206 LAN 
paffed feveral years afterwards in travels through various 
countries, among which were Livonia and Lapland. In 
this northern tour he became known to Guftavus king of 
Sweden, who gave him a commiffion to invite perfons ikil- 
ful in the arts and fciences from France to his dominions. 
In 1559 he accompanied Adolphus of NalTau, prince of 
Orange, into Italy. Auguftus, elcflorof Saxony, invited 
him to his court, in 1565, and nominated him his envoy 
to the court of France. He was deputed by that prince 
to the affembly of the dates of the empire at Augfburg in 
1568 ; and was employed by him in other important ne¬ 
gotiations. He was again fent to France in 1570, when 
lie pronounced a bold and eloquent harangue in the name 
of the proteftant princes of Germany, before Charles IX. 
He was at Paris during the malTacre of St. Bartholomew, 
and expofed his own life to danger by his efforts in fav- 
ing his holt, Andrew Wechel, the famous printer, and 
his friend Dupleffis Mornai. In the difputes in Saxony 
between the Lutherans and Zuinglians refpeiling the eu- 
charifr, he was fufpedled of favouring the latter, which 
caufed him to withdraw from the fervice of the debtor, 
though he continued to be much connected with him. 
He then accompanied John Cafimir, count-palatine, to 
Ghent; and afterwards attached himfelf to William prince 
of Orange, who employed him on feveral occafions. 
Falling into an ill date of health, he returned to Antwerp, 
where he died, in September 1581, at the age of lixty- 
three, greatly regretted by the prince, who walked as 
chief mourner at his funeral. Hubert Languet was a 
man of pure virtue in corrupt and difficult times. Du- 
pleffis Mornai fays of him : “ He was fuch as many would 
wiffi to appear; he lived as good men would wifh to die.” 
Yet he was void of morolenefs or auderity, and was 
agreeable and pleafant in converfation. He was a rigid 
cbferver of truth, and never violated it even in jed. He 
had no defire to become rich ; and, after all the great em¬ 
ployments he had palled through, left to his heirs little 
property except his medals and books. No man of his 
time was better acquainted with the political intereds of 
princes, and the details of hidory. He left feveral writ¬ 
ings, among which were, 1. Collections of Latin Letters, 
to the eleftor of Saxony, to Camerarius, father and fon, 
and to fir Philip Sidney. 2.. A Relation of the Expedi¬ 
tion of the EieCtor Augudus againd the Revolters of Sax¬ 
ony ; with the Hidory of the Proceedings of the Empe¬ 
ror againd that Prince. 3. Vindicias contra Tyrannos. 
This very fpirited attack upon tyranny, and defence 
of the rights of the people, worthy of the freed ages of 
antiquity, appeared foon after his death under the name 
of Stephanas Junius Brutus ; it was attributed to various 
writers, but has been ascertained to have been the pro¬ 
duction of Languet. To him is alfo afcribed, 4. The 
Apology of William prince of Orange againd the King 
of Spain, 1581. Bayle. Moreri. 
LANGU'ET (John-Baptid-Jofeph), the celebrated in¬ 
cumbent of St. Sulpice, at Paris, and, from his extraor¬ 
dinary benevolence, an honour to his country and to hu¬ 
man nature, fon of Dennis Languet, attorney-general to 
the parliament of Dijon, in which city he was born in 
the year 1675. He commenced his ftudies in his native 
place, and then went to continue them at Paris, where 
lie redded at the feminary of St. Sulpice. In the year 
1698, he was admitted a licentiate of the faculty of the 
Sorboune, and went through the preparatory exercifes 
with great applaufe. He was ordained pried at Vienne in 
Dauphiny, and afterwards returned to Paris, where he 
took the degree of doClor in 1703. From that time he 
attached himfelf to the community of St. Sulpice, where, 
by his profeffional and benevolent labours, he rendered 
himfelf fo ufeful, that M. de la Chetardie, who was then 
incumbent, fully fendble of his merit, chofe him his cu¬ 
rate. The duties of this appointment M. Languet dif- 
cbarged about ten years, and lold his patrimonial edate, 
that he might have it in his power to relieve the neceffi- 
Jies of the poor. In the year 1714 he fucceeded M. de 
G U E T. 
la Chetardie in the living of St. Sulpice, Finding his pa- 
riffi-church out of repair, and Icarcely capable of con¬ 
taining twelve or fifteen hundred people, while his parilh- 
ioners amounted to more than a hundred and twenty-five 
thoufand, M... Languet conceived the grand defign of 
ereCling a church in which they might all aflemble toge¬ 
ther. Not many days afterwards be embarked in this bold 
undertaking, with no other funds than a legacy of a hun¬ 
dred crowns, which had been bequeathed for this defign 
by a pious lady. This money he expended on the pur- 
chafe of ftones, which he cauled to be carried through all 
the ftreets of the city, that the public might be apprifed 
of his undertaking. No fooner was it generally known, 
than donations were fent him from all -quarters; and the 
duke of Orleans, regent of the kingdom, permitted him 
to apply to that purpofe the profits of a lottery. This 
prince laid the firit ftone of the porch, in the year 1618 ; 
and M. Languet, during the remainder of his life, fpared 
neither pains nor expenfe to render his church one of the 
moll magnificent in the world, both in point of architec¬ 
ture and of decoration. It was conlecrated in 1745. 
Another work, which reflects no lefs honour on our 
worthy pariffi-priell, is the eftablifhment of la Maifon de 
l'Enfant Jefus. This efiablifiiment, which has proved 
highly beneficial to the community, is, perhaps, the bell 
calculated of all his benevolent inftitutions, to exhibit 
moft advantageoufly the talents and merit of M. Languet. 
It confilled of from thirty to thirty-five poor ladies, who 
could bring proofs of defeent from noble families from 
the year 1535 to the prel’ent time. Preference was to be 
given to thole whofe anceltors had been in the king’s fer¬ 
vice. Here they were boarded and educated in a manner 
fuitable to their birth : but they were employed, by turns, 
in fuperintending the bakehoufe, the poultry-yard, the 
dairy, the laundry, the garden, the difpenfary, the repo- 
fitory for linen, the fpinning-rooms, and the other ob- 
.jebts of houfehold-management; by which means they 
were rendered good houfewives, and enabled to be ufeful 
to community. Befides, the habit to which they were 
accuftomed of affifting, by a thoufand little charitable of¬ 
fices, the poor women and girls who worked in the houfe, 
was adapted to make them more affable, humble, obliging, 
and fitter for fociety, than if they had aflociated only 
with perfons of noble blood. A lecond object of this ef- 
tablithment was, to afford an alylum to more than eight 
hundred poor women and girls, deftitute of the means of 
fupport, belonging either to the city or country. They 
were provided with daily food, and were made to earn 
their fupport, chiefly by fpinning cotton and linen. They 
were divided into different clafies, or chambers, over each 
of which prefided two ladies of the congregation of St. 
Thomas de Villeneuve, of which M. Languet was fupe- 
rior-general, whofe bufinefs was to overfee the work, and 
to give necefiary inftructions to the work-women. This 
ellabliffiment has proved a inoll happy retreat for numer¬ 
ous unfortunate females, who, after being betrayed into 
vice and ciiffolutenefs, were abandoned by the world. 
Here, by example and inftrubtion they have been recalled 
to virtue, and habituated to induftry ; and many lAve re¬ 
turned from i£ into the world, ufeful and honourable 
members of fociety. For their encouragement, when 
they quitted the houfe, it was a rule that they fliould be 
paid in money the amount of what they had earned by 
their labour. There were in the houfe in the year 1741, 
more than fourteen hundred women and girls, chiefly of 
the defcription juft mentioned, in providing for whofe 
comfort and convenience, as well as for their moral and 
religious improvement, M. Languet was indefatigable. 
Though the land attached to th» houfe confifted of only 
fourteen French acres, yet it fed a fufficient number of 
cows to give milk for upwards of two thoufand children 
in the pariffi ; and it alfo contained fties for the breeding 
of fwine, which were fold for the benefit of the inftitu- 
tion ; poultry, of all kinds ; a bakelioufe, furnilhing more 
than a hundred thoufand pounds of bread monthly, which 
a was. 
