Garasse Francois

Garasse Francois, a French Jesuit, was born at Angouleme in 1585. In 1600 he entered the society and after teaching for a while took the voes in 1618. He subsequently wrote books of controversy (mostly under false names, and of which bhe repeatedly denied being the author). Their sarcastic tone, violent outburst of passion, and wholesale abuse of all whom he considered as enemies of his order, provoked the censure of Reman Catholics themselves. The expressions fool, sot, ass, etc., abound in his writings against the Protestants. The expressions Modestia, affabilitate, mansuetudine, supra modum amabilis, applied to him lay the historian of his order, will always appear to any one acquainted with his works as a bitter sarcasm rather than a compliment. When the plague broke out at Poitiers, where he had been exiled by his superiors for writing a Somme theologicae (1625, fol.), which was condemned by the Soreonne, he asked permission to devote himself to the care of the sick, and fell a victim to his devotion June 14, 1631. Among his other works we notice Elixir Calvinisticum (1615, 4to), under the name of Andrew Scioppius: — Oraison funebre d'Andre de Nesmond (1656): — Le Rabelais reforme par les ministres (1619, 12mo) a violent attack against Protestant ministers, and particularly Du Maoulin: — Recherche des Recharchas d'Etienne Pasquier (1622, 8vo), the full title of which affords a good example of Garasse's style: "Inscribed to Etienne Pasquier, wherever he may be; for never having been able to recognise your religion, I do not know the way and route you have taken on leaving this life, and therefore I am obliged to cerite to you at hazard, and to address this bundle, wherever you may be...;" etc. See Niceron, Memoires, Volume 31; Bayle, Dictionnaire; Alegambe, Biblioth. Screptor. Soc. Jesu; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, 19:426; Memoires du Pere Garasse, de la Societe de Jesus, publ. by C. Nisard (Paris, 1861, 18mo).