Nouet, Jacques

Nouet, Jacques, a French Jesuit, was born at Mans in 1605. He entered the order about 1623. After completing his studies he devoted himself successively to teaching and to preaching, in which he was at first very successful. But having ventured to attack in the pulpit the work of Antoine Arnauld, La frequente communion, he was at first silenced by a sharp answer of Arnauld, and afterwards obliged to apologize publicly before an assembly of bishops. Nouet now renounced preaching, and became successively rector of the colleges of Alenon and Arras. He died at Paris in 1680. He wrote, Remerciments du consistoire de R. aux theologiens d'A lencon, disciples de St. Augstin, against abbot Lensoir: — La presence de Jesus- Christ dans le trissaint sacrement, pour servsir de reponse au ministre qui a ecrit contre la perpetuite de la foi (2d ed. Paris, 1667, 18mo). It is claimed that Turenne was converted to the Romish Church by reading this work. Nouet's reputation, however, rests chiefly on his ascetic works, such as Traite de. la devotion a l'ange gardien (Paris, 1661, 12mo; an Italian translation of it was published at Bologna): — and the most important of them all, L'Homime d'raison, comprising a number of works published at various times, and entitled L'Homme d'Oraison, sa conduite dans la voie de Dieu, contenant toute l'economie de la meditation, de l'oraison

effective et de la contemplation (Paris, 1674, 2 vols. 8vo): — L'Iomme d'Oraison, ses meditations et entretiens pour tous les jours de l'annee, fragments of which were published by Miuguet in 1677, 1678, and 1683 (complete by Herissant, 1765,10 vols. 8vo; Paris, 1780; Lyons, 1830 and 1845, 12mo): — L'Homme d'Oraison, ses lectures spirituelles pendant tout le coursde l'annee (Paris, 1679, 4to): — L'Homme d'Oraison, ses retraites (1765, 1780, 1830, 1845, 6 vols.). He wrote also, Meditations et entretiens sur le bon usage des indulgences et sur les prieparations necessaires pour gagner le jubile (Paris, 1677 and 1701, 4to): — Retraite pour se preparer. a la mort (ibid. 1679, 8vo): — l'editations spirituelles (ibid. 1839,-12mo): — Solitude de huit jours du reverend pere Jacques Nouet, in MS. at the Imperial Library at Paris, under the No. 3920. Dr. Pusey translated one of Nouet's works under the title of Life of Jesus Christ in Glory (Lond. 1847, small 8vo). See Advertissement sur queques sermons preches a Paris, in Arnautld, (Euvres, vol. xxvii; N. Desportes, Bibl. du Maine; B. Haureau, Hist. litteraire du Maine, 4:297.