La Placette, Jean

La Placette, Jean, a distinguished French Protestant theologian and moralist, was born at Pontac, in Bearn, January 19, 1639, and studied theology at the Protestant Academy of Montauban. Appointed pastor of Orthez in 1660, he removed in the same capacity to Nai in 1664, and remained there until the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, refusing several pressing invitations from the important congregation of Charenton. At the revocation he obtained leave to go to Holland, from whence he afterwards went to Prussia. In 1686 he finally accepted the office of pastor to the French Church at Copenhagen, which he held until 1711. He then resigned and retired to Utrecht, where he died April 25, 1718. His principal works are, Traite des Bonnes (uvres en general (Amst. 1709, 12mo): — Traite de la Restitution, etc. (Amst. 1696, 12mo): — La mort des justes, ou la sma niere de bien mourir (La Haye, 1729,12mo): — Traite de l'Aumone (Amsterd. 1699, 12mo): — Divers traites sur les matieres de Conscience (Amst. 1697, 12mo): — The Death of the Righteous, etc., translated by Thomas Fenton, M.A. (Lond. 1725, 2 volumes, 12mo): — Traite de la foi divine (Roter. 1716, 3 volumes, 12mo): — La communion devote, ou la maniere de participer saintement et utilement a l'Eucharistie (Amsterd. 6th edit. 1706, 12mo): — La morale Chretienne abregee, etc. (Amst. 2d ed. 1701, 12mo): — Essais de morale (Amst. 1716, 4 volumes, 12mo): —

Nouveau essais de morale (La Haye, 1715 2 volumes, 12mo): — The incurable Scepticism of the Church of Rome (Gibson's Preservative, 16:176); etc. See Vie de La Placette, by Carrier de Sto Philippe, in Avis sur la maniere de precher; Niceron, Memoires, volume 2; Europe Savante, volume 18; Nouvelles Litteraires, July 1718, Haag, La France Protestante; Qunerard, La France Litteraire; Sayons, Hist. de la litter. Frannaise a l'etranger, 2:211-220; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, 29:549; Darling, Cyclopaedia Bibliographica, 2:1767. (J.N.P.)