136 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academij. 



point et je ne demeuray point. II ne faut pas mentir avec tout cela, je 

 croyois bien faire I'un et I'autre avant que de monter en chaire. Car quand 

 je me sondois ou sur ma priere ou sur mon exoide ou sur ma conclusion je me 

 trouvois foible par tout : mais enfin encor un coup je m'en tiray bel et bien, 

 et c'est dont je remercie Dieu de tout mon coeur," 



Everyone was not so fortunate. De Cerisy, writing on February 9th, 

 1666, relates as a piece of gossip the failure of their common friend, 

 Bernon, at La Eochelle, and his being jilted in consequence by a damsel 

 whose love would not endure transplanting. 



Bouhereau got as far as writing a proposition ; for in the same letter 

 Bauldry says : — " Envoyes moy done vostre proposition le plustost que 

 vous pourres "; and in a letter of June 19th of the same year (1663) : — " J'ay 

 leu vostre proposition, mais je ne vous en parleray point jusqu'a Samedy que 

 je vous la renvoyeray avec la mienne." Unfortunately this undertaking was 

 not fulfilled, at least at that time. Bauldry was compelled to leave Eouen 

 in hot haste " pour eviter une tutelle et une curatelle dont j'estois menace." 



It is interesting to learn, as we have now done for the first time, that 

 Bouhereau, in taking orders in Ireland many years after, was fulfilling 

 the intentions of his youth. 



In December, 1663, Bouhereau went on a long visit to Paris, where 

 he stayed with an uncle, Guibert, sometimes described as avocat en Par- 

 Ument, who lived dans la rue de la Buscherie proche la place 3Iaubert. At 

 the end of that year he finally determined to cease his preparation for 

 the ministry. He left Paris about June 10 th, 1664, returning home via 

 Saumur, where he spent a few days in the house of Le Fevre, d la hillange. 

 All that the letters reveal as to Bouhereau's doings in Paris refer to a 

 love-afiair with a Mademoiselle de Beauchamp, a cousin. This young 

 lady married somebody else in September of the same year. One of the 

 letters, the writer of which I have not been able to identify, gives a 

 description of the wedding and a very unflattering account of the bride- 

 groom's personal appearance and position in society : — 



"Le 4 Sept., 1664. 



" Quelle estoit belle ! Si vous y eussies este ! non pourtant, je ne 

 le dois pas souhaitter, Je vouz ayme trop, vouz I'aymies trop, vous en 

 series mort de regret. Dimanche dernier je I'ay veiie marier : et je n'ay 

 rien veu marier de si beau. Que d'ieux elle fixa sur elle mesme ! Que 

 de victimes elle deroba a Dieu ! Que je vis d'attraits ! Que je vis de 

 graces ! Je ne pens m'empescher de dire en moy mesme que les poetes 

 avoyent menti de ne parler que de trois, car j'en vis une infinite. Quel 

 dommage qu'elle soit entre les bras d'un homme si malfait que I'epoux qu'on 



