NICHOLAS DU FRESNOY, born at Beauvais, in France, 1674, was a prolific and useful French writer on a variety of subjects, historical, geographical, political, and philosophical. His chief productions are, 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, and was translated into most of the modern languages; and a Copious Abridgment of Universal History and Biography, in chronological order, under the title of Tablettes Chronologiques, which made its first appearance at Paris in 1744, in two vols. 8vo, and was universally admired by the literati in all parts of Europe. The author attended, with great candour, to well-founded and judicious criticisms. In subsequent editions he made several alterations and improvements; and from one of these, that of 1759, an English translation was made, and published at London in 1762, in two vols. 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 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 convents and colleges.