Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB
[graphic][merged small]

The UNIVERSAL MAGAZINE for JUNE, 1794.

401

MEMOIRS of the LIFE and WRITINGS of M. RAPIN de THOYRAS: With a fine Portrait of that celebrated Hiftorian.

He

PAU AUL RAPIN DE THOYRAS, an in his father's houfe, afterward fent illuftrious Frenchman, to whom to Puylaurens, and thence to Saumur. England was long indebted for the In 1679, he returned to his father, molt complete Hiltory of this Coun- with a defign to apply himfelf closely try extant, was born at Caftres in to the law: but, before he had made Languedoc, in 1661. His family was any great progrefs, he was obliged, originally from Savoy, and is fup. with other young gentlemen, to compoled to have removed into France, mence advocate, upon report of an upon embracing the Proteftant re- edict foon after published, in which it ligion. Philibert de Rapin, his great was ordered, that no man fhould have grandfather, fell a martyr to his zeal a doctor's degree without having for proteftantifm; which expofed him ftudied five years in fome univerfity. fo much to the indignation of the Ro- The fame year the chamber of the man catholics, and particularly to that edict was fuppreffed, which obliged of the parliament of Touloufe, that Rapin's family to remove to Touhis head was ftruck off in 1568, by a loufe: and the ftate of the Reformed fentence of theirs, at the very time growing every day worfe, with his that he came by the king's order to father's leave he quitted the profeflion have the treaty of peace registered of advocate for that of arms. there. Father Daniel, indeed, paffes had before given proofs of a military over this fact in filence; and his rea- difpofition: for he had fought a duel fon is fuppofed to have been, that he or two, in which he had acquitted might make the more odious the dif- himfelf very gallantly. His father turbances raifed by the Huguenots at firft did not grant his requeft, but afterward in the country about Tou- gave him fuch an answer, as ferved loufe: whereas, what they did was in to prolong the time. However, he revenge of Philibert's death, as ap- pleaded one caufe, and one only; peared from the foldiers writing with and then applied himself heartily to coals, on the ruins of the houfes they mathematics and mufic, iu both which had burned, Vengeance for Rapin's he became a good proficient. death.' James de Rapin, lord of Thoyras, was our author's father. He applied himself to the ftudy of the law, and was an advocate in the chamber of the edict of Nantes above fifty years. Thefe chambers were courts of judicature erected in feveral towns of France, in behalf of the Huguenots; the judges whereof were half of the Reformed, and half of the Roman catholic religion. Jane de Peliffon, his wife, was daughter to a counsellor of the chamber of Caftres, and fifter to George and Paul Pelisson: which lady, after having been confined a good while to a convent, was at laft fent by the king's order to Geneva, where he died in 1705.

[ocr errors]

Our Rapin was their youngcft fon. He was educated at firft under a tutor VOL. XCIV.

In 1685, his father died; and two months after, the edict of Nantes being revoked, Rapin, with his mother and brothers, retired to a countryhoufe; and, as the perfecution in a fhort time was carried to the greatest height, he and his youngest brother, in 1686, departed for England. He was not long in London, before he was vifited by a French abbé of diftinguifhed quality; a friend of Peliffon's, who introduced him to Barrillon the French ambaffador. These gentlemen perfuaded him to go to court, affuring him of a favourable reception from the king; but he declined this honour, not knowing what the confe quences might be in that very critical ftate of affairs. His fituation, indeed, was not at all agreeable to him: for

3 E

ha

he was perpetually preffed, upon the fubject of religion, by the French catholics then in London; and efpecially by the abbe, who, though he treated Eim with the utmost complaifance, always turned the difcourfe to controverly. Having no hopes of any fettlement in England at that time, his ftay there was but fhort: he went over to Holland, and lifted himself in a company of French volunteers, that was at Utrecht under the command of Mr. Rapin, his coufin-german. Peliffon, the fame year, publihed his Reflections on the difference of Religions,' which he fent to his nephew Rapin, with a fritt charge to give him his opinion impartially of the work and this was accordingly done, although nothing of this kind was found among his papers. He did not quit his company, till he followed the prince of Orange into England; where, in 1689, he was made an enfign, and went to Ireland with that comminion. He diftinguithed himfelf fo well at the fiege of Carrickfergus, that he was the fame year promoted to a lieutenancy. He was prefent at the battle of the Boyne; and, at the fiege of Limerick, was fhot through the shoulder with a muket-ball. Th's wound, which was cured very flowly, proved very detrimental to his intereft; for it prevented him from attending general Douglas into Flanders, who was very defirous of having him, and could have done him confiderable fervice: however, he had a company given him.

He continued in Ireland till the end of 1693; when he was ordered for England without any reafon alligned: but a letter informed him. that he was to be governor to the earl of Portland's fon. Having never had any thoughts of this nature, he could not imagine to whom he owed the recommendation, but at laft found it to be lord Galway. He immediately went to London, and entered upon this charge; but quitted all hopes of thofe preferments in the army, which feveral of his fellow-officers foon after

attained. All the favour fhewn him was, that he had leave to refign his commiffion to his younger brother, who died in 1719, after having been made lieutenant-colonel in a regiment of English dragoons. Indeed the king gave him a penfion of 100l. per ann. till fuch time as he fhould provide for him better,' which time never came: fo he enjoyed this pension during the king's life, after which it was taken from him, and a post of smail value given him in its flead.

While the earl of Portland was ambaflador in France, Rapin was obliged to be fometimes in that kingdom, fometimes in England, and often in Holland: but at length he fettled at the Hague, where the young lord Portland was learning his excrcifes. While he refided here in 1699, be married: but this marriage neither abated his care of his pupil, nor hindered him from accompanying him in his travels. They began with a tour through Germany, where they made fome ilay at Vienna: hence they went into Italy by the way of Tirol, where marefchal de Villeroy, at that time prisoner, gave Rapin a letter for the cardinal d'Etrees, then at Venice. Their travels being finished, which put an end to his employment, he returned to his family at the Hague, where he continued fome years; but, as he found it increafe, he refolved to remove to fome cheap country; and accordingly retired in 1707 to Wefel, in the duchy of Cleves, in Germany, where he employed the remaining years of his life in writing the Hitory of England.' Though his conflitution was ftrong, yet feventeen years application (for fo long he was in compofing this history) entirely ruined it. About three years before his death, he found himself exhausted, and often felt great pains in his ftomach: and at length a fever, with an oppreffion in his breaft, carried him off, after a week's illness, in 1725. He left one fon and fix daughters. He was naturally of a ferious temper, although no enemy to mirth: he loved

faid, in mathematics, especially in the art of fortification. He was mafter of the Italian, Spanish, and English languages; and had alfo a very competent knowledge of the Greek and Latin. He fpent all his leiture hours in reading, and converfing with fuch as led a regular life, and loved to reafon and reflect on things.

mufic, and was killed, as we have connected feries of events to which they relate, and the ufe to be made of them in clearing up the history of England. This Abrat lies fcattered up and down in the feveral volumes of Le Clerc's Bibliotheque Choifée;' and has thence been tranflated and publifhed in English. Rapin alfo, to let us fee what a thorough knowledge he had of our parties and factions in England, publ thed in 1717, a little treatife, intitled, A Differtation on the Whigs and the Tories;' which is fubjoined to his Hiflory, and has likewife been tranflated and published in English.

He lived to publish the eighth volume of his hiftory which ends with the death of Charles I. The two remaining volumes, which bring the hiflory down to the proclamation of William and Mary, came out in 1724. They were printed at the Hague, in quarto, and have twice been tranflated into English; by the Rev. Nicholas Tindal, M. A. first in 8vo. then in folio; and by John Kelly of the Inner Temple, efq. in two vol. folio. Tindal has given a continuation of Rapin's history to 1760, and added useful notes to the whole. When Rapin firft fet about this work, he did not think of writing a complete hiftory of England: but curiofity and much leifure led him on from one step to another, till he came to the reign of Henry II; and then, when he was upon the point of stopping, an unexpected affiance came forth, which not only induced him to continue his hiftory, but to do it in a more full and particular manner than at first he intended. This was Rymer's Collection of Public Acts,' which began to be published at the expence of the government about 1705. In 1708, fix volumes in folio were completed, which were afterward increased to feventeen, and then to twenty. Lord Halifax, a great promo.er of this noble werk, fent the volu.nes, as they came out, to John Le Clerc; who generously lent them our author, as long as he had occafion for them. That he did act actually ufe this collection, appears from the pains he took to abridge the whole feventeen volumes, except the firit, which was done by Le Clerc: in which abridgement we have all the important acts pointed out, a well

Voltaire has obferved, that England is indebted to Rapin for the bett hiftory of itself which has yet appeared; and the only impartial one of a nation, wherein few write without being actuated by the spirit of party.' It was eafy to exceed all the hiftorians before him; fince, befide the advantages in common with them, which he did not fail to make the strictest ufe of, he was fupplied with a new and rich fund of materials from Rymer's Fœdera.'

[ocr errors]

But whatever be the merit of Rapin as an hiftorian, neither his accuracy nor his impartiality have appeared to compenfate for the imputation of tedioufnefs and prolixity. Hume is now the fashionable hiftorian of England; and yet, perhaps, while the reader finds a greater pleasure in perufing Hume, he will confult Rapin with infinitely more fatisfaction. However, we fhall refer, for the merits of both, to the fine character which Mr. Hayley has given of our principal English hiftorians:

[blocks in formation]
« AnteriorContinuar »