Richard, Charles Louis

Richard, Charles Louis, a French ecclesiastic, was born at Blainville sur l'Eau, Lorraine, in April, 1711. At the age of sixteen he entered the Dominican convent at Blainville, and took the vows of that order at Nancy. He taught theology at Paris, was made doctor, and in various ways showed himself the champion of his sect. In 1778 he was obliged to retire to Flanders in consequence of the part he had taken in a controversy concerning the marriage of a converted Jew. When the Revolution occurred, he went into Belgium, and at the time of the second French invasion, in 1794, was living at Mons. On account of his great age he was unable to flee, and, though he remained some time in concealment, was at last discovered, brought before a military commission, and sentenced to be shot. The sentence was executed on Aug. 16,1794. His crime was that of publishing, before the entrance of the French, a treatise entitled Parallele des Juifs qui ont Crucifie Jesus-Christ avec les Francais qui ont Execute leur Roi (Mons, 1794, 8vo); and not, as Barbier pretends, one entitled Des Droits de la Maison d'Autriche sur la Belgique (ibid. 1794, 8vo). The works of father Richard are numerous; among them are, Dissertation sur la Possession des Corps et l'Infestation des Maisons par les Demons (1746, 8vo): — Bibliotheque Sacroe, etc. (Paris, 1760, 5 vols. fol.); in this work he was assisted by several other Dominicans; the supplement bears his name and that of Giraud; a new edition, with additions and corrections, appeared early in the present century (ibid. 1821-27, 29 vols. 8vo): — Examen du Libelle intitule Histoire de l'Etablissement des Moines Mendiants (Avignon, 1767, 12mo): — Analyse des Conciles Generaux et Particuliers (Paris, 1772-77, 5 vols. 4to): — La Nature en Contraste avec la Religion et la Raison (ibid. 1773, 8vo): Annales de la Charite et de la Bienfaisance Chretienne (ibid. 1785, 2 vols. 12mo): — Voltaire de Retour des Ombres, etc. (Brussels and Paris, 1776, 12mo): — Sermons (Paris, 1789, 4 vols. 12mo). He also wrote many treatises and brochures, all relative to the civil oath required of the priests and the Revolution. See Guillon, Les Martyrs de la Foi; Carron, Les Confesseurs de la Foi, vol. 4; Ami de la Religion, 1822, vol. 30; Notice in vol. 1 of the new edition of the Bibliotheque Sacroe.