LAMEXXAIS, ABBE DE. 



LA MOTTE, ANTOINE HOUDAtt DE. 



761 



nieifurability of the Circumference of a Circle to Its Diameter ; on 

 Human Strength; on Ilj<lrulic Wheels; on Windmill"; and on 

 Kri.tiou. He moreover prepared two papers in which he ha.l dis- 

 coned all the known obeerrations on Jupiter and Saturn; and theae 

 were published in the Mine ' Uenioiros ' two years after his death. 



Lambert was endowed with a strong memory and a fertile and 

 well-regulated imagination : hi* manners were simplr, and he is said, 

 in his dress, to bare disregarded the fashions of the time ; but he 

 was both esteemed and beloved by those who knew him intimately. 

 He died September 25, 1777, being then only forty-nine years of age. 

 All the manuscripts left by him were purchased by the Academy of 

 Berlin, and were subsequently published by John Bernoulli!, a grandson 

 of the celebrated John ISernouilli of Basel. 



LAMENNAIS, KKl.HTI K-li( HiKKT, ABB6 DE,the son of a ship- 

 owner of Saiut-Miklo, was born at that port, on the 6th of June 1782. 

 Prevented by the turbulence of the times from being sent to school, 

 at the usual ape, he received from bis elder brother his 6rst lessons 

 in Latin, and then finished alone his stinted education. For all that, 

 he was able to read Livy and Plutarch, when he wag only twelve 

 years old. In 1794, having been sent to live with an uncle, this 

 relation not knowing what to do with a wilful boy, used to shut him 

 up for whole days, in a library, consisting of two compartments, one 

 of which, called "Hell," contained a large number of prohibited books, 

 whiih little Robert was enjoim d not to read. But the lad already 

 cared for none but books of reflection, and finding some of these on 

 the prohibited shelves, that division became bis favourite. Long 

 hours were thus spent in reading the indent pages of Honsseau, 

 the thoughtful volumes of Mallebranche, and other writers of 

 sentiment and philosophy. Such a course of reading, far from pro- 

 ducing its usual effects of precocious vain-glory and unbelief on BO 

 young a mind, served rather to ripen his judgment, and to develop 

 that religious fervour which was a part of his nature. Thus left to 

 himself for many years, he declined his father's repeated offers to 

 settle him in some mercantile office, and in 1807 found means to 

 enter the college of Saint-Malo, as teacher of mathematics. 



He produced in 1808 his first work, 'Reflexions sur 1'Etat de 1'Eglise 

 en France, pendant le 18 Siccle, et sur sa situation actuelle.' In this 

 book he denounces the materialism propagated by the philosophers of 

 the ISth century, and bitterly deplores the apathy thence induced to 

 religion. His vocation being the Church, he took the tonsure, of hia 

 own accord, in 1811 ; and iu 1812, in concert with his brother, pub- 

 lished his ' Tradition de 1 Eglise sur 1'Institutiou des Eveques.' As 

 the power of Napoleon I. was di-colving, and the time seemed pro- 

 pitious for the diffusion of unfettered thoughts, he went to Paris in 

 1814, his first production being a violent pamphlet against the fallen 

 emprror. This untimely philippic drove him from France during the 

 Hundred Days ; he sought refuge in England, spent several mouths 

 as usher at a school kept by the Abbe' Caron, near London ; and then 

 returning home iu 1816, was at length ordained priest. 



The following year was signalised by the appearance of his ' Eesai 

 sur 1' Indifference en mati&re de Religion ; ' a book which produced 

 an impression so sudden and so deep, that in a single day, said his 

 disciple Lacord lire, be rose like a new Bossuet above the horizon. 

 Bat in this, as in all his former works, tho Abb<5 Lameunaia still 

 adhered to the orthodox standard of Catholicism, no other theological 

 writer going beyond him in upholding the clerical authority in 

 preference to private judgment. In 1824 he visited Home, met with 

 the moat flattering reception from Pope Leo XII., but declined the 

 offer of the Cardinal's bat, made to him by that pontiff. His next 

 work, ' La Religion consider6e dans ses Rapports avec I'ordrc Civil et 

 Politiquc,' began to exhibit that freedom of thought, reaching to the 

 last boundary of revolution (but which however, independent of 

 church interests, abandons nothing in spiritual fuith), for which he 

 has since become so widely known. For this book he was sum- 

 moned to appear before the Cour Correctionuelle, and condemned to 

 a fine. 



The general agitation and the ferment in the public mind, which 

 preceded the full of Charles X., had gradually produced a modification 

 in the opinions of this enthusiast, whose faith was too sincere to be 

 stagnant : the revolution of July induced him to adopt the priucipla 

 of the people's supremacy. Still he continued the same full believer, 

 and earnest worshipper in the Christian doctrine, as it is understood 

 in the Roman Catholic Church. In attaching himself with equal 

 warmth to the democratic principles, he pointed his objections at the 

 temporal abuses of the Church ; whilst his reverence for her spiritual 

 authority remained unaltered. In September 1830, he brought out a 

 journal, called ' L'Avenir,' iu which several young men who had adopted 

 nil opinions, assisted him with their contributions. Among these were 

 the Abtx' Ucrbet, the eloquent preacher Lacordaire, and M. de Mou- 

 talembert. The object of this journal was to spread the system of the 

 Alibi'- Lamennais, and to explain that it combined the advocacy of 

 the interests of the Roman Catholic Church, anil the defence of liberal 

 opinions in connection with it; and to maintain that religion, so long 

 neglected, and suffered to decline by the upper classes, ought to be, 

 and might be regenerated by the common people. He likewise 

 demanded, in this paper, the complete separation of the spiritual from 

 the temporal power, insisting that political influence ought to be 

 transferred to the multitude by means of universal suffrage. These 



l>old opinions, expressed in a style of eloquence, somewhat biblical in 

 form, and of remarkable power, produced upon an excitable people 

 an effect so manifest as to provoke the censure of Rome, in the 

 form of an encyclical letter, of the 18th of September 1832. Having 

 submitted to this rebuke by suppresniug bis journal, the abW 

 received a gracious letter of congratulation from the pontiff on the 

 28th of December. 



But in May 1834, the new champion of independence in church 

 matters, produced bis most admired book, the ' Paroles d'un Croyant,' 

 a- pathetic lamentation, addressed alike to tho suffering classes, and 

 to the great and powerful ; a work which sundered for ever the bond 

 that united Lamennais to the see of Rome. Irritated by this new 

 provocation, Gregory XVI., in a second letter, dated July 7, 1834, 

 condemned the book in very severe terms; whilst the revolutionary 

 party applauded their advocate for his independent spirit and original 

 powers of mind. Thus stigmatised by the Church, prosecuted by 

 government, and by the people hailed as an apostle, the AbtxS Lamen- 

 nais set no bounds to his course. He now produced in rapid suc- 

 cession : 'Les Affaires de Rome,' in 1836; ' Le Livre du Peupl-,' in 

 1837; 'Le Pays et le Gouvernement,' in 1840 (for which he was 

 sentenced to a year's imprisonment); 'De la Religion,' in 1841 ; ' Le 

 Guide du Premier Age,' in 1844 ; ' line Voix de Prison,' in 1846 ; and 

 'LesConseils de 1'Abbe Lamennais au Peuple,' in 1849. His most 

 elaborate work ' Esquisse d'une Philosophic,' was published in 4 vols, 

 1840-46. He died February 27, 1854, unreconciled to the Church, 

 though during his last illness the most strenuous efforts were made to 

 induce him to retract his heterodox opinions : by his express desire 

 he was interred without any religious ceremony. It was one of his 

 last and most earnest injunctions that certain papers, which con- 

 tained lii- latent sentiments, should be published without alteration 

 or suppression ; but the religious advisers of his niece (who was also 

 his housekeeper) eo far wrought on her susceptibility as to cause her 

 to refuse to give up the papers to the persons whom Lameunais had 

 authorised to superintend their publication. The matter was in con- 

 sequence brought before the proper legal tribunal, when the judges 

 directed (August 1856) that the papers should be handed over for 

 publication in their integrity. 



LA'MI, GIOVA'NNI, born at Santa Croce, in Tuscany, in 1097, 

 studied law at Pisa, took a Doctor's degree, and afterwards repaired to 

 Florence, to exercise his profession. But his fondness for literature, 

 and especially classical and ecclesiastical erudition, interfered with 

 his professional pursuits, and he became an author. His firet work 

 was in defence of the Nicene Creed concerning the Trinity, and against 

 Leclerc and other Sociniau writers. Lami contended that the N'iceno 

 dogma concerning the Trinity was the same as that held by the early 

 promul^ators of Christianity in the Apostolic times. His work is 

 entitled ' De recta Patrum Nicenorum Fide,* Venice, 1730. Lami 

 travelled with a Genoese nobleman to Vienna, where he resided some 

 time, and he afterwards visited France, whence he returned to 

 Florence in 1732, where he was made librarian of tho Riccardi Library, 

 ami 1'rofeasor of Ecclesiastical History in the Florence Lyceum, At 

 Florence he published his work ' De Eruditions Apostoloruin,' 

 Florence, 1738, which is a sort of continuation of his former work. 



In 1740 Lami began to publish a literary journal, entitled ' Novclle 

 Letterarie,' which he carried on till 1760, at first with the assistance 

 of Tsrgioni, Gori, and other learned Tuscans of his time, with whom 

 he afterwards quarrelled, and he then continued the work alone. 

 Lami made a selection of inedited works, or fragments of works, 

 from the manuscripts of the Riccardi Library, of which he was keeper, 

 and published it in a series entitled ' Delicioo Eruditorum,' 18 vols. 

 Svo, Florence, 1736-69. He also edited the works of the learned John 

 Meursius in 12 vols. folio. He wrote short biographies of many 

 illustrious Italians of his age : ' Memorabilia Italorum Eruditione 

 pnestantium quibus vertens i&cculum gloriatur,' 2 vols. Svo, Florence, 

 1743-47. He published in Greek the letters of Gabriel Severus, 

 archbishop of Philadelphia in Asia Minor, and of other prelates of the 

 Greek Church: 'Gabrielis Severi et aliorum Grcooorum Receutionim 

 Kpistoloo,' Svo, Florence, 1754. Ho hod undertaken to write a history 

 of the Eastern Churches from the Council of Florence of 1 439 ; but 

 this undertaking was interrupted by Lami's death, which took place 

 in 1770. He was buried in the church of Santa Croce. He left all his 

 property to tho poor. Fabbroni and Fontauini wrote his biography. 

 Besides the works already mentioned, Lami wrote satires both iu 

 Latin and in Italian, especially directed against the Jesuit*, whom ho 

 btrongly disliked. He also published : 1, ' Lezioni di Autu-liit?i 

 Toscane,' 2 vols. 4to, 1766; 2, 'Richardi Romuli Richardii Vita,' 

 Florence, 1743; 3, 'Catalogus Codicum MSS. qui in Bibliotheca 

 Riccardiaua Florentito adservantur,' with copious illustrations, fol., 

 1756, and other minor writings. 



LA MOTTE, ANTOINE HOUDAR DE, was born at Paris, 17th 

 of January 1672. His father was originally a hatter at Troyes, where 

 he possessed a small estate called La Motte, whence the surname of 

 the family was derived. After completing his studies at the Jesuits' 

 College, ho turned his attention to the law, which he shortly after 

 gave up to follow his taste for the drama, and to assist at a private 

 theatre in the representation of Moli6ru's comedies. In 1693, being 

 then only twenty-one years of age, he produced at the Theatre Italien 

 his first piece entitled ' Les Originaux,' with little success. This 



