210 
their firft publications ; they are eafily 
known by ruaning over the colleStion ; 
or, if we with to find the refult at full 
leneth, by confulting the ‘* Hiftorical 
Library” of Meufel, tom. 1, part 1., 
p- 306; or Bougine’s ‘‘ Manual of Hil- 
torical Literature,’? tom. ii., p. 641.- I 
confine myfelf here to the date of the 
epoch when the fociety of which the Bol- 
landifts were members was fuppreffed. 
Three Jefuits were then engaged in col- 
le&ting the Aéts of the Saints ; namely, 
the Fathers Bie, Bue, and Hubens. Fa- 
ther Gefquiere, who at firft concurred in 
this work, drew up a particular collec- 
tion, intitled ‘* Belgic Collections ;°° and 
extracts, or heads of fubjeéts, contained 
in a compilation intitled “* The Mafeum 
of Bellarmine.”’ Thefe four religious in- 
habited the houfe of the Jefuits at Ant- 
werp. Befides the ufe ot the library of 
the convent, the Bollandifts had a I:brary ° 
to themfelves, the moft valuable part of 
which was an account of the faints for 
every day of the month, with reterences 
to books of the Lives already printed, and 
to maoufcripts, either originals or copies, 
of lives not printed. They often refer in 
their compilation to this particular voilec- 
tion. 
The greateft part of the copies which 
the Bollandifts celleétcd together, were 
the fruit of a journey which Fathers Pa- 
pebroch and Henfchen made to Rome in 
2660, where they ftaid till 1662. Pape- 
brech and his coadjuter carried from Rome 
copies of feven hundred lives of iaints in- 
Greek and Latin. Citizen La Serna has 
preferved in his library a copy, taken by 
himfelf from the originai, of the journey 
of Pap-brech to Rome, and of the corre- 
fpondence of Hen{chen with his fraternity. 
The narrative and the corref{pondence are 
in Latin. 
After the fuppreffion of the Jefuits, the 
commiffaries charged with fixing the fea's, 
put them on the library of the Bolianaitts 
as well as on that of the Jefuits ar Ant- 
werp. But Moafieur Gerald, theo fe- 
cretary to the academy at Bruffeis, who 
is yet alive, and who fupplied part cf the 
documents of which I make ule, being 
entruited with the auGiion and fale of the 
books, feparated tho'e of the Bol.andiits, 
and fent them to Bruffz.s. 
The Academy of Biufels propofed to 
continue the Adis of the Saints under its 
own name, and with this view to admit 
four J<fuits into the numiber of its mem- 
bers. Fatzer Gefquiere alone complied 
with thele arrangements. The other Je- 
fuits, by the interpofition of the Bifhop of 
& 
Profent State of Bruffels. 
- for the efte-blifhment of the Jefuits. 
[April t, 
Neuftadt, obtained from the Auftrian Go- 
vernment an affurance that they might 
continue their'collection. Indeed the Em- 
prefs Maria-Therefa approved, by a de- 
cree of the 19th of June, 1778,-a plan 
which fiad been laid before her for the con- 
tinuation of the works both of the Bol- 
landifts and of Gefquiere. The abbey 
of Caudenberg at Bruffcls was fixed on 
The 
library of the Boilandi*s was removed 
thither; a friar of the abbey was aflocist- 
ed with them; and Father Hubens dying, 
his place was filed up by Father Berthod, 
a BenediGtine, who died in 1789. 
The abbey of Caudenberg being fup- 
prefled, the Government granted to the 
Bollandifts apartments in the ancient col. 
lege of the Jefuirs at Biuffels, There 
they placed their library, and went to re- 
fide. There, in 1786, they publifhed 
the s1ft volume of their coilection, to the 
5th tom. of the month of OXober; print- 
ed at the royal Imperial prefs, with the 
Royal Czefarean types. They had then 
two aflociates, and they flattered them- 
felves that the Emperor would continue ta. 
defray the expences of their labours. Ne- 
verthelefs, in 1788, the eftablifhment of 
the Bollandifts was fuppreffed ; and it was 
propofed to fell all the property of the 
printed books. But by a vote of the 6th 
December, 1788, the ecclefiaftical com- 
miffion put off the fale, till they fhould 
know the refuit of a. negotiation which, 
Father de Bie had begun with the Abjdot 
of St. Blaife to efiablifh in his abbey the 
authors, the property of the copies, and 
the materials defigned for its continuation. 
Inthe mean while, the Abbot of Ton- 
gerlco offered to Government to purchafe 
the library and the property of the Bol- 
landif's, and to continue the work by the 
jefuits, who would juia themielves to the 
friars of ‘Tongerloo, Thele propofals 
were accepted. Faihers de Bie, de Bue, 
and Getguiere, removed to Tongerloo ; 
but the friars of Candenberg, with whom 
they had been affociated, retufed to follow 
them. 
When. the 
Flanders, the 
ted the abbey. 
French troops entered into 
friars of Tongerloo quit- 
Fathers de Bie and Gef- 
quiere retired into Germiny, where they 
dicd. Father de Bue withdrew to the 
towa of Hail, in the province of Hai- 
nault, bis native ccuatry: he is alive, but 
very old. The friar of ‘Tongerloo whe 
had been affociated with them was Father 
Bey.co. Another friar, who had joined 
the Bellandiisin 1780, is Faher Fonfon, 
who remains at Bruficls. 
Amidit 
eS = 
SS 
