De L’Hermitage.
De L’Hermitage was a literary man in Saint Evremond’s circle, and said by Weiss to be “nearly related to Gourville,”[1] and a French Protestant Refugee. A Monsieur de l’Hermitage appears as an English secretary in Robethon’s correspondence. He was probably the same as St. Evremond’s friend, and as the pensioner on the Irish establishment of 1715, as to whom there is the following entry:— “Renatus de Saumier d’Hermitage, residing in England, £500.”
I have found several traces of this esteemed gentleman in the register of the London French Churches. He was an advocate in the Parliament of Paris. On March 21, 1686 (n.s.) he comes to view in Threadneedle Street Church as a witness to the baptism of Jean de Rouffignac, a son of a refugee pasteur. In 1702 (6th May) within Hungerford French Church he married Dlle. Francoise Gaultier. He seems to have been on intimate terms with the Aufrère family; and in 1715 he stood within the French Church of Les Grecs as godfather to George Réné Aufrère, who lived to do credit to his name. As he was known by his territorial designation De l’Hermitage, there has been a difficulty in spelling his patronymic, the chief contest being between the letters m and n. In 1686 he is called “De Saunière” — at his marriage, “Mr. René de Sommière de Lhermitage” — and on 23d November 1715, “Réné Saunier de L’hermitage, represented by his nephew, Henry Saunier.” In 1726 his signature as witness to the Duchesse De la Force’s Will, as translated, seems to be Renatus de Sauniers Lhermitage; in the French Will he must have written “Réné.”
The N seems victorious; the nephew is married in 1732 within the French Church, Castle Street, Leicester Square, to Magdelaine Portal, as “Mr. Henry De Saunières,” and the Historical Register (copying the Gazette) says, “20th May 1727, Henry De Sauniers, Esq., is appointed Gentleman Usher, Daily Waiter to His Majesty”. I conclude that the true patronymic was De Sauniers.
De La Heuze.
J. de la Heuze was employed by the first Earl of Warrington (better known by his former title, Lord Delamere) to be tutor to his son. And on the Earl’s death he printed his lordship’s papers, chiefly on the politics of the patriots of England, and dedicated the book to the son, who had succeeded his father as second Earl. The date is 1694, and in the dedicatory epistle he says, “You are become in a little time a great master of several languages and most parts of philosophy. . . . It is not enough for one in your lordship’s high station to be humanist, geographer, historian, and (I may add) a good man too; he must be also a statesman and a politician; but being neither myself, I must repeat that your lordship wants a better master. Amongst several of the most eminent men which I could recommend to your lordship, I found none so learned, nor indeed so fit to make deep impressions upon your mind, as your lordship’s noble father, whose writings belong to you, as well as his estate.”
In the above paragraph I copied this refugee’s name from his signature to his Preface to Lord Delamere’s Papers. I believe him to be the same person as “John De La Heuse,” naturalised at Westminster, 21st March, 4 James II. (See List xv.)
La Roche.
Michel de La Roche, editor of “Memoirs of Literature,” and “A Literary Journal,” has, by his volumes, filled up a gap in literary history. In volume iii. of the “Literary Journal,” page 290, he writes — “I was very young when I took refuge in England, so that most of the little learning I have got is of an English growth. I might compare myself to a foreign plant early removed into the English soil, where it would have improved more than it has done, under a benign influence. As I had imbibed no prejudices in France against the Church of England and Episcopacy, I immediately joined with that excellent church, and have been a hearty member of it ever since. I was not frighted in the least, neither by a surplice, nor by church music, nor by the litany, nor by anything else. I did not cry out, This is Popery. I cannot say that I have learned in England to be a moderate man in matters of
- ↑ Gourville was a French political agent and diplomatist, as to whom see his own “Memoires de Monsieur de Gourville, concernant les affaires ausquelles il a été employé par la Cour” (printed in 1724), and Grimblot’s “Letters of William III. and Louis XIV.,” vol. i., Appendix i. His names and title were Jean Herault, Sieur de Gourville (born 1625, died 1703). He was a native of La Rochefoucault.
