BOS 



Bwsuet. submit to every thing required by tlie council of 

 - "v^ / Trent. In justice to his character, however, we 

 must observe, that, though thus zealous in the cause 

 of Popery, he never gave the slightest countenance 

 to the persecution of the Protestants ; persuaded 

 that argument, and not the sword, is the proper 

 instrument of conversion. 



While he thus stood forth as the champion of his 

 religion, he was no less strenuous in defending the 

 particular rights of the French church, and the in- 

 dependence of the French crown, agaiust the pre- 

 sumptuous claims of Pope Innocent XI. His holi- 

 ness held out to him the temptation of a cardinal's 

 hat, in order to induce him to withdraw his opposi- 

 tin ; but Bossuet, true to his brethren and his king, 

 refused an honour, which, without increasing his re- 

 spectability in the church, could only add the sound- 

 ing title of Eminence to his name. 



The reputation of Bossuet was now at its height ; 

 and we wish, for the honour of his memory, that we 

 could here close the list of his theological contests. 

 Unfortunately, he thought himself obliged to oppose, 

 with a degree of harshness and severity for which we 

 can find no apology, the amiable and virtuous Fe- 

 nelon, who entertained 6ome notions on Quietism, 

 which alarmed the orthodoxy of this zealous guar- 

 dian of the true faith. We are afraid that something 

 like envy may have prompted that asperity of cen- 

 sure which extorted from the mild Archbishop of 

 Cambray a reluctant complaint ; and whatever might 

 be the result of their dispute, we believe there is not 

 one of our readers who would not have resigned all 

 the triumphs of Bossuet, for the more honourable 

 testimony given to his rival : Bossuet, it was ob- 

 served, proves religion ; Fenelon makes us love it. 

 Yet, however we may condemn the relentless vigour 

 of his temper, it is impossible not to respect his sin- 

 cerity and firmness. When Louis, astonished at the 

 impetuosity with which he inveighed against Fene- 

 lon, asked him, " What would you have done, if I 

 had taken part with Fenelon against you ?" " Sire," 

 replied the spirited bishop, " I would have cried 

 twenty times louder." On another occasion, how- 

 ever, he shewed a more temporising disposition : for 

 when Louis, who was passionately fond of theatrical 

 entertainments, which Bossuet had uniformly con- 

 demned, consulted him with regard to the propriety 

 of going to a certain play, " Sire," replied he, 

 " there are great examples for it, and strong reasons 

 against it." 



From these scenes of bustle and contention, we ac- 

 company Bossuet, with much satisfaction, to his own 

 diocese ; where, forgetting the tumult and vanity of 

 the world, he devoted his whole'time to the instruc- 

 tion of the ignorant, the support of indigence, and 

 the consolation of misfortune. " It was a rare and 

 affecting spectacle," says his panegyrist, " to see the 

 great Bossuet, transported from the chapel of Ver- 

 sailles to a village church, instructing the peasants to 

 bear their evils with patience ; assembling with ten- 

 der affability, their young family around him ; tak- 

 ing pleasure in the innocence of the children, and the 

 simplicity of the parents ; and finding in their nai- 

 vete, their movements, and affections, that precious 



72 



BOS 



truth which he had sought for in vain at court, and 

 so tarely met among men." Amidst these labours 

 of lovu, he tranquilly closed his life, on the 12th of 

 April 1701, regretted by the whole Catholic church, 

 which still reveres his memory as one of her ablest and 

 most faithful champions. Different colleges vied with 

 each other in the funeral orations which they pro- 

 nounced in his praise ; and his grave was bedewed 

 with the unfeigned tears of the flock, whom he had 

 guided by his example, and soothed with the affec- 

 tionate care of a father. 



Of the merit of Bossuet, as a preacher, it is not 

 easy to form a fair estimate ; for, as he seldom wrote 

 more than the heads of his discourse, the sermons 

 which he has printed must be regarded rather as 

 bold and hasty sketches, than finished compositions. 

 In his funeral orations he is altogether unrivalled, 

 for elevated sentiments and affecting tenderness. The 

 most celebrated of his funeral orations are those pro- 

 nounced in honour of the Queen of England, widow 

 of Charles I ; the Duchess of Orleans, sister to 

 Charles II. ; and the celebrated Prince of Conde. 



m. 



BOSTON, formerly Botolph's Town, a large com- 

 mercial town of England, in Lincolnshire, situated on 

 the east side of the river Witham, about five miles 

 from the sea. The town is well built, and has lately 

 received very considerable improvements. Its spaci- 

 ous market-place is adorned with a handsome cross, 

 and a commodious assembly room. The public build- 

 ings are the theatre, the fish market, built in 1772, 

 and the elegant church of St Botolph's. This mag- 

 nificent building was begun in 1309, and is said to be 

 the largest parochial church, without cross aisles, in 

 the world. Its lofty tower, which is 282 feet high, 

 supports an octagon lantern which serves as a light- 

 house to the vessels that navigate the dangerous 

 channels of Lynn Deeps and Boston Deeps. It has 

 365 steps, 52 windows, and 12 pillars, corresponding 

 to the number of days, weeks, and months, in the 

 year, and is 300 feet long, and 100 feet wide. 



Boston formerly carried on a great trade in the ex- 

 portation of wool, but after this trade was prohibited, 

 it carried on a considerable foreign and coasting trade. 

 At spring tides, the Witham is navigable for vessels 

 of about eleven feet of water, and the barges navigate 

 this river as far as Lincoln. Some of the foreign ves- 

 sels trade in timber, rye, wine, &c. and several ships 

 are employed in the corn trade to London. 



The fens with which thisT town was formerly sur- 

 rounded, have been, in a great measure, enclosed and 

 drained, and form good meadow and arable land. It 

 is proposed to build an iron bridge over the Witham, 

 instead of the present wooden one. Number of 

 houses 1221. Population in 1801, 5926, of whom 

 866 were returned as employed in trade and manufac- 

 tures. See Oldfield's History of the Boroughs, and 

 Howlett's Select Vieivs of Lincolnshire. Ij ) 



BOSTON, called Shaumut by the Indians, and 

 Trimountain by its first settlers, is a large town of 

 America, the capital and port of the state of Massa- 

 chusetts and of New England, and the third town in 

 point of size in the United States. It is situated on 

 an irregular peninsula at the bottom of Massachusetts 



Boiioh. 



