BAY 



jealoufy. In 1684 Mr. Bayle was induced, by tlie freedom 

 ol the prifi ill Holland, to print fcvcral controvcrfial works, 

 that were fcnt liim from France ; and particularly " A col- 

 Itdlion of fonie curious pieces r^.-lative to the philofophy 

 of Defcartcs," with a preface, giving an acconut of thefe 

 pieces, and containinpj fome refleftions on the inq'nlitorial 

 power exercifed in France over books on fcientilic topics. 

 In this year he bcga;i his momhly litcraiy journal, entitled 

 " NouvtUes de la Rcpubliqne des I.ettres," which was 

 written in a manner that fervtd not only to fupport, but to 

 increafe the reputation which lie had already fvained. About 

 this time he declined an ofler of the profefTorOiip of p'.-lo- 

 fophy at Franekcr, though it was propofcd very much to 

 augment the falary which he received at Rotterdam. His 

 •' Nouvclles Lcttres do I'Autcur de la Critique generalc de 

 I'Hiftoire du Calviiiifiuc de M. Maimbourg," which was a 

 continuation or fecni.d part of his former work, and 

 printed iu 1685, excited much Icfs attention than the firil. 

 Having given an opinion in favour of M. Malebranche in 

 his account of Aniauld's book v. ritten againll him, he was 

 engaged in a difputc with the latter; and in 16S6 he had 

 a corrcfpondence with Chriftina, queen of Sweden, con- 

 cerning a letter of her majefty's, which he had mentioned 

 in his journal, and which condemned the perfecution fuf- 

 fcrcd by the proteftants in France. This letter, he had 

 faid, was " tiie remainder of the Pioteftant religion in her." 

 This exprefPion had given fome flight olTence to the 

 queen, and Bayle addreffed to her a letter of apology. 

 In an ample rej'ly the queen declared her fatisfaftion with 

 liis excufes ; and add-i, " I will lay a penance upon you, 

 which is, that for the future you fend me all the curious 

 books, in French, Latin, or Italian, upon all kinds of fci- 

 ences and all forts of fubjefts, piovided they be worth read- 

 ing." Her majefty made no exception of romances or fa- 

 tires, and particularly requelled books of chcmiilry, and 

 the author's journal. Bayle was much affefted by the re- 

 vocation of the edi(f^ of Nantes, and the cruelties exercifed 

 againft the protcftants in France for the purpofe of inducing 

 them to abjure their religion. Upon this conduft he made 

 fome juft and pointed refleftions in his journal ; and in 1686, 

 he publifhed a pamphlet, entitled, '' Ce que c'eil que la 

 France toute Catholiquc fous le regne de Louis Ic grand," 

 or, a charadler of Fiance, become entirely catholic under 

 Louis the great. It was publiflied without his name ; and 

 contained very fevcre cenfurcs on the treatment which 

 the proteftants received, as well as on the iniquity and 

 folly of all attempts to procure convcrfion by force. This 

 was foou followed by his famous work, intitkd, " Commen- 

 tarie Philofophique, &c. ;" or, a Philofophical Commentary 

 en the v.-ords " Compel them to come in." This work was 

 an elaborate defence of toleration, which formed the firft 

 part of it ; and in the fecond the author anfwers all the ob- 

 jeftions againft it. It was followed in the next year by a 

 third part, containing a confutation of St. Auguftin's apo- 

 logy for perfecution. The free fentiments expreffcd in this 

 work gave offence to Jurieu ; and though he was ignorant 

 of the author, who had taken pains to conceal his name, he 

 wrote a treatife againft it. Bayle's health was fo much im- 

 paired by the application devoted to the compofition of his 

 commentary, and probably alfo by the vexation occafioned 

 by his controvcrfy rthiting to queen Chriftina, that he found 

 it ncceffary to dilcontinue his literary journal, in the condudl 

 of which he had obtained numerous tcft.monies of approba- 

 tion, not only fiom pnvate perfons, but from fevcral focie- 

 ties of learned men, and particularly from the French Aca- 

 demy and the Royal Society of England. His fituation alfo 

 at Rotterdam became unpleafant to him, on account of 



8 



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the quarrelfome difpofition of Jurieu and fome othercircutri- 

 ftances ; and he wilhcd to leave it : but difappoiiited in his 

 views of a removal to Berlin, he was under a nectfiity of 

 continuing at Rotterdam. In 16S8, Bayle publiftied a 

 fourth part of his philofophical commentary, in which he 

 examined and confuted the perfecuting principles main- 

 tained by Jurieu in his two treatifes intilled " Vrai Syfteme dc 

 I'Eghfc," and " Droits des deux Souverains." Another 

 circnmftancc alfo occurred which ferved to widen the breach 

 between them. Jurieu, in his interpretation of fome of the 

 fcripture prophecies, had prefagcd the approaching triumph 

 of the proteftants in France, and he had publiftied fome free 

 opinions, with a view of preparing the people for this great re- 

 volution, on the right of fubjeftsto refift by force of arms the 

 tyranny of fovcreigns over their confciences. Among other 

 books that were written iu order to counteradt the elfeft of 

 Jurieu's publication, the mod remarkable was a treatife, in- 

 titled, " Avis aux Refugicz," or Important Advice to the 

 Refugees, conccniing their approaching return into France, 

 and printed in 1690. The author perfonated a catholic. 

 and his name was concealed ; but Jurieu, attributing it to 

 Bayle, was mucli incenfed, and took occafion to attack hi» 

 religious and political character, publicly accufed him before 

 the magiftratcs of Rotterdam, and attempted to get him 

 difmiffed from his profedbrftiip. Bayle made a finrittd de- 

 fence, and his caufe was efponfed by Icveral able writers. 

 The magiftrates condufted themfelves with impartiality and 

 moderation ; and the difpute fubfideil. Although Mr. Bayle 

 denied his having been the author of the above mentioned 

 treatife, there is reafon to believe that the fufpicions and 

 charges of Jurieu and others were not unfounded. Bayle 

 had been accullomed to write under fiftitious characters, and 

 on oppofite fides of the fame queftion ; and this is a circum- 

 ftance which has been alleged, and not without reafon, 

 againft his charadler. BefiJes, it is not unlikely that na- 

 tional prejudice and early attachment might have induced 

 him to vindicate the rights and inteiefts of the French mo- 

 narchy. However this be, he was afterwards fufpefted of 

 being concerned in an intrigue to bring about a feparatc 

 peace between France and the United States ; and king 

 William, dreading the confcquences of this projedl of peace, 

 gave orders to the magiftrates of Rotterdam to deprive him 

 of his profeftbrftiip and of his penfion. This event took 

 place in November 1693 ; and Mr. Bayle, declining offers 

 that were made him ot entering into new engagements, 

 lived in retirement. 



The projeft of his " Critical Diftionary" had been an- 

 nounced in 1690; and in 1692, his plan, under the title of 

 " Projet et Fragmens d'un Didtionaire Critique ;" but as it 

 was difapproved by the public, he commenced the work, as 

 it has fiiice appeared, on a new plan. Accordingly the firft 

 volume appeared in Auguft 1695. Such was the favour- 

 able expectation entertained concerning this work, that the 

 duke of Shrewfbury, an Englifti nobleman, diftinguiflied by 

 his talents as well as by his high rank and employments, ex- 

 preficd a \vi(h to have it dedicated to him, and by means of 

 Mr. Bafnage offered Bayle 200 guineas as an acknowledg- 

 ment for this diftinction. Mr. Bayle declined the off^er, and 

 maintained his independence. The fecond volume, which 

 completed the firft edition, though it has fiiice appeared iu 

 a more enlarged form, was printed in 1697 ; and the fale of 

 the whole was uncommonly rapid and extcnfive. Whilfl; 

 Bayle profeficd to fupply the numerous defefts of Moreri's 

 diftionary, and to correft its errors, it feems to have been 

 his real purpofe " to make his diftionar)' a kind of common 

 place for all the critical and philofophical knowledge, all 

 the curious information as to fadf, and all the fubtlety of 



argu. 



