(Peter), author of the Historical and Critical Dictionary, was born November 18. 1657, at Carla, a village in the county of Foix, in France, where his father John Bayle was a Protestant minister. In 1666, he went to the Protestant university at Puy-laureus, where he studied with the greatest application; and in 1669, removed to the university of Toulouse, whether the Protestants at that time frequently sent their children to study under the Jesuits: but here, to the great grief of his father, he embraced the Roman religion; however, being soon sensible of his error, he left that university, and went to study at Geneva. After which he was chosen professor of philosophy at Sedan: but that protestant university being suppressed by Lewis XIV. in 1681, he was obliged to leave the city; and was soon after chosen professor of philosophy and history at Rotterdam, with a salary of about L. 45 a-year. The year following he published his Letter concerning Comets. And Father Maimbourg having published about this time his History of Calvinism, wherein he endeavours to draw upon the Protestants the contempt and resentment of the Catholics, Mr Bayle wrote a piece to confute his history. The reputation which he had now acquired, induced the States of Friesland, in 1684, to offer him a professorship in their university; but he wrote them a letter of thanks, and declined the offer. This same year he began to publish his Nouvelles de la republique des lettres.

In 1686, he was drawn into a dispute in relation to the famous Christina queen of Sweden. In his Journal for April, he took notice of a printed letter, supposed to have been written by her Swedish majesty to the chevalier de Terlon, wherein she condemns the persecution of the Protestants in France. He inferred the letter itself in his Journal for May; and in that of June following he says, "What we hinted at in our last month, is confirmed to us from day to day, that Christina is the real author of the letter concerning the persecutions in France, which is ascribed to her: it is a remainder of Protestantism." Mr Bayle received an anonymous letter; the author of which says, that he wrote to him of his own accord, being in duty bound to it as a servant of the queen. He complains that Mr Bayle, speaking of her majesty, called her only Christina, without any title; he finds also great fault with his calling the letter "a remainder of Protestantism." He blames him likewise for inferring the words "I am," in the conclusion of the letter. "These words (says this anonymous writer) are not her majesty's; a queen, as she is, cannot employ these words but with regard to a very few persons, and Mr de Terlon is not of that number." Mr Bayle wrote a vindication of himself as to these particulars, with which the author of the anonymous letter declared himself satisfied, excepting what related to "the remainder of Protestantism." He would not admit of the defence with regard to that expression; and in another letter, advised him to retract that expression. He adds in a postscript, "You mention, in your Journal of August, a second letter of the queen, which you scruple to publish. Her majesty would be glad to see that letter; and you will do a thing agreeable to her if you would send it to her. You might take this opportunity of writing to her majesty. This council may be of some use to you; do not neglect it." Mr Bayle took the hint, and wrote a letter to her majesty, dated the 14th of November 1686; to which the queen, on the 14th of December, wrote the following answer:—"Mr Bayle, I have received your excuses; and am willing you should know by this letter, that I am satisfied with them. I am obliged to the zeal of the person who gave you occasion of writing to me: for I am very glad to know you. You express so much respect and affection for me, that I pardon you sincerely; and I would have you know, that nothing gave me offence but that remainder of Protestantism, of which you accused me. I am very delicate on that head, because nobody can suspect me of it, without lessening my glory, and injuring me in the most sensible manner. You would do well if you should even acquaint the public with the mistake you have made, and with your regret for it. This is all that remains to be done by you, in order to deserve my being entirely satisfied with you. As to the letter which you have sent me, it is mine without doubt; and since you tell me that it is printed, you will do me a pleasure if you send me some copies of it. As I fear nothing in France, so neither do I fear anything at Rome. My fortune, my blood, and even my life, are entirely devoted to the service of the church; but I flatter nobody, and will never speak anything but the truth. I am obliged to those who have been pleased to publish my letter, for I do not at all disguise my sentiments. I thank God, they are too noble and too honourable to be disowned. However, it is not true that this letter was written to one of my ministers. As I have everywhere enemies and persons who envy me, so in all places I have friends and servants: and I have possibly as many in France, notwithstanding of the court, as anywhere in the world. This is purely the truth, and you may regulate yourself accordingly. But you shall not get off so cheap as you imagine. I will enjoin you a penance; which is, that you will henceforth take the trouble of sending me all curious books that shall be published in Latin, French, Spanish, or Italian, on whatever subject or science, provided they are worthy of being looked into; I do not even except romances or satires; and above all, if there are any books of chemistry, I desire you may send them to me as soon as possible. Do not forget likewise to send me your Journal. I shall order that you be paid for whatever you lay out, do but send me an account of it. This will be the most agreeable and most important service that can be done me. May God prosper you."

CHRISTINA ALEXANDRA."

It now only remained that Mr Bayle should acquaint the public with the mistake he had made, in order to merit merit that princefs's entire satisfaction; and this he did in the beginning of his Journal of the month of January, 1687.

The persecution which the Protestants at this time suffered in France affected Mr Bayle extremely. He made occasionally some reflections on their sufferings in his Journal; and he wrote a pamphlet also on the subject. Some time afterwards he published his Commentaire Philosophique upon these words, "Compel them to come in;" but the great application he gave to this and his other works, threw him into a fit of sickness, which obliged him to discontinue his Literary Journal. Being advised to try a change of air, he left Rotterdam on the 8th of August, and went to Cleves; whence after having continued some time, he removed to Aix la Chapelle, and from thence returned to Rotterdam on the 18th of October. In the year 1690, the famous book, intitled, Acti aux Refugiez, &c. made its appearance. Mr Juriel, who took Mr Bayle for the author thereof, wrote a piece against it; and he prefixed an advice to the public, wherein he calls Mr Bayle a profane person, and a traitor engaged in a conspiracy against the state. As soon as Mr Bayle had read this libel against him, he went to the grand Schout of Rotterdam, and offered to go to prison, provided his accuser would accompany him, and undergo the punishment he deserved if the accusation was found unjust. He published also an answer to Mr Juriel's charge; and as his reputation, nay his very life, was at stake in case the accusation of treason was proved, he therefore thought himself not obliged to keep any terms with his accuser, and attacked him with the utmost severity. Mr Juriel lost all patience; he applied himself to the magistrates of Amsterdam; who advised him to a reconciliation with Mr Bayle, and enjoined them not to publish anything against each other till it was examined by Mr Boyer, the pensioner of Rotterdam. But notwithstanding this prohibition, Mr Juriel attacked Mr Bayle again with so much passion, that he forced him to write a new vindication of himself.

In November 1690, Mr de Beauval advertised in his Journal. A scheme for a Critical Dictionary. This was the work of Mr Bayle. The articles of the three first letters of the alphabet were already prepared; but a dispute happening between him and Mr de Beauval, obliged him for some time to lay aside the work. Nor did he resume it till May 1692, when he published his scheme; but the public not approving of his plan, he threw it into a different form; and the first volume was published in August 1695, and the second in October following. The work was extremely well received by the public; but it engaged him in fresh disputes, particularly with Mr Juriel and the abbe Renaudot. Mr Juriel published a piece, wherein he endeavoured to engage the ecclesiastical assemblies to condemn the dictionary; he presented it to the senate sitting at Delft, but they took no notice of the affair. The consistory of Rotterdam granted Mr Bayle a hearing; and after having heard his answers to their remarks on his dictionary, declared themselves satisfied, and advised him to communicate this to the public. Mr Juriel made another attempt with the consistory in 1698; and so far he prevailed with them, that they exhorted Mr Bayle to be more cautious with regard to his principles in the second edition of his dictionary; which was published in 1702, with many additions and improvements.

Mr Bayle was a most laborious and indefatigable writer. In one of his letters to Maizeux, he says, that since his 20th year he hardly remembers to have had any leisure. His intense application contributed perhaps to impair his constitution, for it soon began to decline. He had a decay of the lungs, which weakened him considerably; and as this was a distemper which had cut off several of his family, he judged it to be mortal, and would take no remedies. He died the 28th of December 1706, after he had been writing the greatest part of the day. He wrote several books besides what we have mentioned, many of which were in his own defence against attacks he had received from the abbe Renaudot, Mr Clerk, M. Jaquelot, and others. Among the productions which do honour to the age of Louis XIV. Mr Voltaire has not omitted the Critical Dictionary of our author: "It is the first work of the kind (he says) in which a man may learn to think." He confines indeed those articles which contain only a detail of minute facts, as unworthy either of Bayle, an understanding reader, or posterity. "In placing him (continues the same author) amongst the writers who do honour to the age of Louis XIV. notwithstanding his being a refugee in Holland, I only conform to the decree of the parliament of Toulouse, which, when it declared his will valid in France, notwithstanding the rigour of the laws, expressly said, that such a man could not be considered as a foreigner."