Mauduit, Michel

Mauduit, Michel a learned French theologian, was born at Vire, Normandy, in 1644. While still young he entered the brotherhood of the Oratorians, where for a long time he studied the classics; then he devoted himself to preaching, and instructing the country people. The study of the Bible occupied the remainder of his life. He possessed a great variety of knowledge, understood Greek well, also Hebrew and Latin, and obtained many prizes in the academical competitions of Rouen and Caen. He died at Paris January 19, 1709. Of Mauduit's works we have Traite de religion contre les Athees, les Deistes et les nouveaux Pyrrhoniens (Par. 1677, 12mo); the 2d edition (1698) has been greatly enlarged: — Melanges de diverses poesies; divises en IV livres (Lyons; the edition of 1723, 12mo, is preferable on account of the additions to it). We find in this a well-written preface on the good use of poetry: — Dissertation sur le sujet de la goutte, avec le moyen de l'en garantir (Paris, 1687, 1689, 12mo): — Analyse des Epitres de Saint Paul et des Epitres canoniques, avec des dissertationes sur les endroits dificiles (Paris, 1691, 2 vols. 12mo; reprinted in 1702): — Analyse de l'Evangile selon l'ordre historique de la concorde (Paris, 1694, 3 vols. 12mo, et al.). This work, to which the author devoted nearly all his life, has had many editions (later editions, Malines, 1821, 7 vols. 12mo; Paris, 1843-44, 4 vols. 8vo): — Analyse des Actes des Apotres (Paris, 1697, 2 vols. 12mo): — Meditations pour une retraite ecclesiastique de dix jours (Lyons, 1723, 12mo). Mausduit also left, in MS., Analyse de l'Apocalypse and Traduction complete du Nouveau Testament. See Mercure de France, May, 1709; Moreri, Dict. Hist. s.v. — Hoefer, Nouvelle Biogr. Generale, s.v.