BAILLET

baillet, adrien (1649-1706), french scholar and critic, was born on the 13th of june 1649, at the village of neuville near beauvais, in picardy. his parents could only afford to send him to a small school in the village, but he picked up some latin from the friars of a neighbouring convent, who brought him under the notice of the bishop of beauvais. by his kindness baillet received a thorough education at the theological seminary, and was afterwards appointed to a post as teacher in the college of beauvais. in 1676 he was ordained priest and was presented to a small vicarage. he accepted in 1680 the appointment of librarian to m. de lamoignon, advocate-general to the _parlement_ of paris, of whose library he made a _catalogue raisonne_ (35 vols.), all written with his own hand. the remainder of his life was spent in incessant, unremitting labour; so keen was his devotion to study that he allowed himself only five hours a day for rest. he died on the 21st of january 1706. of his numerous works the following are the most conspicuous: (1) _histoire de hollande depuis la treve de 1609 jusqu'a 1690_ (4 vols. 1693), a continuation of grotius, and published under the name of la neuville, (2) _les vies des saints ..._ (4 vols. 1701), (3) _des satires personelles, traite historique et critique de celles qui portent le titre d' anti_ (2 vols. 1689), (4) _vie de descartes_ (2 vols. 1691), (5) _auteurs deguises sous des noms etrangers, empruntes, &c._ (1690), (6) _jugemens des savans sur les principaux ouvrages des auteurs_ (9 vols. 1685-1686). the last is the most celebrated and useful of all his works. at the time of his death he was engaged on a _dictionnaire universelle ecclesiastique_. the praise bestowed on the jansenists in the _jugemens des savans_ brought down on baillet the hatred of the jesuits, and his _vie des saints_, in which he brought his critical mind to bear on the question of miracles, caused some scandal. his _vie de descartes_ is a mine of information on the philosopher and his work, derived from numerous unimpeachable authorities. see the edition by m. de la monnoye of the _jugemens des savans_ (amsterdam, 4 vols. 1725), which contains the _anti-baillet_ of gilles menage and an _abrege de la vie de mr baillet_.