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JAY

Volume 9 · 129 words · 1797 Edition

in ornithology. See Corvus.

Jay (Guy Michael le), a French gentleman, who distinguished himself by causing a polyglot bible to be printed at his own expense in 10 vols folio; but he ruined himself by that imprudence, first because he would not suffer it to appear under the name of cardinal Richelieu, who, after the example of cardinal Ximenes, was ambitious of eternizing his name by this means; and next, because he made it too dear for the English market; on which Dr Walton undertook his polyglot bible, which, being more commodious, reduced the price of M. le Jay's. After the death of his wife, M. le Jay took orders, was made dean of Veze-lay in the Nivernois, and Louis XIV. gave him the post of counsellor of state.