Page:Protestant Exiles from France Agnew vol 2.djvu/342

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328
french protestant exiles.

suject que jamais de le prier que son regne vienne et que sa volonté soit fete. Dans ce triste estat ou je suis presentemant reduit je nay pourtant rien plus a cceur que de vous pouuoir continuer mes services et de pouuoir fere quelque chose pour votre soulagement. Te dessendré pour cest effet ceste foire abord, sil plait a Dieu, pour voir sy je traine a mon batiment pour vous envoyer les marchandises que me demandés. Japrehande pourtant ne pouoir pas les envoyer toutes a la fois car Ion crain icy quil y aura bien de la risque. Je fere pourtant tout ce me qui me sera possible vous n’y deves pas douter. Je vous escriré de la Estanc plus particulieremt. tout ce me demandés. Tout le monde ce porte bien de dessa et je vous prie de fere me bese mens (baisemains?) a tout vostre monde de della ausquels je souhette mille benedictions et je vous suplie de me croier toujours entieremt. a vostre service.

Jeus yer (hier?) nouvelles de nos soldats. lis ce portent bien, Dieu mercy.

Du 12 Octobre 1686.”

*⁎* A representative of one of the old branches of the noble stock of Caumont de la Force seems to have settled in England about 1688. Luttrell notes under date, “Thursday, 12th April 1694,” “The king and council, on report of the lords of the treasury, have resolved to grant letters patent, &c, for five years for coining halfpence and farthings to Sir John Lowther, Mr. Clark, and the Marquesse D’Monpouillon.” Lord William Paulet, son of the first Duke of Bolton, married Louisa, daughter of the Marquis de Monpouillon, and had, with other children, the Viscountess Ross, who died at Chester on her journey from Ireland, on 5th October 1718, wife of an Irish Peer.



Chapter XVI.

THE REFUGEE CLERGY— SECOND GROUP.

I. Peter Allix, D.D., and Dean Allix.


Pierre Allix was the son and namesake of an old pasteur of Alençon, and was born in the year 1641. In 1664 we have a glimpse of him as a student at Saumur taking part in a disputation, De Ultimo Judicio. He followed his father’s profession, and his first employment was to be one of the Protestant ministers of Rouen. The Protestants of that city required several pastors to minister in the only temple allowed them by the government, which was situated in the village of Grande-Quevilly, and was capable of holding seven or eight thousand persons. In 1670 he was translated to Paris, where the congregation had to submit to the same policy as their brethren of Rouen, their temple being at the village of Charenton; and, though it could accommodate 10,000 persons, it was often too small for the crowd of worshippers. He had already distinguished himself as a learned and masterly writer in defence of the faith; and his appointment to Charenton being an indication that his publications had been serviceable and opportune, he continued his literary labours with redoubled assiduity. “His Sermons,” says Weiss, were “fine models of sacred eloquence; were distinguished for their tasteful simplicity, and by precepts appropriate to the circumstances in which his church was placed.”

A Mr. Wylie contributed to “Wodrow’s Analecta” some reminiscences of the two great pastors of Charenton, Claude and Allix (my readers must remember that a French preacher in those days put on his hat at the beginning of his sermon). “Monsieur Claude,” says Mr. Wylie, “was a very plain, slovenly man. One could scarce have access to him, he was so much thronged with business. . . . He promised very little to look at, but was a mighty affectionate preacher, and very much affected with what he delivered, and very grave and staid in his delivery. His colleague Allix was a frank open man, very much seen in the Rabbinical learning, and of very free access. He kept weekly conferences in his house, to which many of the Doctors of the Sorbonne resorted. He was bold and brisk In the pulpit, and when he read ' his text he cocked his hat; but Claude, when he put on his hat slipt it on and drew down the sides of it. There were some differences fell in between Claude and Allix, and Allix said that he could have been forty years with his venerable colleague without bringing them into the pulpit, and complained that Monsieur Claude brought them to the pulpit.”

In 1683 at the Provincial Synod of Lisy (known as the last Synod), Allix was Moderator. Claude appeared to promote the translation of his son, who was the pasteur of Clermont, to one of the pastorates of Charenton; but owing to some