Home1815 Edition

BOUHOURS

Volume 4 · 359 words · 1815 Edition

DOMINIC, a celebrated French critic, Bouhous, tic, was born at Paris in 1628; and has been by some considered as a proper person to succeed Malherbe, who died about that time. He was entered into the society of Jesuits at the age of 16; and was appointed to read lectures upon polite literature in the college of Clermont at Paris, where he had studied; but he was so incessantly attacked with the headache, that he could not pursue the destined task. He afterwards undertook the education of two sons of the duke of Longueville, which he discharged with great applause. The duke had such a regard for Bouhous, that he would die in his arms; and the "Account of the pious and Christian death" of this great personage was the first work which Bouhous gave the public. He was sent to Dunkirk to the Popish refugees from England; and in the midst of his missionary occupations, found means to compose and publish books. Among these were, Entretiens d'Arifte et d'Eugene, or "Dialogues between Ariftus and Eugenius;" a work of a critical nature, and concerning the French language. His book was printed no less than five times at Paris, twice at Grenoble, at Lyons, at Bruxelles, at Amsterdam, at Leyden, &c., and embroiled him in quarrels with a great number of censors, with Menage in particular, who, however, lived in friendship with our author before and after. The fame of this piece, and the pleasure he took in reading it, recommended Bouhous to effectually to the celebrated minister Colbert, that he trusted him with the education of his son the marquis of Segnelai. He wrote afterwards several other works; the chief of which are, 1. Remarks and doubts upon the French language. 2. Dialogues upon the art of thinking well in works of genius. 3. The life of St Ignatius. 4. The art of pleasing in conversation. 5. The life of St Francis Xavier, apostle of the Indies and of Japan. This last work was translated from the French into English by Mr Dryden, and published at London in the year 1668, with a dedication prefixed to James II.'s queen.