Dubois, Jean (2)

(Joannes a Bosco, otherwise Olivarius), a French preacher, was born about the middle of the 16th century. After living for some time as a Celestine monk, he obtained permission of the pope to become a soldier, and in that capacity acquitted himself so well as to, obtain the favor of king Henry III, who styled him "the emperor of monks." When peace was restored, he quitted the profession of arms and returned to his cloister. He was a favorite preacher, and was selected by Henry IV to be one of his ordinary chaplains; and so highly esteemed by cardinal Seraphin Olivier that he adopted him, gave him his natne and arms, and obtained for him the Cistercian abbey of Beau. lieu, in Argonne. He was a strenuous opponent of the Jesuits, and on June 6, 1610 (Trinity Sunday), declaimed against them, and especially against the books of Mariana and Becan, in the Church of St. Eustachius. For this, when he went to Rome, as agent extraordinary for Louis XIII, he was, November 11, 1611, thrown into prison, where he died, after fifteen years' confinement, August 28, 1626. He wrote, among other works, Floriacensis Bibliotheca Benedictina, etc. (Lyons, 1605, 8vo). See Landon, Eccles. Dict. s.v.; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Geneirule, s.v.