Phelipeaux, Jean

Phelipeaux, Jean a French theologian, was born at Angiers in the 17th century. He studied in Paris, and there took his degrees in theology even to the doctorship. Bossuet, having heard him dispute in the Sorbonne. formed so favorable an opinion of him that he placed him in the position of preceptor to his nephew, the abbe Bossuet, the future bishop of Troyes. Both were in Rome in 1697, when the affair of Quietism was agitated; they followed it with singular ardor, and with a kind of passion the expression of which Bossuet was more than once obliged to moderate. Phelipeaux wrote, June 24, 1698, "No better and more persuasive piece of news can be sent us than that of the disgrace of the relatives and friends of M. de Cambray." His pupil showed no less animosity. "He is a wild beast," said he, November 25, in speaking of Fenelon — "he is a wild beast, that must be pursued until he is overthrown and unable to do any. harm." Phelipeaux, entirely occupied with this affair, wrote numerous memoirs, and besieged the court of Rome with solicitations, at the same time carrying on a secret correspondence with M. de Noailles, archbishop of Paris. On his return to France (1699) he became canon, official, and grand-vicar of Meaux. He died at Meaux July 3, 1708. After his death was published the Relation de l'origine du progres et de la condemnation du Quietisme repandu en France, avec plusieurs anecdotes curieuses (s. 1. 1732-1733, 2 parts, 12mo). All that is said in it against the manners of Madame Guyon is corroborated by no proof, and was refuted in 1733 by the abbe of La Bletterie. As for Fenelon, one cannot doubt that the design of the author was to injure his reputation; "his work," says De Bausset, "reveals the most marked partiality and the most odious rage." Besides. it was suppressed by a decree of the council. See Moreri, Grand Dict. Hist.; De Bausset, Hist. de Fenelon; Barbier, Dict. des Anonymes, 2d edit., No. 16,089. — Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, 39:821.