(Nicholas du Fresnoy, l'abbe), born at Beauvais in France, 1674, was a most fertile and useful French author on a variety of subjects, historical, geographical, political, and philosophical. The following deserve particular notice: 1. A Method of Studying History, with a Catalogue of the Principal Historians of every age and country, published in 1713; a work which established his reputation as an historical writer: it was translated into most of the modern languages, particularly our own, with considerable improvements, by Richard Rawlinson, LL.D. and F.R.S. and published at London in 1730, in 2 vols 8vo. 2. A Copious Abridgment of Universal History. History and Biography, in chronological order, under the title of Tablettes chronologiques; which made its first appearance at Paris in 1744, in 2 vols small 8vo, and was universally admired by the literati in all parts of Europe. The author attended with great candour, as every writer ought, so well-founded judicious criticisms. In future editions he made several alterations and improvements, and from one of these, we believe that of 1759, an English translation was made, and published at London in 1762, in 2 vols large 8vo.

Du Fresnoy died in 1755: the Paris edition of 1759 was printed from the author's corrected copy; and the impression being sold off, another edition appeared in 1763, with considerable improvements by an unknown editor: to the biographical part, a great number of names of respectable persons are added, not to be found in the former edition; and it has this superior advantage in the historical parts, that the general history is brought down to the year 1762. Du Fresnoy, however, has loaded his work with catalogues of saints, martyrs, councils, synods, heresies, schisms, and other ecclesiastical matters, fit only for the libraries of Popish convents and seminaries.