540 
F O N 
Paris, where he received his licence as a preacher, and in 
1542 was admitted to the degree of doSlor by the faculty 
of the Sorbonne. Having returned to his native country, 
his merits procured him the appointment of profefl'or of 
theology in the univerfity of Coimbra; and afterwards 
the celebrity of his pulpit talents occafioned his being 
nominated preacher in ordinary to the king of Portugal. 
He was the author of Remarks upon the Commentaries 
of the Bible by Cardinal Cajetan, publifhed at Paris in 
1539, together with the life of that cardinal, in folio ; 
and alfo of Commentaries on the Book of Joftiua, on the 
Books of Chronicles, and other pieces. 
PONSE'CA (Peter de), a learned Portugnefe jefuit, 
born at Cortifada, in the priory of Crato, in 1528. He 
was the firft who was appointed profeffor of philofophy 
in the univerfity of Coimbra, and afterwards was made 
profefl'or of theology in the univerfity of Evora, where 
he was admitted to the degree of doctor in 1570. He was 
the firfi, alfo, who publicly taught that doCtrine relative 
to the divine prefcience, which was denominated by the 
fchoolmen Scientia media ; and, being adopted by the je¬ 
fuit Lewis Molina, became a (ubjeCt of long and furious 
controverfy between his followers, and the Dominicans 
and Janfenifts who adhered to the doCtrine of St. Auguf- 
tine. Fonfeca died at Lifbon in 1559, when feventy-one 
years of age. He publifhed different treatifes in philo¬ 
fophy, among which were, In Ifagogen Porphyrii ; Dialec- 
tica , lib. viii. and Comment, in Metaphyf. &c» 3 vols. fol. 
FONSOM'ME, a town of France, in the department 
of the Aifne, and chief place of a canton, in the diftriSt 
of St. (Quentin, fituated near the fource of the Somme: 
five miles north-eaft of St. Quentin. 
FONS'SAY, a town of f iance, in the department of 
the Vendee, and chief place of a canton, in the diftriCt of 
Fontenay le Comte : two leagues north-eaft of Fontenay 
le Comte. 
FONT,y. [fons, Latin; fontc, French.] A ftone veftel in 
which the water for holy baptifm is contained in the 
church.—The prefenting of infants at the holy font is by 
their godfathers. Hooker. 
1 have no name, no title ; 
No, not that name was given me at the font. Shakejp. 
FONT (Peter de la), a pious and worthy French ec- 
clefiaftic, born at Avignon, and died towards the com¬ 
mencement of the eighteenth century. Fie obtained the 
priory of Valabregue, and the appointment of official in 
the cathedral of Uzes. He was the author of Entreticns 
Ecclcfiajliqucs, or Ecclefiaftical Converfations, which were 
printed at Paris in five volumes twelves; and of four vo¬ 
lumes of Sermons. They are (till held in eftimation by 
the catholics, and are reprefented to contain a judicious 
and ufeful explanation of the duties of ecclefiaftics, and 
of chriftians in general, a-s enforced by the fcriptures, the 
fathers, and the councils. 
FONT'ABELLE FORT, a fort on the W'eft coaft of 
the ifland of Barbadoes: one mile north-north-weft of 
Bridge Town. 
FONTAT'NE, atownof France, in the department of the 
Vendee, and chief place of a canton, in the diftrict of Fon¬ 
tenay le Comte : one league fouth of Fontenay le Comte. 
FONTAI'NE (NicolasJ, a pious • and voluminous 
French writer in the janfenift connexion, born at Paris, 
16:5; and died at Melon, in 1709, when he had com¬ 
pleted the eighty-fourth year of his age. He was diftin- 
guifhed by the fervor of his piety, the drift and fcrupu- 
lous obfervance of his religious duties, the pureft inte¬ 
grity of heart, fimpiicity of manners, and unattended mo- 
delly and humility. His long life was a laborious one, 
during which he fent into the world a number of pious 
and pradtical works, which were well received by the 
public, and have maintained confiderable reputation with 
catholics of the janfenift party. He was the companion 
and friend of MM. Arnauid, Nicole, and Sacy; and he 
took them for his models in the fpirit and ltyle of his 
F O N 
writings. Of his numerous produdlions, the greater part 
was publifhed without his name. Among fuch as are 
confidered to be undoubtedly his, and which have un¬ 
dergone numerous impreflions, are: 1. Illuftrations of the 
New Teftament, taken from St. Auguftine and the other 
Latin Fathers, in 2 vols. 8vo. afterwards enlarged and 
publifhed in 2 vols. 4to. 2. An Abridgment of St. 
Chryfoftom on the Old and New Teftament, in 2 vols. 
8vo. 3. The Lives of the Patriarchs, with Reffedlions 
taken from the Holy Fathers, Svo. 4. The Lives of the 
Prophets, with Reffedlions, See. Svo. 5. The Lives of 
the Saints for all the Days in the Year, in 4.vols. Svo. 
which are faid to approach in merit, the me ft nearly of 
any fimilar produdlions, to the work of M. Baillet. 6 . 
On the Figurative Language of the Bible, 4:0. publifhed 
under the name of Royautnonf, prior of Sombreval. 7. 
A Trattflation of the Homilies of St. Chryfoftom on the 
Epiftles of St. Paul, in 5 vols. Svo. which occafioned the 
author to be acetified of Neftorianifm, by father Daniel 
the Jefuit, and condemned by Harlay archbifhop of Paris. 
8. Memoirs of the Solitaries of Port-Royal, in 2 vols. 
i2mo. which were not publifhed till after the author’s 
death. 
FONTAPNE (John de la), one of the mod confpicu- 
ous geniufes of the age of Louis XIV. born at Chateau- 
Thierry in 1621. At the age of nineteen he placed him. 
felf under the fathers of the oratory; but he remained 
only eighteen months in that favourable fituation for im¬ 
provement. His poetic talent remained dormant till, at 
the age of twenty-two, he heard a perfon read one of the 
odes of Malherbe. Such was the impreflion it made upon 
his mind, that he immediately began to ftudy that author, 
to commit his works to memory, and finally to imitate 
them. His firft effays in verfe were confided to a relation, 
who praifed and encouraged him, and diredled his atten¬ 
tion to the perufal of the bed Eatin, Italian, and French, 
writers. He was alfo a reader of much more ferious au¬ 
thors, and Plato and Plutarch furnifhed him with the 
moral and philofophical maxims which are intermixed 
even in his lighted pieces. His own character exhibited 
the fimpiicity of a child under the figure of a man. He 
was mild, gentle, credulous, fincere, void of envy or am¬ 
bition, Angularly abfent, and altogether unfit for the 
common concerns of life, in which he therefore readily 
fubmitted to the guidance of others. At the perfuafion 
of his family he married, though with little inclination 
for that date. His wife obtained his efteem ; her plea- 
fant humour was conformable to his own, and it is faid 
that he never wrote without confulting her tafte. He was 
not capable, however, of a (Irong attachment, and he feems 
to have made little difficulty of quitting her. The du- 
chefs of Bouillon carried him to the capital : (he had 
made acquaintance with him at Chateau-Thierry, and had 
firft.put him upon writing his Tales, which Fuited the 
fportive turn of her difpolition. At Paris he found a re¬ 
lation in the lcrvice of the fuperintendant Fouquet. He 
was admitted into the houfe of that munificent patron of 
letters, and received from him a penfion, for which lie 
gave quarterly receipts in verfe. On the fall of Fouquet, 
La Fontaine was among the few who were grateful enough 
to lament his fate, which he did in a pathetic elegy. He 
then entered the fervice of Henrietta of England, wife of 
Monfienr, as her gentleman ; after whofe death he found 
protestors in the princes of the blood, and other perfons 
of diftinction. His beft friend, however, was Mad. de la 
Sabliere, who took him into her houfe, and thus freed 
him from thofe domeftic cares for which he was fo little 
fitted. He was in clofe habits of intimacy with the firft 
wits of Paris, Boileau, Moliere, Racine, Chapelle, Sec. 
and was generally beloved for the candour and integrity 
of his character. The appellation ulually given him was 
that of le bon-homme. He did not (bine in converfation, 
and was ufually iilent in company, except among his 
greateft intimates. It is faid, that being once invited to 
dine with a farmer-general, for the pu>rpofe of entertain- 
