certificate; but two ministers appeared, and impugned his doctrine as being tainted with the errors of the sect of the Remonstrants. The Consistory of Rotterdam having heard both sides, referred the case to the Synod of Briel (or La Brille). Durand was advised to print the sermons in question for the use of members of Synod; but before the printer was ready, the Synod met, viz., on the 7th May and following days. 1711. His accusers sent their complaints in writing, and Durand produced his sermons in manuscript, which he attested as being the originals without alteration. Le Synode des Eglises Wallonnes des Provinces Unies honourably acquitted him, as appears by Article XL. of its Acts, a copy of which was granted to him as the best certificate. With this extract he returned to Amsterdam (for in the end of 1710 he had settled there). The printer, having executed his order, now advised him to publish more of his sermons, that a respectable volume might be produced. When the title-page, as the last page in order of execution, came to be printed, he was a Minister at London. This is the reason why I have affixed the date of 1711 to his removal to England, while the Messieurs Haag make it 1714. The Sermons are able and interesting, although the author protests that considering himself too young to come forward as a theological author, he would not have gone into print except for the reason stated.
I wish to allude to his little book, dated London, 10th August 1714, and published at Rotterdam in 1717, “La Vie et les sentimens de Lucilio Vanini.” An English translation was published with this title-page, “The Life of Lucilio (alias Julius Caesar) Vanini, burnt for atheism at Thoulouse, being the sum of the Atheistical Doctrine taken from Plato, Aristotle, Averroes, Cardanus, and Pomponatius’s Philosophy — with a confutation of the same, and Mr Bayle’s arguments in behalf of Vanini compleatly answered. Translated from the French into English. London, printed for W. Meadows at the Angel in Cornhill. 1730.” 110 pp., 8vo. I allude to it because of the following explanation, which may serve as a vindication of other refugees as well as himself for being sometimes in doubtful company:—
“You know, Sir, the great esteem I have always had for Mr Bayle’s ingenuity, and with what vehemence I have wished he would turn it to a more uniform use and more worthy of him. I have often been with him, but we never agreed in any point, hut disputed about everything. I told him my thoughts about several parts of his works, as I would now do were he living. So that I flatter myself no one will reflect on me, since I take only the same liberty now, as I would have done during his life.”
A letter (written in his sixtieth year) is preserved, addressed to M. Francois Durand, Docteur en Droit, advocate at Leyden, supposed to be a relative. The letter is dated London, January 1740, and in it Pasteur David Durand tells the doctor that he cannot assist his son to obtain a pastoral charge in England. He speaks of the gradual falling off of the refugee congregations, and the difficulty of keeping them up. (This letter is described in the Guernsey Magazine for 1873.)
The French refugees took an interest in improving the style of the French translations of the Bible. The history of the French language differs from the English in this respect, that old French is capable of improvement in beauty and simplicity, while the English of our authorised version is unapproachable in these attributes, and so-called improvement introduces much scientific jargon and childish slang. In 1712 the Pasteur David Martin of Utrecht published “La Sainte Bible . . . . revue sur les originaux et retouchée dans le langage.” Mr Durand followed Mr Martin in a similar revision, though of the New Testament only. The first edition of which I am informed has no date on its title-page, but was probably published in 1720 (according to the British Museum catalogue); its title was “Le Nouveau Testament de Notre Seigneur Jesus Christ. Nouvclle Edition exactement revue sur le texte de M. Martin. Par D. Durand, Min. de la Savoye. A Londres, chez J. Nourse et P. Vaillant.” In his old age he endeavoured to interest a wider circle of readers by printing the following edition, “Le Nouveau Testament . . . . retouché sur le langage en faveur des jeunes gens avec une table des matières. Par D. Durand, Min. de la Savoye et Membre de la S.R. A Londres, chez J. Watts dans Wild-Court proche de Lincoln’s Inn Fielde et B. Dod a l’ensigne de la Bible et de la clef dans Ave-Mary-Lane près de la Halle des Stationers. 1750.” It seems to have become a school-book, and I have before me an edition published in 1772, “chez J. Nourse, P. Vaillant, and E. Johnson.”
