Jean-Jacques Garnier

Jean-Jacques Garnier , (March 18th 1729, Gorron - February 15th 1805, Bougival), historian, historiographer of France.

Biography

Groin of 6 children, he is pupil with the college of Mayenne. Born poor relations, who gave him an education higher than their fortune.

Not to be not with their load, it went to Paris to the age of approximately eighteen years, in the hope to find some place. Though he had travelled to foot and with the most strict economy, he had only twenty-four pennies in his pocket when it arrived in the capital. While passing by the Rue of the Toothing-stone, he saw children of various ages precipitating as a crowd by a door that an inscription in gold letters placed above him learned how to be the door of the Collège of Harcourt. He enters with them; all disperse at once in the classes; there remains alone in the court. The vice-principal, who takes it for a pupil, orders to him to enter with the others. Garnier answers him that it finished his course of studies, and that it comes to Paris to benefit from little which it knows; it does not dissimulate its situation to him. The vice-principal questions it, and, satisfied with its answers, a place with the college of Harcourt it gets to him is there that, with the help of several years of an assiduous work, the Garnier young person put himself in a position to aspire to take row among the men able to usefully serve the letters by their work and their days before.

In 1749, it presents to the college Mans, provided with a certificate with Chabrun, the main thing of the college of Mayenne, attesting that it had studied in philosophy. It continues its studies until in 1754, having taken meanwhile the Tonsure, only degree of the cléricature which it crossed. He learns the Greek , the Hebrew , the Syriaque, without neglecting the modern Lettres.

The protection of the minister Saint-Florentin obtained then the place to him of Hebrew professor to the Collège de France, and; then that of inspector. It is in this quality that it rendered the greatest services to this college; helps by the astronomer Lalande, he arrived, through efforts and of steps, to raise this establishment and to return it to its dignity first. Garnier, obtained from it a suggested price by the Académie of the inscriptions and the humanities, on the question which consisted in examining “ what remained in France, under the first race of our kings, of the shape of the government which remained in Gaules under the Roman domination. ”

II was allowed in this company the April 4th 1761, of which it fills all the hopes by its zeal and its work; the memories which are, of him in its collection are in great number, and recommend almost all by the importance of the subjects and the way in which they are treated. They are relating to the philosophical paradoxes at the old ones, with the military laws of the Greeks, especially with the philosophy of Plato, author for whom Garnier had an admiration which went until enthusiasm. II liked also the Stoïcien S and its report on the life and the works of Epictète watch how much it was deeply versed in the knowledge of their writings.

Its control proved still better how much it had penetrated their maxims and how much it was worthy to practice them. It sold a country house which made its delights, to help a trader of its friends, who tested embarrassment in his business. L, debtor died insolvent. Some tempq after one pressed Garnier to appear, with the others, creditor; it refused there obstinately, “Since somebody must lose, says he, the preference belongs to his friends; I claim it for this reason. ”

When one came in 1790 to announce to him that it was necessary to lend oath to the new constitution accepted by the king, it did not balance between its principles and its interests, and left the royal college as poor as he had entered there.

It had published in 1764 a work entitled the Man of letters , in which it painted itself. II gave the following year a Traité civil education , which is like the continuation of the precedent. These two works had little success, because, says Mr. Dacier, the philosophy which is the heart not being with the ton of the philosophy of the day, appeared rough, wild and out of date. It published then the Origin of the French government , 1765, in-18.

After the death of Villaret, Garnier was selected to continue the French history started with the abbot Velly. Garnier wrote half of the reign of Louis XI, and finished about with half of the reign of Charles IX; he had composed the remainder of this reign; but, by delicacy he did not want to publish not very honourable facts; for the royalty in a time when one sapped the bases of them; and this same reason probably determined it to destroy its manuscript. The March 20th 1768, it obtains the title of inspector of the royal college.

The November 12th 1771, it is named Historiographe France. In 1788, it takes part in the second Assemblée of notable the with Versailles. Historian and philosopher, it was titular Hebrew pulpit of to the Collège de France.

The Revolution ruins it and affirms its Christian convictions. He refuses the oath with the Constitution and encourages his young brother, priest of Hercé, to follow his example. The French revolution, while forcing Garnier to stop this work, returned it to its previous studies, for which it was cleaner; and it lute with the Institute, in which he was allowed at the time of the new organization, two memories, of which one was inserted in volume 2 of the collection of the class of old history and literature.

He becomes professor of the philosophical history of the people under the Directoire. There are still to him Éclaircissements on the Collège de France , in-12 (1789), work whose Journal of the Scientists of 1790 gives an extremely detailed extract.

Barbier allots to him:

Trade given to its place , 1756 in-12;
the Bastard legitimate one or Triumph of comic larmoyant , 1757, in-12.

Lalande, always, friend of Garnier, had made him obtain from the minister a pension of 1200 francs, at the moment when, before to have been allowed in the Institute, it was tiny room to greatest distress the.

He died little of years after to the castle of the Roadway , in Bougival, the February 21st 1805, in the 75e year of his age. He deserved in his writings the regard of the posterity; and its virtues inspire admiration and the respect (see: Boisgelin).

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