PARIS. 593 
PAR'IS, a town of Pruffia, in the province of Barten- 
land : eight miles north-north-eaft of Raftenburg. 
PAR'IS, in Wales. See Parys. 
PAR'IS, a thriving pod-town of America, in the (late 
of New York, and county of Oneida, incorporated in 
1792, and containing 4.721 inhabitants. Iron-ore is found 
in its vicinity ; and the land is excellent. It has an aca¬ 
demy and a parifh-church; and its progreffive improve¬ 
ments are rapid.—Alfo, the county-town of Bourbon- 
county, in Kentucky : eighteen miles north-eall of Lex¬ 
ington. It has a court-houfe and gaol, a prefbyterian 
church, and feveral mills in its vicinity. Its houfes are 
principally conftruCled of brick and (lone. The town is 
pleafant and thriving, and contains 377 inhabitants.—A 
town of London-county, Virginia; fifty-nine miles from 
Wafhington.—A town in Oxford-county, (late of Maine ; 
containing 844 inhabitants.—An illand on the coaft of 
South Carolina. 
PAR'IS (Francis), a French pried and writer of ef- 
teemed pious and praftical treatifes, was born in an un¬ 
known year of the feventeenth century, at Chatillon in 
the vicinity of Paris. He was of obfcure birth ; and, 
when young, ferved as a domeftic in the family of MM. 
Vazet, who had a houfe at Chatillon. Pleafed with his 
behaviour, and the inclination which he (bowed for ac¬ 
quiring knowledge, thofe gentleman, one of whom was 
grand-vicar and archdeacon of Sens, took upon them- 
lelves the care of bis education ; and, when he was pro¬ 
perly qualified, obtained for him admifiion into holy or¬ 
ders. Some time afterwards, he was prefented to the 
living of St. Lambert, near the monadery of Port-Royal 
in the Fields; which he ferved for (ome years with great 
zeal and fidelity, much to the fatisfadlion as well as edi¬ 
fication of his parifhioners. At length he refigned that 
benefice, and removed into the province of Maine, to the 
lordfhip of M. le Vayer, the chapel of whofe family-man- 
fion ferved as a church to the parilh in which it was 
lituated : in this chapel M. Paris officiated fora confider- 
able time, to crowded audiences from the neighbouring 
country ; and diligently difcharged, at the fame time, the 
other funtSlions of a pari (It-pried. His lad removal was 
to Paris, where he died fub-vicar of the parochial church 
of St. Stephen of the Mount, in 1718, at a very advanced 
age. 
As he was a perfon of great indudry, and fond of re¬ 
tirement whenever his miniderial duties permitted if, he 
found time to compofe a number of works, which are laid 
to be equally (olid and edifying. The principal of them 
are, 1. Forms of Prayer, founded on a Paraphrafe of the 
P(alrns, fird publidied in 1690, 121x10. and afterwards 
frequently reprinted. 2. Prayers founded on a Para¬ 
phrafe of various Pafiages of the facred Scriptures, 121110. 
3. Martyrology ; or, general View of the Lives of the 
Saints, of their Virtues and principal Actions, 1691, 8vo. 
4. On the Benefit of the Sacraments of Penance and the 
Eucharid, according to the Sentiments of the Fathers, 
the Popes, and the Councils, 1673. 5. Familiar Inftruc- 
tions founded on the Gofpels for all the Sundays and 
Fedivals throughout the Year, 1699, 121110. and often 
reprinted. 6. The Gofpel explained, according to the 
Fathers, ecclefiadical Authors, and the Harmony of the 
four Evangelids, in 4 vols. Svo. the two fird publidied in 
1693, and the two lad in 1698. 7. Prayers and divine 
Afpirations, extradited from the Confefiions of St. Au- 
gultine, 1698. 8. Chriftian Regulations for the Conduct 
of Life, taken from the facred Scriptures and the holy 
Fathers, 1673,12010. 9. A French verfion, rather para- 
phrailic, of Thomas a Kempis’s four books On the Imi¬ 
tation of Jefus Chrid, 1705, 12010. to which is prefixed a 
concife and well-written view of the principal founda¬ 
tions of Chridian morality; and other pieces, for an ac¬ 
count of which, as well as of the author’s inedited ma- 
nufcripts, we refer to Morevi. 
PAR'IS (Francis), generally known by the name of 
the Abbt Paris, and rendered famous For a time by the 
Vol. XVIII. No. 1267. 
impodures and delufions which were praflifed at his tomb, 
was the elded fon of a counfellor to the parliament, and 
born at Paris in the year 1690. Had he chofen to fol¬ 
low the profeflion of the law, he would have fucceeded to 
his father’s appointment; but he preferred embracing the 
ecclefiadical life, and was admitted to deacon’s orders. 
For fome time he inftrufted the catechumens in the pa¬ 
rilh of St. Como, and had the conduct of the conferences 
attended by the young candidates for the clerical order. 
Ill the difputes occalioned by the bull Unigenitus, he 
attached himfelf to the Janfenid party; on which ac¬ 
count the cardinal de Noailles was defirous of prefenting 
him to the living of St. Como, but was prevented from 
that defign by unforefeen obdacles. Upon the death of 
his father, the abbe Paris renounced all claim to his patri¬ 
monial inheritance in favour of a younger brother, and 
devoted himfelf to a life of poverty. Having made trial 
of different folitudes, he at length fixed upon a houfe in 
the fuburb of St. Marcel, where he fpent his time in 
prayer, and the moll rigorous aids of penance, fupporting 
himfelf by making (lockings for the poor, with whom he 
divided the earnings of his labour. By this courfe of 
life he acquired a character for extraordinary (anility 
with the fuperditious populace, and pious oid women, 
whofe ignorance and credulity led them to afcribe Tuch 
mortifications to the perfection of virtue. He died, mod 
probably owing to the feverity of the difcipline which 
lie obferved, in 1727, when he was only tbirty-feven 
years of age. He was the author of A Commentary on 
the Gofpel of St. Matthew; An Explication of the nine 
fird Chapters of the Epiitle of St. Paul to the Romans ; 
An Explication of the Epidle to the Galatians; and An 
Analyfis of the Epidle to the Hebrews; which are very 
indifferent performances, and have had few readers. 
He was buried in the church-yard of St. Medard at 
Paris, where his brother ere&ed a monument to his me¬ 
mory, which the great reputation of his fandity drew 
many people to vilit, who paid their devotions to him as 
to a faint. This concourfe gradually increafing, he was 
foon confidered to be a fubjed proper to revive the credit 
of the Janfenid party, which was now depreffed by the 
Jefuits, w'ho were fupportcd by the authority of the 
court. Within five years, therefore, after his death, the 
confident report of miracles wrought at his tomb, was 
propagated not only in the city of Paris, but through the 
whole kingdom. In confequence of this, infinite crowds 
were perpetually preffing to the place, who were duped 
by the artifices of crafty impodors, and went away pro¬ 
claiming the benefits received from the faint, in the cure 
or relief of the mod defperate difeafes. In vain did men 
of fober fenfe endeavour to difabufe the multitude ; nor 
could all the power of the government give a check to 
the rapidity of this fuperdition, till, by inclofing the 
tomb within a wall, all accefs to it was effectually ob- 
drufled. This dep gave occafion to the following epi¬ 
gram, which was fixed upon the inclofure, in the ltyle of 
the royal edicts : 
De par le Hop. Defenfe a Dieu 
De faire miracles en ce lieu. 
But, though this expedient put an end to the external 
worlhip of the faint, it did not for fome time (hake the 
credit of his miracles, di(lin£t accounts of which were 
drawn up and difperfed among the people. One collec¬ 
tion of them was made by M. de Montgeron, as we have 
feen under his article, (vol. xv.) and prefented to the 
king -. and feveral other collections of them were pub- 
liflied, containing in the whole above a hundred miracles. 
The reality of thefe wonders was attefled by clergy of 
the fird dignity, who prefented a verbal procefs of each 
to the archbifhops, with a petition, (igned by above 
twenty of the beneficed clergy of Paris, defiring that they 
might be authentically' regidered, and (olemniy' publidied 
to the people as true miracles. There can be no doubt 
but many of the perfons concerned were impofed upon 
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