Pierre Of Bosc

Pierre of Bosc , born with Bayeux the February 21st 1623 and died in Rotterdam the January 2nd 1692, was a Prédicateur Protesting.

The largest preacher of its time, with the judgment of Bayle, was the last and the only survivor of the thirteen newborns of the marriage of Guillaume Of Bosc, lawyer to the Parlement of Rouen, died in 1653 and of Marie the Hotel one, died in 1663. He started its elude with the Académie of Montauban, which he left at the end of eighteen months to go to continue them with Saumur, where he spent three years.

He had not reached his twenty-third year yet, when the conference of Trévières, assembled the November 15th 1645, gave it for colleague to famous the Bochart to the temple of Caen where he was not long in acquiring a reputation of eloquence which placed it at the number of the pastors most distinguished from the Normandy. All the times that it was a question of a speech of pageantry to be addressed to a large character, it was with him that addressed the consistory, that of which he always discharged with a success which bore soon its name until Paris.

As of 1658, the consistory of Charenton sent in Normandy the minister Gaches and old Massanes to represent with that of Caen how much It would be advantageous with the Protestant cause that a speaker of a so great talent was attached to the church of the capital; but its demand, which it renewed several times, for making it support by most famous among the Protestants, was rejected, the church of Caen making a point of keeping a man of which it was proud and Of Bosc itself not wishing to separate from a herd which he affectionnait.

The credit of which Bosc enjoyed in the churches Normandy, regard that not only the Protestants testified to him, but the catholics, his eloquence, its talents. its reputation, its virtues even, which untied calumny, all was to give shade to the Jésuite S and to inspire the desire to them to move away it at least from Normandy, being flattered to have, after its departure, cheaper of its herd. They obtained, in 1664, a Lettre de cachet which exiled it with Châlons. One does not know of which crime they showed it with the Juste. One claimed that he would have spoken, in little measured terms, of the royal authority; but never protesting minister was more royalist only Of Bosc for which the king was the image of God on ground and passive obedience with its absolute will the first duty of the subjects.

The plan of the Jesuits failed misérablement because the exile of Of Bosc was not useful that to make burst the regard which one had for him and returned it expensive than ever to its church. They were not only the Protestants who were interested in his suffering, all that there was decent people in France wanted to take share. The bishop of Châlons itself, inter alia, rained himself to fill it attentions, eating with his table twice the week.

A rather active correspondence and some literary work, of which a part was preserved, helped Of Bosc to support the troubles of its exile, which lasted approximately six months, in spite of the most active steps of his/her friends to obtain his recall. Montausier, Turenne, Ruvigny, the first Béringhen rider competed of zeal to serve it and they obtained at the end a new lettre de cachet of the December 15th 1664. While passing by Paris, Of Bosc did not fail to go to thank the ministers of state, and the minister Tellier wanted to promise well to him more not to receive a charge against him, that it is not cleared up any before all things with him.

Of return to Caen with this reassuring promise the November 8th, it again had to undergo the attacks of the Jesuits who, being held for not beaten, renewed several times their libelous charges against him. Of Bosc had, in spite of the promises of Tellier, much of sorrow to be defended against their attacks.

In 1668, the churches of all the kingdom having taken the resolution to send to Paris deputies who present to the king remonstrances about famous Déclaration of the April 2nd 1666, those of Normandy elected Of Bosc, which its high reputation and to choose unanimously to be the chief of the delegation. It is in this quality which it was charged to write the observations that one wanted to subject to the Council.

While it worked there, the noise of the next removal of the Rooms of the edict of Paris and Rouen was spread. The deputies of the churches requested an audience of the king who wanted to admit in his presence only the general deputy and Of Bosc, which carried the word and was exceeded on this occasion. Its speech, full with force and dignity, concerning and pathetic, was published. Louis XIV moved promised to think of it and, passing in the room of the queen, declared, in the presence of the Court, which it had just heard the most eloquent man of its kingdom.

This satisfaction of self-esteem was the only fruit that From Bosc withdrew its harangue because the edict which one feared of was not less returned in January 1669. This edict was the first direct attack carried to the edict of Nantes and therefore Réformés feared it, as the establishment of a precedent which could carry out, in a more or less brought closer time, with the abolition of this edict. Also, Tellier having required a report of them on the temperaments which one could bring to there removal of the two rooms, It had been decided, in a meeting of the most notable Protestants of Paris, which one would present any no, because would be to accept compromises on the violation of the edict of Nantes and that it was to better let go the things, not to have, with the eyes from abroad, the air to agree to it.

Of Bosc relative with the Declaration of 1666 was happier. After six months at least of requests and steps, it obtained finally the Declaration of the 1669, which modified the first in its most vexatious provisions. The business which had brought it to Paris thus finished, it went back to Caen and had to chair the provincial synod which thanked it in the name of the churches. But the circumstances becoming increasingly critical, it returned to Paris as of June. They is clans this voyage which it drew up the general Request which did such an amount of noise if little effect. It was presented to the king by Ruvigny. The king while having returned the examination on his return of Chambord, Of Bosc set out again for Caen, where it passed the remainder of the year.

He returned, fourth once at Paris, the beginning of 1670, to request an answer to the general Request. Having preached the February 23rd and the March 2nd, in Charenton, on Apoc. III, 14-16, as of the following day, the archbishop ran to Versailles with a report where he showed it to have spoken about the Catholic religion in abusive terms. Louis XIV having refused to add faith to this denunciation, the prelate collected his step only the shame which always sticks to the denouncement.

However time passed and the business which retained Of Bosc in Paris did not receive a solution. In the hope to hasten the answer of the Council, one decided to make print the general Request. As soon as it appeared, Châteauneuf convened the deputies of the churches in his cabinet, made them sharp reproaches and sent two of them, Verdier and Chabot, with the Bastille. Celt rigor did not intimidate the others, which made write one second request by Of Bosc, that Ruvigny was charged to present to the king. It was however only the March 7th 1673 which it was reported to the Council. Villeroy and Tellier was named to examine it, but They made trail the business in length with all kinds of pretexts, which forced Of Bosc to make several new voyages to Paris. It is during one of them, in 1676, that it had honor to be tried by Châteauneuf itself, which ensured it that king would have joy extraordinary of its conversion, that he had only to ask, that one him would give which load he would like, that one would advance his children, etc Of Bosc refused to sell its conscience and thus remained Minister for the church of Caen, which was then threatened in its existence.

In all its relationship with the government, Of Bosc made shine a prudence, a courage, a firmness and a skill which gained to him the regard of Louis XIV and his ministers. Its eloquence triumphed over the bad faith of the Roman clergy and it obtained, the February 10th 1681, a stop of the Council which maintained the exercise of the worship in Caen. If the Protestant Church could have been saved by negotiations, it would have been it by him. In 1682, Of Bosc had to chair the Synode of Normandy which was assembled with Quevilly the September 2nd 1682.

Hardly it of return in its church was which the rest of which he hoped to enjoy after so many tirednesses and agitations, was again disturbed. The moment approached where the triumphing bigotism was going to violently tear off Pasteur with his herd. At the end of 1684, under the convenient charge of allowed relaps to the Cène, a lawsuit was brought with the church of Caen, and Bosc, was stopped with his/her colleagues. Yorin and Guillebert, were seen trailed city downtown, forced to undergo Interrogatoire on interrogation and finally translated in front of the Small tower of Rouen.

It was in vain that the duke of Montausier wrote in his favor with the public prosecutor Guerchois, which answered him that its load obliged it to continue Of Bosc to any rigor. This ambitious servant of the clergy did not have shame to show with the perpetual banishment, the confiscation of the goods and the amend. Pleading its cause itself, From Bosc tore off, says one, of the tears to his judges, who were satisfied to strike the ministers of Caen, by stop of the June 6th 1685, of a fine of 400 pounds, in their prohibiting the ministry and banishing them with twenty miles of Caen. The goal which the clergy wanted to reach, was it fully by the demolition of the temple and the banishment of the ministers, to whom one granted only one fifteen days deadline to leave Caen.

After its judgment, Of Bosc could not remain in France. The queen of Denmark made him offer a retirement in her States. The bishop of London committed it to pass in England, while promising to make him obtain a benefit. For more than two months already, the magistrates of Rotterdam had requested it to accept the pulpit of the Walloon church of their city. It decided for the Holland, because it would move away less its herd. While leaving the Palate, he thus wrote to the magistrates of Rotterdam that he accepted their offers, the Parlement of Normandy has just broken the bonds which attached it to its church, and he left for Paris where he obtained, the June 8th, a passport for Holland, with permission to take along his/her two daughters and to even have its goods.

From Bosc hardly benefitted from the favor which had been granted to him. Its goods were sequestered after its departure, and it could take along only his daughter junior, who married Philippe later the Son-in-law. The elder one, married to Michel Néel, Sieur of Bouillonnière, could not be solved to separate from her husband and his three children. Later, Michel Néel succeeds in leaving France; but It arrived to Holland only with his wife and one of her children, who died even at the end of eight days; the elder one expired of tiredness in way; young person fell between the hands of the soldiers who took care of the borders and was locked up with the Propagation of the king, where it died.

Arrived to Holland at the end of August 1685 and installed the October 28th, sorrow which the news of France caused him was not long in acting in a disastrous way on its health. He languishes during the last years of his life, without another consolation that the tenderness of his children, without another distraction that the company of his faithful friends Madam de Tilly and Miss of Saint-Contest.

Its sufferings however did not prevent it from accurately filling its duties of Pasteur. He still prepared to go up in pulpit when he was reached disease which led it to the tomb the January 2nd 1692, after forty seven years of ministry.

In its History of the works of the savans , Basnage judge thus Of Bosc as preacher: “Mr. Of Bosc had received nature all the external gifts which contribute to the eloquence. He spoke with much dignity and size: the gesture, the voice, the majesty of its person, all contributed to return it a perfect speaker. Its speech was constant of feeling, decorated comparisons and embellished pompeuses expressions. ” The author of the Histoire of the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes still adds to this praise: “One can say that it had all the gifts necessary to a Christian speaker. He had the spirit lit by the knowledge of the humanities. He was good philosopher, solid theologist, critical judicious. He was extremely well made of his person. He had an also pleasant and strong voice, a quite made up gesture, a robust body, a vigorous health. Everyone agrees to rent the softness of its character, its satisfying, its piety and its zeal without terminals for the Protestant Church.

Of Bosc had been married twice. He had married, in 1650, Marie Bracing, girl of Bracing Guillaume, Caen and had had a son, death of it, in 1676, lieutenant in the regiment of Scbomberg and the girl who married Michel Néel. In 1657, It remaria with Anne de Cahaignes, girl sister of Etienne, sior of Canopies, professor of medicine in Caen, which gave him a girl, married in Philippe the Son-in-law.

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