1710 president of the first chamber of inquests.
These important places, which he determined to fill in a
becoming manner, engaged him in the most solid studies.
The excellent work of M. Domat charmed him, and
made him eager to go back to the fountain head. He
spent several years in making himself master of the
Roman law, the ordinances of the French king, their
customs, and public law. M. de Morville, procureur-
general of the great council, being appointed ambassa-
dor to the Hague in 1718, engaged M. Henault to
accompany him. His personal merit soon introduced
him to the acquaintance of the most eminent person-
ages at that time there. The grand pensionary, Hein-
sius, who, under the exterior of Lacedemonian sim-
plicity, kept up all the haughtiness of that people, lost
with him all that hauteur which France itself had ex-
perienced from him in the negotiations of the treaty of
Utrecht. The agitation which all France felt by Law's
system, and the consequent fending of the parliament into
exile, was a trial to the wise policy of the president Hen-
ault. His friendship for the first president, De Mes-
mes, led him to second all the views of that great mag-
istrate: he took part in all the negotiations, and was
animated purely by the public good, without any pri-
vate advantage. On the death of the cardinal du Bois,
in 1723, he succeeded in his place at the French Aca-
demy. Cardinal Fleury recommended him to succeed
himself as director, and he pronounced the elege of M.
de Malezieux.
History was M. Henault's favourite study; not a bare
collection of dates, but a knowledge of the laws and man-
ners of nations; to obtain which he drew instruction from
private conversations, a method he so strongly recom-
mends in his preface. After having thus discussed the most
important points of our public law, he undertook to
collect and publish the result of his inquiries, and he is
deservedly accounted the first framer of chronological
abridgements; in which, without stopping at detached
Henault: facts, he attends only to those which form a chain of
events that perfect or alter the government and charac-
ter of a nation, and traces only the springs which exalt
or humble a nation, extending or contracting the space
it occupies in the world. His work has had the for-
tune of those literary phenomena, where novelty and
merit united excite minds eager after glory, and fire the
ardour of young writers to press after a guide whom
few can overtake. The first edition of the work, the
result of 40 years reading, appeared in 1744, under the
auspices of the chancellor Daguesseau, with the modest
title of an Essay. The success it met with surprised
him. He made continual improvements in it, and it
has gone through nine editions, and been translated in-
to Italian, English, and German, and even into Chinese.
As the best writings are not secure from criticism, and
are indeed the only ones that deserve it, the author read
to the academy of Belles Lettres a defence of his a-
bridgement. All the ages and events of the French
monarchy being present to his mind, and his imagina-
tion and memory being a vast theatre wherein he be-
held the different movements and parts of the actors in
the several revolutions, he determined to give a speci-
men of what pass in his own mind, and to reduce into
the form of a regular drama, one of the periods of
French history, the reign of Francis II. which, though
happy only by being short, appeared to him one of the
most important by its consequences, and most easy to
be confined within the stage bounds. His friend the
chancellor highly approved the plan, and wished it to
be printed. It accordingly went through five editions;
the harmony of dates and facts is exactly observed in it,
and the passions interested without offence to historic
truth.
In 1755, he was chosen an honorary member of the
academy of Belles Lettres, being then a member of
the academies of Nancy, Berlin, and Stockholm. The
queen appointed him superintendent of her house. His
natural sprightliness relieved her from the serious at-
tendance on his private morning lectures. The com-
pany of persons most distinguished by their wit and
birth, a table more celebrated for the choice of the
guests than its delicacies, the little comedies suggested
by wit, and executed by reflections, united at his house
all the pleasures of an agreeable and innocent life. All
the members of this ingenious society contributed to
render it agreeable, and the president was not behind
any. He composed three comedies: La Petite Mais-
on, La Jalouse de Soi-même, and Le Reveil d'Epimenide.
The subject of the last was the Cretan philosopher,
who is pretended to have slept 27 years. He is intro-
duced fancying that he had slept but one night, and
astonished at the change in the age of all around him:
he mistakes his mistress for his mother; but discover-
ing his mistake, offers to marry her, which she refuses,
though he still continues to love her. The queen was
particularly pleased with this piece. She ordered the
president to restore the philosopher's mistress to her
former youth: he introduced Hebe, and this episode
produced an agreeable entertainment. He was now
in such favour with her majesty, that on the place of
superintendent becoming vacant by the death of M.
Bernard de Conbert master of requests, and the sum-
he had paid for it being lost to his family, Henault
solicited it in favour of several persons, till at last the
queen
queen bestowed it on himself, and consented that he should divide the profits with his predecessor's widow. On the queen's death he held the same place under the dauphines.
A delicate constitution made him liable to much illness; which, however, did not interrupt the serenity of his mind. He made several journeys to the waters of Plombieres: in one of these he visited the deposed king Stanislaus at Lunéville; and in another accompanied his friend the marquis de Pauliny, ambassador to Switzerland. In 1763 he drew near his end. One morning, after a quiet night, he felt an oppression, which the faculty pronounced a suffocating cough. His confessor being sent to him, he formed his resolution without alarm. He has since said, that he recollected having then said to himself, "What do I regret?" and called to mind that saying of Madame de Sevigne, "I leave here only dying creatures." He received the sacraments. It was believed the next night would be his last; but by noon next day he was out of danger. "Now (said he) I know what death is. It will not be new to me any more." He never forgot it during the following seven years of his life, which, like all the rest, were gentle and calm. Full of gratitude for the favours of Providence, resigned to its decrees, offering to the Author of his being a pure and sincere devotion; he felt his infirmities without complaining, and perceived a gradual decay with unabated firmness. He died Dec. 24. 1771, in his 86th year. He married in 1714 a daughter of M. le Bas de Montargis keeper of the royal treasure, &c. who died in 1728 without leaving any issue.