Pierre, one of the most illustrious of the Port-Royalists, was born at Chartres on the 19th October 1625. His father, Jean Nicole, who was a parliamentary advocate, succeeded early in imbuing the mind of his son with not a little of his own taste for classical literature. At the age of fourteen this grave and studious boy had completed his preliminary studies; and his father removed him to Paris, where, in 1644, he finished a course of philosophy and theology, and took his master's degree. The university of Paris was at that time in a ferment touching the celebrated propositions of the Jansenists; and Nicole had his attention turned to the solitaries of Port-Royal. The profound piety of their life, and the austere tranquillity of their life, had strong attractions for a spirit so calm and meditative as that of Nicole, whose only wish was for study and retirement. He accordingly betook himself to their quiet retreat, and divided his time during the three following years between studying the theology of the Sorbonne, and giving instructions in belles lettres in the educational institutions of Port-Royal. Having made application for licence, it was discovered that his opinions were not in accordance with those of any Roman Catholic university, much less with those of the theological faculty of Paris, and he resolved to content himself with his theological baccalaureat, which he had obtained in 1649. From this period he attached himself more closely to Port-Royal and the Jansenists, and soon after took up his pen, in conjunction with the celebrated Antoine Arnauld, in defence of Jansenius and his doctrines. Nicole never adopted Jansenism, however, in all its extreme rigour. In various treatises written at a comparatively early period of his career, he took exception to not a few of the doctrines of his brethren of Port-Royal, even while he put forth all his strength in behalf of what he regarded as their grand claims upon his fellow-men. This attitude is most noticeable perhaps in a theological dissertation, published by him in 1657, under the pseudonym of Paul Irenaeus, designed to pacify the Church, and to prove that Jansenism was only an imaginary heresy. This interesting work bore the title of Disquisitiones sex Pauli Irenaei ad presentes Ecclesia tumulatus sedandos opportune. In 1658 Nicole made a journey into Germany in behalf of the cause; and during his residence there, translated into Latin the famous Lettres Provinciales, which had recently issued from the most gifted pen among the Port-Royalists. During the execution of this task, the translator read Terence incessantly, in order to catch the rare pungency and sprightliness of the dramatist, and transfuse it, if possible, into his version of these immortal letters. He submitted his work to the Germans and Dutch as the performance of "William Wendrock, doctor of the University of Salzburg." On his return he retired with Arnauld to Châtillon, near Paris, to devote himself with renewed ardour to the prosecution of his cherished pursuits. One of the earliest products of his pen in this retreat was the part he took in the composition of the celebrated "Port-Royal Logic," published anonymously at Paris in 1662, under the title La Logique, ou l'Art de Penser; a work of pre-eminent merit, which stands unrivalled even to the present day as an introduction to the study of the laws of thought. In 1664 Nicole gave to the world his well-known Perpétuité de la Foi, better known as La Petite Perpétuité, which the attempted refutation of Claude induced the author to expand, five years afterwards, into La Grande Perpétuité, in 3 vols. 4to. The reputation gained for the humble Port-Royalist by this striking performance proved too much for his modesty, and he was fain to attribute the merit of it to his illustrious friend Arnauld. Les Visionnaires (1665-6), directed by Nicole against the absurd mysticism of the poet and romancier Desmarets, called forth a bitter attack from Racine upon his ancient master at Port-Royal. At the urgent request of his friends, Nicole in 1676 again solicited ordination, but found his Port-Royal sympathies too great a barrier for the liberality of the Bishop of Chartres. A Lettre which he wrote in 1677, for the bishops of Saint-Pons and Arras, to Pope Innocent XI., on the laxity of the casuists, raised such a storm against him that he was obliged to withdraw from the capital. On the death (in 1679) of the Duchesse de Longueville, the most ardent protectress of Jansenism, Nicole, considering himself as no longer safe in France, left the kingdom, and sought an asylum in the Low Countries. He returned to France in 1683, and after remaining in concealment for some time, ultimately took up his abode at Paris and resumed his literary occupations. It was during this period that he completed his Essais de Morale, of which the first four volumes had been given to the public between 1671 and 1678. The last two volumes were published after the author's death, the fifth in 1700, and the sixth in 1714. After L'Art de Penser, it is unquestionably on this work that Nicole's reputation as a philosophical writer mainly rests. We search in it in vain, however, for much decided speculative originality. His strength did not lie there. He is mainly occupied with delineations of a moral and religious nature, characterized by exquisite subtilty and discrimination; but he seldom or never permits his thoughts to traverse the decisive circle meted out by his faith. Yet one constantly admires the delicate observation, steady judgment, and calm spirit of the man. Among his moral treatises there is, perhaps, no one more characteristic of the author, and certainly no one superior to Les Moyens de Conserver la Paix avec les Hommes. It is only after reading this that one can adequately estimate how great must have been that loyalty to the cause of truth, and devotion to the honourable brotherhood with whom he laboured, which could have induced so gentle a nature to leave the quiet which he loved so well, to do earnest battle in the arena of religious controversy, or to share in the fierce strife of political partizanship. The repose which his nature longed after he was not destined to find here. "Rest! we shall rest through eternity," said the bright and brave Arnauld to him reproachfully. Nicole's closing years were occupied with two notable controversies,—the one on monastic studies, in which he defended the liberal

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1 The authorship of this famous work was for a long time problematical. It was sometimes ascribed to Nicole, sometimes to Arnauld, and sometimes to both. The latter is the correct opinion, however; for the younger Racine, who was a pupil at Port-Royal, informs us, that the dissertations and additions are by Nicole; the first, second, and third parts by Arnauld and Nicole together; and the fourth by Arnauld alone. (See Barbier's Dictionnaire des Ouvrages Anonymes Pseudonymes, Paris, 1806.) After the first draft of the book in 1662, numerous changes and additions were made to it in the editions which were issued during the lifetime of the authors. The fifth edition, from which the endless reprints which followed were taken, was published at Paris in 1683. It was translated into Latin soon after its first appearance; and of the various versions of it in that language there have been a great number of editions. A Spanish translation appeared in 1759, and an Italian one some years previously. There have been three English translations of the Art of Thinking; the first by "several hands," in 1683; the second by John Ozell, in 1716; and the third by Thomas Spencer Baynes, in 1851. The latter is an admirable performance, and contains an Introduction, in which the scientific position, character, and history of the work are carefully traced.

2 The simple and ingenious character of Nicole often manifested itself in extreme timidity and amusing eccentricity. If an objection was raised in a discussion which he had not foreseen, he was entirely disconcerted. "Trévile beats me," he said, "in the chamber; but before he reaches the foot of the stair I confute him." Having resided for a long time in the Faubourg Saint-Marcel, some one asked him why he preferred this locality. "It is," said he, "because the enemies who menace Paris will probably enter by the gate of Saint-Martin, and will accordingly be obliged to traverse the whole city before reaching my place of abode." "When walking in the streets," says the Comtesse de la Rivière, "he was always haunted by the fear that a tile would fall upon his head; and when he travelled by water, he was in perpetual terror lest he should be drowned." (Lettres de M. L. C. de la Rivière, Paris, 1776.) sentiments of Mabillon; the other on Quietism, in which he took part with Bossuet against Fénelon, but with infinitely more honest manliness and liberality than was displayed by the proud "Eagle of Meaux." The weighty labours of a long life and the repeated excitement of controversy, for which his temper was so little fitted, had in 1693 produced their natural effect upon his health. After a lingering illness of two years he was suddenly struck with apoplexy. Crowds of persons from all quarters of Paris hurried to visit the dying couch of the gentle-hearted pious old man. Young Racine, now at the summit of his great fame, forgot his former animosity to the author of *Lex Visionnaires*, and, with a restorative medicine in his hand, hastened to where his old master lay. But it was all in vain; the good man's work was done. He died on the 16th November 1695, at the age of seventy. Contrary to his expressed desire to be interred without ceremony, his remains were accompanied to the grave by the most distinguished men of the time.

The works of Nicole, entitled *Essais de Morale et Instructions Théologiques*, form 25 vols. 12mo, and were published between 1671 and 1714. They were reprinted in 1741–44. Among a number of minor performances not already mentioned, there is a *Vie de Nicole* by the Abbé Goujet, forming the 14th vol. of the series. A Life of Nicole will also be found in Besoinne's *Histoire de Port-Royal*, vol. iv.; and another by Saverien, in his *Vies des Philosophes Modernes*, vol. i. The rôle of Nicole at Port-Royal, and his dissent from certain positions of Pascal charged with scepticism, have been placed in a clear light by Victor Cousin in the *Revue des Deux Mondes* for January 1845. On the opposite side, see Flottes' *Études sur Pascal*, 1846.