COURAYER

courayer, pierre francois le (1681-1776), french roman catholic theological writer, was born at rouen on the 17th of november 1681. while canon regular and librarian of the abbey of st genevieve at paris, he conducted a correspondence with archbishop wake on the subject of episcopal succession in england, which supplied him with material for his work, _dissertation sur la validite des ordinations des anglais et sur la succession des eveques de l'eglise anglicane, avec les preuves justificatives des faits avances_ (brussels, 1723; eng. trans. by d. williams, london, 1725; reprinted oxford, 1844, with memoir of the author), an attempt to prove that there has been no break in the line of ordination from the apostles to the english clergy. his opinions exposed him to a prosecution, and with the help of bishop atterbury, then in exile in paris, he took refuge in england, where he was presented by the university of oxford with a doctor's degree. in 1736 he published a french translation of paolo sarpi's _history of the council of trent_, and dedicated it to queen caroline, from whom he received a pension of l200 a year. besides this he translated sleidan's _history of the reformation_, and wrote several theological works. he died in london on the 17th of october 1776, and was buried in the cloisters of westminster abbey. in his will, dated two years before his death, he declared himself still a member of the roman catholic church, although dissenting from many of its opinions.