COURAYER, PETER FRANCIS, a Roman Catho-
lic clergyman, distinguished by great moderation,
charity, and temper, concerning religious affairs, as
well as by learning, was born at Vernon in Normandy,
1681. While canon regular and librarian of the abbey
of St. Genevieve at Paris, he applied to our archbishop
Wake for the resolution of some doubts, concerning
the episcopal succession in England, and the validity
of our ordinations: he was encouraged to this by the
friendly correspondence which had passed between the
archbishop and M. du Pin of the Sorbonne. The arch-
bishop sent him exact copies of the proper records;
and on these he built his "Defence of English Ordi-
nations," which was published in Holland, in 1727.
This exposed him to a prosecution in his own country;
he therefore took refuge in England; where he was well
received, and presented the same year by the university
of Oxford with a doctor's degree. As it is somewhat
uncommon for a Roman Catholic clergyman to be ad-
mitted to degrees in divinity by Protestant universities,
the curious may be gratified with a sight of the diploma,
and the doctor's letter of thanks, in "The present
State of the Republic of Letters, for June 1728." In 1736,
he translated into French, and published, "Father Paul's
History of the Council of Trent," in 2 vols. folio, and
dedicated it to Queen Caroline; who
augmented to 200l. a pension of 100l. a-year, which
he had obtained before from the court. The learned
Jer. Markland, in a letter to his friend Bowyer, Sep-
tember 1756, says, "Mr Clarke has given me F.
Courayer's translation of the History of the Council
of Trent; with whose preface I am so greatly pleased,
that if he be no more a Papist in other tenets than he
is in those he mentions (which are many, and of the
most distinguishing class), I dare say there are very few
considerate Protestants who are not as good Catholics
as he is." His works are many, and all in French:
he translated Sleidan's "History of the Reformation."
He died in 1776, after two days illness, at the age of
95; and was buried in the cloister of Westminster-
abbey. In his will, dated Feb. 3. 1774, he declares,
that he "dies a member of the Catholic church, but
without approving of many of the opinions and su-
perstitions which have been introduced into the Ro-
mish church, and taught in their schools and femi-
naries; and which they have insisted on as articles
of faith, though to him they appear to be not only not
founded in truth, but also to be highly improbable."
And his practice was conformable to this declaration;
for at London he constantly went to mass, and at Eul-
ing in the country, whither he often retired, as con-
stantly attended the service of the parish church; de-
clarating at all times, that he "had great satisfaction in
the prayers of the church of England."