001 



SOUBISE, BENJAMIN DE 110HAN. 



SOUFFLOT, JACQUES GERMAIN. 



602 



and in 1524, entered into the Dominican order. It was about this 

 time that he published his treatise on the Dialects and Physics of 

 Aristotle, entitled ' Summulso,' 4to, Salamanca, 1525. So high was 

 his reputation for ecclesiastical learning, that in 1545 the Emperor 

 Charles V. sent him as his first theologian to the Council of Trent, 

 where he became one of the most active and esteemed members of 

 that assembly. As ho spoke frequently, and was consulted on dif- 

 ferent points of canonic law, he was one of the members charged with 

 recording the decisions of the assembly and drawing up its decrees. 

 This peculiar distinction was the more remarkable, as there were 

 above fifty bishops and several eminent theologians of the same order 

 as his in the assembly. Finding that a brother of his own order, 

 named Catlmriu, dissented from him on several material points, he 

 composed his ' Apologia coutra R. Patrem Ambrosium Catharinum, qua 

 ipse de certitudinegratiae respondet/ which was afterwards published at 

 Antwerp, fol., 15..6', and Salam., fol., 1574. On his return from the 

 council Charles V. appointed him his confessor, and offered him the 

 bishopric of Segovia, which he declined. He was soon after chosen 

 by that monarch to arbitrate in a dispute pending between Las Casas 

 ami Sepulveda respecting the Indians, which he decided in favour of 

 the former. [SEPULVEDA.] Jn 1650 Soto left the court and retired 

 to Siilamanca, where he died on the 17th December 1560, at the age 

 of sixty-six. Besides the above-mentioned works, Soto wrote the 

 following: 'In Dialecticam Aristotelis Commentarii,' fol, Salmanticse, 

 1580; 'In Categorias Aristotelis Coinmentarii,' 4to, Venetiis, 1583; 

 'De Nature et Gratia Libri iii.,' Antwerp, 1550 ; ' De Justitia, et Jure,' 

 Antwerp, 1568 (in this last treatise Soto defends the proposition 

 which he had maintained at the council, ' that the residence of bishops 

 is of divine right ') ; ' De Cavendo Juramentorum Abusu,' Salmanticae, 

 1552, and several more, a list of which may be seen in Nicolas, Ant., 

 'Bib. Hisp. Nova,' vol. i. p. 332. 



SOUB1SE, BENJAMIN DE ROHAN, baron of Frontenai, and 

 brother to the Due de Rohan. He was born in 1589. Under Maurice 

 of Nassau, in Holland, he learnt the art of war. Soubise was through 

 life a zealous reformer, and figures in all the assemblies of the 

 Huguenots for putting in force the Edict of Nantes. In 1615 he 

 joined the party of the Prince de Conde, but the civil war terminating 

 soon after, he had little opportunity for exhibiting that audacity and 

 those talents for intrigue which he subsequently displayed in the 

 religious wars which commenced in 1621. His reputation for courage 

 and his talents as a leader induced the assembly of Rochelle to give 

 him the general command in Bretagne, Anjou, and Poitou. Uudazzled 

 by the brilliant offers which had seduced so many of the corrupt 

 chiefs to submit to the court, Soubise, with his brother, the Due de 

 Rohan, remained true to their party. But seeing themselves deserted 

 by their friends and reduced to despair, they resolved on a decisive 

 blow, and proclaimed open war against the kiug. Louis XIII. 

 marched against them in person, and commenced the siege of Saint 

 Jean d'Angeli. Soubise undertook its defence, and with his usual 

 audacity, when Bummoned to surrender, he wrote the following 

 reply: 'lam his majesty's very humble servant, but the execution 

 of his commands is not in my power. Benjamin de Rohan.' The 

 siege was vigorously pressed, but it was not until after a month's hard 

 fighting that the place surrendered. On the entrance of the royal 

 army, Soubise, throwing himself upon his knees before Louis, vowed 

 inviolable fidelity. 'Serve me better than thou hast done hitherto,' 

 replied the kin^, and pardoned him. 



The 'inviolable fidelity' of Soubise disappeared with the absence of 

 danger, and accordingly we find him very soon after flying to Rochelle, 

 there to form new iutrigues. He was not so warmly seconded however 

 as he had anticipated. He soon after collected a few troops and seized 

 Royan ; and in the winter of 1622 made himself master of Bas-Poitou, 

 together with the isle of Re", Perier, and Mons. This success drew 

 8000 men to his standard, with whom he seized Olonne, and threatened 

 Nantes. Louis again marched to meet him, and routed his army 

 after a short conflict. Soubise escaped to Rochelle, whence he passed 

 over to England to ask for succour, but failing, he went to Germany, 

 and with no better success. The king declared him a rebel, but by 

 the edict of pacification published at Montpellier, October 19, 1622, he 

 was restored to his honours and estates. 



Peace tired him, inactivity was abhorrent to him ; and restless 

 unless plotting, Soubise soon recommenced intriguing with Spain and 

 England, and, in the beginning of 1625, he again appeared as a 

 traitor ; and publishing a manifesto, seized the isle of Re", with 300 

 soldiers and 100 sailors. Encouraged by this success, he descended 

 on Blavet in Bretagne, where the royal fleet was at that moment ; and 

 suddenly attacking one of the largest ships, boarded it, sword in hand. 

 He took the other ships in succession, and then attacked the fort He 

 was repulsed in his attack on the fort ; and after a fruitless siege of 

 three weeks, he set sail for the isle of Re" with fifteen ships. He 

 seized the isle of Oleron, and was the master of the sea from Nantes 

 to Bordeaux. 



His daring had surprised every one; and the Huguenots, who had 

 hitherto regarded these exploits as those of a brigand, riow acknow- 

 ledged him as chief of the reform. The king, occupied with the 

 Spanish war, offered him the command of a squadron of ten ships in 

 an expedition against Genoa, as an honourable way of returning to his 

 allegiance. Soubise refuged the offer; and naming himself admiral of 



the Protestant church, persisted in the war. Attacked by the Royalists 

 near Castillon, he regained his ships with a precipitation very un- 

 favourable to his reputation for courage. We may observe that his 

 life exhibited a contrast of audacity and cowardice. He was more 

 reckless than bold, more vehement than courageous. On his return 

 to the isle of Rd, he was met by the royal fleet, augmented by twenty 

 Dutch vessels. As he was atill in uegociation with the court, he 

 obtained a suspension of arms, and the two admirals exchanged 

 hostages. Without awaiting the result of the uegociation, Soubise 

 redemanded his hostages, which were returned by the Dutch admiral, 

 on the condition that the suspension of arms should not terminate till 

 news was received from the court; but Soubise suddenly attached the 

 fleet, and fired the admiral's ship. The result of this perfidy was the 

 confirmation of Louis in his pacific intentions with regard to the 

 Protestants ; but the people of Rochelle were exacting in proportion 

 to the concession of the court, and the war continued. On the 15th 

 of September, after a sharp conflict, Soubise was beaten by the royal 

 fleet; and quitting bis ship, he regained the isle, where the victorious 

 Royalists had landed, and attacked them with 3000 men. Here too 

 his army was vanquished, and he saved himself by flight. 



He again came to England. Charles I., interposing on behalf of 

 the French Protestants, obtained for them a new edict of pacification 

 April 6, 1626. Soubise was created a duke ; but he still remained in 

 England, endeavouring to win over the Duke of Buckingham to sup- 

 port the Huguenots, and he succeeded. Louis seriously determining 

 to besiege Rochelle, Soubise prevailed on Buckingham to put himself 

 at the head of a fleet, which Soubise conducted to Rochelle ; but the 

 Rochellois refused to admit the English ships into their port, or 

 Soubise within their walls. Soubise returned to England, and solicited 

 a second fleet, which, commanded by Denbigh. Buckingham's brother- 

 in-law, was equally unsuccessful. Nothing daunted, he again returned 

 to England ; and after pressing Charles for some time, had a third 

 fleet granted, under the command of Buckingham. The fleet was at 

 Plymouth, ready to start; but Buckingham, having quarrelled with 

 Soubise, annoyed him by all sorts of delays. On the 2nd of September 

 1628, the two had an animated discussion in French on the point, 

 which the officers who were present, not understanding the language, 

 viewed as a quarrel. A few hours after this Buckingham was stabbed 

 by Felton. In the first moment of horror at the murder, the officers 

 accused Soubise and the deputies of the deed, and the infuriated 

 people were about to sacrifice them, when Felton declared himself. 



The command of the fleet was then bestowed on the Earl of Lindsey. 

 When they arrived before Rochelle, Lindsey repulsed all Soubise's 

 proposals, and it was found impossible for them to act in concert. 

 Meanwhile Rochelle capitulated; but Soubise, refusing the conditions 

 proposed by Louis, returned to England, where he ceased not to 

 intrigue against his country. His restless career was terminated in 

 1641, when he died, regretted by few and less respected. 



SOUBISE, CHARLES DE ROHAN, born July 16, 1715, was an 

 inefficient general, but a fortunate courtier; for, befriended by 

 Louis XV., he became marechal of France, minister of state, and allied 

 to royalty itself. His life was tinged with many licentious and foolish 

 acts, but his bravery and generosity gilded over his faults and vices. 

 He married Mdlle. de Bouillon, daughter of the chamberlain of France. 

 She died soon after the birth of her first child, a daughter, whom he 

 subsequently (1753) married to the Prince de Conde". In 1745 Soubise 

 married the Princess Christina of Hesse-Rheinfels. He served Louis 

 as aide-de-camp in all the campaigns from 1744 to 1748. His services 

 were rewarded by the appointment of field-marshal in 1748, and in 

 1751 with the government of Flanders and Eainault. Being defeated 

 by the Prussians at Rosbach, he returned to court, the object of a 

 thousand malicious epigrams. The favourite of Madame Pompadour, 

 he was hated as a favourite by all the other courtiers ; but Louis 

 remained firm in his attachment to him, and made him minister of 

 state, with a pension of 50,000 livres. 



In 1758 he commanded a new army, burning to efface the disgrace 

 of Rosbach, and defeated the Hessians, Hanoverians, and English, first 

 at Sondershausen (July 13) and next at Sutzelberg (October 10), by 

 which he completed the conquest of the landgraviat of Hesse. When 

 Louis XV. had taken Madame Dubarry as his mistress, and presented 

 her at court, the ladies refused to receive her, or acknowledge her 

 presence, except in the most distant manner. Soubise induced the 

 Countess de I'Hopital, his mistress, to receive her at her house. This 

 delighted Louis, and made Madame Dubarry his friend. Soubise 

 indeed carried his venality so far as to consent to the marriage of his 

 cousin Mdlle. de Toromon with the Vicomte Dubarry, the favourite's 

 nephew ; but we must add, as a set-off to this baseness, that on the 

 death of Louis, Soubise alone of all the courtiers followed the funeral 

 procession, which consisted only of a few valets and pages, and never 

 left the remains of his kind master till he saw them fairly deposited in 

 the tomb. He had resolved to retire from the court, but Louis XVI., 

 touched with his fidelity, requested him to retain his place as minister, 

 which he did. He died on the 4th of July 1787. 



SOUFFLOT, JACQUES GERMAIN, an eminent French architect, 

 was born at Irnncy, near Auxerre, in 1713. His parents gave him a 

 good education, but without any intention of bringing him up to the 

 profession to which his own inclination strongly prompted him. 

 Fortunately, however, instead of attempting to thwart this bias, his 



