5 
FRA 
don w^s fixed at Annecy. In this order fewer aufierities 
are enjoined on the profeft^d tlian in raoft other monadic 
inftitutions; and it proved fo popular, that during the 
life of madame de Chantal, eighty-feven houfes, governed 
by its regulations, were eflabliflied in France and Savoy, 
whence they'foon fpread into Italy, Germany, and Po¬ 
land. In 1622 the bifhop received an order from tile 
duke of Savoy to proceed to Avignon, to be prefent at 
an interview between that prince and I.ouis XIll. of 
France; after which he went to Lyons, where he was cut 
off by a flroke of apoplexy in the fifty fifth year of his 
age. He was canonized by pope Alexander VII. in 1665. 
He was the autlior of feveral works, of which the mod 
valuable is entitled An Introduftion to a Devout Life, 
intended to diew that devotion ought not to be confined 
to perfons immured in cloiders, or the religious by pro- 
felfion, but that its duties are perfeiStly compatible with 
the obligations of civil and I'ecular life. He wasalfo the 
author of a treatife On the Love of God; and of Spiritual 
Letters, and other pradtical and devotional pieces. The 
wliole of his works compoTe two volumes in folio. 
F^RANCIS DE VICTO'RIA, fo named from a town of 
Navarre, in which he v/as born, w’as a celebrated Spanidi 
divine in the 16th century. He purfued his dudies in the 
univerfity of Paris, where he took his degrees, and after¬ 
wards returned to his native country. Havdng entered 
into the order of dominican preaching friars, he was ap¬ 
pointed to the office of profeffor of theology, and delivered 
leiffuresat Salamanca and other Spanidi univerfities. His 
merits w’ere held in high edimation, and his works have 
met with a favourable reception in the catholic world. 
The mod important of them is a colleflion of theological 
and moral letffures, which was publidied after the author’s 
death at Lyons, in 1557, under the title of Theologicx 
PrceliEiiones Kill. See. in tw o volumes, which are analyfed 
by Dupin. The author died at Salamanca, in 1549. 
FRANCIS DE XAVIER', a Romidi faint, called 
the Apojile of ihc Indians, born at the Chateau de Xavier, 
at the foot of the Pyrennees, in 1506. His inclination 
early prompted him to embrace a' dudious life. After 
having been indrufted in claffical learning in his native 
country, he was fent to the univerfity of Paris, where he 
went through a courfe of theology and philofoph.y. For 
fome time he taught philofophy in the college of P>eau- 
vais, until he became acquainted witii tiie famous Igna¬ 
tius Loyola, who was purfuing a courfe of theology at 
Paris. With Loyola he contracted a firidt intimacy, and 
was one of the feven companions who entered into a vovv 
in the church of Mont-Martre, in 1534, to conform them- 
felves to a dricl religious difeipline, and to embark in a 
new undertaking for promoting the intereds of tlie catho¬ 
lic faith, particularly by theconverfion of infidels. From 
this time he renounced all profpedl: of any edablidiment 
in the world, and applied himfelf diligently to the diidy 
of theology. In 1537 he quitted Paris, and wefit to Ve¬ 
nice, where Loyola, who had taken a journey into Spain, 
met him and the red of his companions, who were ten in 
number. From Venice Francis Xavier and fome others 
of the companions went to Rome, where tliey obtained 
leave from pope Paul III. to embark on a midion to the 
Holy Land ; but they were prevented from undertaking 
it by the redridtions which the grand-feignior had laid on 
the admiffion of pilgrims and midionaries into Paledine. 
Their attention was therefore engaged in increafing their 
numbers from among the members of the different Italian 
univerfities; in preaching, and inftrudfing young perfons; 
and in laying the foundation of the famous Society of the 
Jefuits. Soon after the pope had given his fanction to tlie 
edablidiment of that new order, John 111. king of Portugal 
applied to the holy fee for midionai ies, to be lent to propa¬ 
gate the catholic faith in the Ead indies. Francis Xavier 
was one of the perfons feledfed for this arduous entprprife ; 
and he podelfed an undaunted refolution, together with a 
degree of genius and fagacity, of perfeverance, patience, 
and zeal, that eminently fitted him for the purpofe. He 
VoL. VIIL. Nc. 4J9. 
F , R A 
embarked at Lifbon for the Indies in 1541, and in the 
following year arrived at the Portuguefe fettlement of 
Goa. For ten years he laboured incelfantly in fpreading 
tl'.e knowledge of tlie catholic faith in that city, the 
fouthern continent of India, Malacca, the Molucca illands, 
and J.ipan ; and certainly prevailed on vad numbers to 
receive Chridianity. In the latter idand, efpecially, he 
with wonderful r3p,idity laid the foundations of the catho¬ 
lic church, which flouriffied for many years in that vad 
empire. From Japan, Francis Xavier departed for China, 
but he fell Tick on his voyage, and died jud as he came in 
fight of that empire, in 1552, in the forty-fixih year of 
his age. He was canonized by pope Paul V. in 1619; and 
by his fuccelfor pope Gregory XV. in 1622. He was the- 
autltor of five books of Epiftles, publilhed at Paris in 
.1631, odfavo ; a Catechifm; and fome other fmall pieces. 
FRAN'CiS (Laurence), a French abbe, and various 
writer, was born at Arinthod in Franche-Comte, in 1698, 
and died at Paris in 1782. He was the author of feveral 
works, which, though not entitled to much praife for 
their elegance, met, neverthelefs, with a favourable re¬ 
ception from the public, on account of their utility. One 
was a treatife.on Geography, 12010. known by the name 
of Crozat, becaufe dedicated to a lady fo called, for whofe 
ufe it was compiled. It is commended as a perfpicuous, 
methodical, and accurate, performance, and has undergo.ne 
a great number of impreffions. The mod important of 
his other publications are, 2. The Evidences of the Re- 
ligioti of Jefus Chrid, 4 vols. irmo. 3. A Defence of 
Religion, 4 vols. 12010. 4. An Examination of the Ca¬ 
techifm of an Honed Man. 3. An Enquiry into tlie Facts 
on which the Chridian Religion is founded, 3 vols. i2mo. 
1767. 6. Obfervations on the Philofophy of Hidory, 8vo. 
FR AN'CIUS (Peter), a Greek and Latin poet, born at 
Amderdam in 1645. taiight^the rudiments of 
claffical learning by Hadrian Junius, redfor of the_Latin 
fchool, who advifed him to take Ovid as his model. He 
afterwards purfued his dudies at Leyden, under John Fre¬ 
deric Gronovius, with whom he entered into a mod in¬ 
timate frienddiip, as w’ell as with his I'on James. In 1669 
he made a tour to England, from which he proceeded to 
France, and while in the latter country, he obtained tlie 
degree of dodfor of laws at Anjou, After redding fome 
timiC at Paris, he continued his travels to Italy. At Flo¬ 
rence he was treated with great refpedt by tlie'grand-duke, 
and at Rome he was much noticed by the principal men 
of the city. In 1674, the magidrates of Amderdam ap- 
pointed him profelfor of l.idory and rhetoric. In 1692 he 
was invited to Leyden to be profelfor of Greek ; but the 
magidrates of Amderdam having raifed his (alary, hefee- 
clined this offer, and continued ter difeharge the duties of 
his office till the period of his death, which took place 
in 1704. His works are : i. Specimen Eloquentia ExUrioris, 
primum & altenim ; the fil'd publidied in 1697, and the fe- 
cond in 1699. 2. Poeinala, 1672, in 121110. and 1697, 8vo. 
3. Orationes, 1692,, and 170.4, 8vo. 4. Gregorii Kazianzeni 
Homilia De Amore Paiipertatis, ex Graca vernacule verja & no- 
tis illujlrata, 1697, 8vo. 5. Pojluma, confiding of three ora¬ 
tions, ^viz. Pro Eloq’ientia, Pro Poetida, De Ufa Eloquentia in 
Sacris ; and his Latin poems, viz. Eleginrum, itber quin, 
tus ; OJarum, liber tertius ; Epigrammatum, liber tcrlii/s ; lo- 
gether with Uliflrium vionim ad P. Erancium Epijiota. 
FRANCIS'CANS, in ecciefiadical hidory, the order 
of Minorites or mendicant friars, lounded by.^St. Francis, 
as deferibed above, undei^ Fr.ancis of Assisi. 
FR AN'CISBOROUGH, a fettlement of the Amefican 
States, in York county, diftridl of Maine. 
FRANCKE (Auguffus Herman), a German Lutheran 
divine, born at Liibeck, in 1663. In 1679 he was fent 
to the univerfity of Erfurt, and afterwards to that of Kiel, 
in both, which places he didinguillied himfelf by his dili¬ 
gence and improvement. In 1684 he proceeded to Leip- 
(ic, where he eftablilhed a fociety for conferences on theo¬ 
logical and biblical fubjedls, which is/aid to exid to the 
prelent time, under the name of Collegium Philo-Biblicum. 
g He 
