4. Michael Malard was a French proselyte from the Romish Church who came to London for liberty of conscience. He was appointed French tutor to the three royal princesses, Anne, Amelia Sophia Eleonora, and Elizabeth Carolina. Himself and the other proselytes imported much disputation and irritation among the refugees. Their deliverance from spiritual despotism seems to have surprised them into a boisterous excitability and a petulant impatience as to doctrinal standards. Malard’s language was peculiarly unbrotherly and abusive, especially as to the royal bounty, in which he thought that the Huguenots proper shared too largely, and as to which he clamoured that a larger share must be allotted to the proselytes.[1] The share of the latter was afterwards defined by a royal grant. He did not, however, lapse into any unsoundness in the faith, as we may judge from his book, “The French and Protestant Companion,” published in 1719, and dedicated to the King, in which Protestantism is expounded in the English column of each page, and French is taught by a translation of the exposition in the second column. He, however, twice introduces the miserable royal bounty annuities, and recommends, in French and English, that the proselytes’ proportion should be distributed by a committee, consisting of the Marquis de Montandre, the Marquis du Quesne, Mr. Rival, a French minister, Mr. Justice Pealing, Sir John Philipps, Dr. Wilcocks, and an ecclesiastic proselyte to be chosen every third year by casting lots (p. 236).
5. Francis de la Pillonnière was in his youth a Jesuit, but dismissed for his inquisitive studiousness and want of blind submission. His father, who lived at Morlaix, in Brittany, and who was opposed to the Jesuit order, welcomed him home, but designed him for priest’s orders in the Romish Church. Young Francis, however, pursued his inquiries, and avowed a theoretical Protestantism. His father sent him to a friend’s house, intending that he should ultimately go to Paris, and be placed under orthodox Romish tutelage. Francis, instead of visiting his father’s friend, removed secretly to Holland, where he resided for a time as a Protestant. Thereafter he went to England, and pursued a quiet course, teaching the French language in academies and private houses, but preparing for the ministry of the Church of England. He sympathised with the more or less decided opponents of clerical subscription to creeds and standards; and in this way he got into a singular squabble. The Pasteurs Graverol and Gideon Delamotte had written well and strongly on the use and necessity of Confessions of Faith; on the other hand, Pasteur Durette, of Crispin Street French Church (sometime a military chaplain), wrote on the abuse of Confessions of Faith, and his book was printed in the French language. La Pillonnière translated it into English, and printed it in 1718. In the meantime the Bishop of London had been frequently conversing with Mr. Durette; the result was that the latter was disposed to withdraw his book, and wrote to La Pillonnière that his mind was not made up on the controversy. La Pillonnière, who had Durette’s consent to translate the book, was irritated, and published the translation, with a long gossipping appendix as to Durette and the London pasteurs generally. La Pillonnière obtained an accidental celebrity through being employed to teach French to the family of Hoadley, Bishop of Bangor. The Bishop’s opponents assumed (which was a mistake) that he admitted the French master to personal friendship; and they endeavoured to account for his lordship’s writings (which seemed to bring the Church of England into danger) by proclaiming that he had a Jesuit in his house. This, though a mere controversial cry, was seriously urged; and it was asserted and asseverated that La Pillonnière was a Jesuit emissary and no Protestant. Into his history it is needless to go further. It is sufficient to say that all unprejudiced men were satisfied with the sincerity of Francis de la Pellonnière’s profession of Protestant faith, and with the excellence of his moral character. [One of his certificates was from Vincent Perronet of Queen’s College, Oxford, 29th October 1717.]
6. Michael le Vassor was born at Orleans about 1648, and died in Northamptonshire as a parish clergyman[1] in 1718. He had been a Roman Catholic, and a member of the congregation of the Oratory. In 1695 he embraced Protestantism, and escaped, viâ Holland, to England. He was patronised by the Earl of Portland and by Bishop Burnet; the bishop obtained a pension for him from William III. During his sojourn in the Oratory he had published three volumes of Paraphrases on books of the New Testament (Matthew, John, Romans, Galatians, and James). During his refugee life he published a temperate treatise on the study of religious
- ↑ Nouvelles litteraires de La Haye, tome viii.
