Protestant congregation in Normandy. Not long after, he had the honour of being made chaplain to the viscount de Turenne, afterwards marshal of France, whose lady was one
, a learned divine of the seventeenth century, was born in the Isle of Jersey, in the reign
of king James I. and probably educated in grammar-learning in that place. From thence he went and studied logic
and philosophy in the Protestant university of Saumur,
where he took the degree of master of arts, on September
12, 1634. Coming to Oxford, he was, October 12, 1638,
incorporated M. A. as he stood at Saumur. About this
time king Charles I. having through archbishop Laud’s
persuasion founded three fellowships in the colleges of
Pembroke, Exeter, and Jesus, for the islands of Jersey
and Guernsey, alternately, Mr. Brevint was nominated
the first fellow at Jesus-college upon this foundation, in
1638. Here he continued till he was ejected from his fellowship by the parliament- visitors, for refusing to take the
solemn league and covenant, and withdrew to his native
country, but upon the reduction of that place by the parliament’s forces, he fled into France, and became minister
of a Protestant congregation in Normandy. Not long
after, he had the honour of being made chaplain to the
viscount de Turenne, afterwards marshal of France, whose
lady was one of the most pious women of her time. Whilst
he was in that station, he was one of the persons “employed about the great design then in hand, of reconciling
the Protestant and Popish religions; which gave him an access into, and made him acquainted with every corner of that
church,
” as he says himself. At the restoration of king
Charles II. he returned to England, and was presented by
that prince (wjio had known him abroad) to the tenth prebend in the church of Durham, vacant by the promotion of
Dr. J. Cosin to that see, and was installed March 15, 1660-61.
By bishop Cosiu, who had been his fellow-sufferer, he was
also collated to a living in the diocese of Durham. On the
27th of February, 1661-62, he took his degree of D. D. at
Oxford. Having during his exile seen Popery in its native
deformity, and observed all the mean and dishonest arts
that are used to support it, he in 1672 published “Missale Romanum; or, the depth and mystery of the Roman
Mass laid open and explained, for the use of both reformed
and unreformed Christians,
” and the next year, “The
Christian Sacramenc and Sacrifice, by way of discourse,
meditation, and prayer, upon the nature, parts, and blessings of the holy communipn,
” reprinted on the recommendation of Dr. Waterland, in 1739. And in 1674,
“Saul and Samuel at Endor, or the new waies of salvation
and service, which usually tempt men to Rome, and detain them there, truly represented and refuted,
” reprinted
A brief account of R. F.
his Missale Vindicaturo, or vindication of the Roman mass,
”
being an answer to “The depth and mystery of the Roman
Mass,
” above-mentioned. The learning and other eminent
qualifications of the author having recommended him to the
esteem of the world, and to the favour of his sovereign, he
was promoted to the deanery of Lincoln, and was installed
January 3, 1681-82, and had the prebend of WeltonPayns-hall annexed thereto, January 7th following. He
died May 5, 1695, and was buried in the cathedral church
of Lincoln, behind the high altar; where, on a gravestone, is an inscription to his memory. He was a person
of extensive reading, especially in the controversy between
the Protestants and Papists; zealous for the church of
England; and for his life and learning, truly praise-worthy.
Besides the above works, he published in Latin: 1. “Ecclesiae primitives Sacramentum & Sacrificium, a pontificiis
corruptelis, & exinde natis controversiis liberum,
” written at the desire of the princesses of Turenne and Bouillon.
2. “Eucharistiae Christianse prsesentia realis, & pontificia
ficta, luculentissimis non testimoniis modo, sed etiam fundamentis, quibus fere tota S. S. Patrum Theologia nititur,
hsec explosa, ilia suffulta & asserta.
” 3. “Pro Serenissima Principe Weimariensi ad Theses Jenenses accurata
Responsio.
” 4. “Ducentue plus minus Praelectiones in
Matthaei xxv capita, et aliorum Evangelistarum locos
passim parallelos.
” He also translated into Frenck
“The judgment of the university of Oxford concerning
the solemn League and Covenant.
”
, - viscount de Turenne, a celebrated French general, was born in September
, -viscount de Turenne, a celebrated French general, was born in September 1611, at
Sedan, and was the second son of Henry de la Tour,
duke de Bouillon, descended from one of the most illustrious French families. He very early discovered uncommon
talents for the military art, and made his first campaign in
Holland under Maurice, and Frederic Henry of Nassau,
his uncles on the mother’s side. He went socm after into
Lorrain with his regiment in 1634, and having contributed
to the taking of la Mothe, was appointed major-general,
though at that time very young. In 1636 he took Saverne,
and the year following, the castles of Hirson and Sorle,
and it was on this occasion, that he acted like Scipio, with
respect to a very beautiful woman, whom he sent back to
her husband. He was made marechal of France, in 1644,
and had the misfortune to be defeated at the battle of Mariendal, 1645; but gained that of Nortlingen, three months
after, restored the elector of Treves to his dominions, and
the following year effected,. that famous junction of the
French with the Swedish army commanded by general
Wrangel, which compelled the duke of Bavaria to sue for
peace. This duke having broken the treaty he made with
France, the viscount de Turenue defeated him at Zumarshausen, and drove him entirely from his dominions in
1643. During the civil wars he joined the princes, and
was defeated at the battle of Rhetel, in 1650; but his majesty, being soon reconciled to him, gave him the command of his army in 1652. His conduct was afterwards
much admired at the battles of Jergeau, Gien, and the
Fauxbourg St. Antoine, and in his retreat before the army
of the princes at Villeneuve-Sainte-George. In 1654 he
forced the Spaniards to raise the siege of Arras, and in
1655, took Condé, Saint Guillain, and several other places;
won the famous battle of the Downs, and took Dunkirk and
Oudenarde, with almost all the rest of Flanders; which
obliged Spain to conclude the peace of the Pyrenees
in 1660. These important services deservedly acquired
him the office of marechal-general of the royal camps
and armies. A fresh war breaking out with Spain, 1667,
Turenne commanded under the king’s orders in Flanders,
where he took so many places that the Spaniards were
forced to propose peace the following year. In the same
year he abjured the Protestant religion, probably from ambitious motives. In 1672 he commanded the French troops
during the war against Holland, took forty towns in 22
days, drove the elector of Brandenburg quite to Berlin,
won the battles of Sintsheim, Lademburg, Ensheim, MuU
hausen and Turkeim, and compelled the Imperial army,
consisting of 70,000 men, to re-pass the Rhine. This
campaign acquired the viscount de Turenne immortal
honour. He crossed the Rhine to attack general Montecuculli, and pursued him to Saspach, near the town of
Acheren; but having ascended an eminence to observe the
enemy’s camp, he was killed by a cannon-ball, July 27,
1675, at the age of sixty-four. All France lamented the
loss of this great man, whose generosity and modesty,
joined to his military virtues, and the noblest qualities of
the hero, had made him admired throughout Europe. The
king ordered a solemn service to be performed for him in
the cathedral church at Paris, as for the first prince of the
blood, and that his remains should be interred in the abbey
of St. Denys, the burying-place of the royal personages of
France, where the cardinal, his nephew, raised a superb
mausoleum to his memory. He married Anne de Nompar
de Caumont, daughter of the duke and marechal de la
Force, but had no children by her. His life has been
written by the abbe Raguenet, and M. de Ramsay. The
viscount de Turenne, one of his ancestors, wrote a valuable treatise on “The Military Art.
”