to the deed, allowed their converts to continue their ceremonial practices, provided they received baptism, took the name of Christians, and recognised tlu su- premacy of their missionary teachers. The number of nominal conversions was, as might be expected, great. Tlie dispute, which excited ridicule of Christianity among the educated Chinese, was referred, on the one hand, to the Chinese emperor Khang-hi, who decided in favor of the Jesuits, and, on the other, to pope Clem- ent XI, who decided in favor of tlie Dominican as the orthodox view. Froissard left only some frag- ments of translations of important Chinese works. — Hoefer, Xouv. Bing. Gener. xviii, 1)20-21. (J. W. M.)
Fi'omage, Pierre, a French Jesuit missionary and Orientalist, was born at Laon Maj' 12, 1G78, and died in Syria Dec. 10 or 23, 17-10. He went on his mission-work first to Egypt, where he remained some years, and then to Syria, where he passed the remain- der of his life, mostly at Aleppo. He became superior of his order, and, in desjiite of great difficulties, estab- lished at the monastery of St. John tlie Baptist, near Antura, a printing-press, and published, mostly in the Arabic language, a great number of translations and imitations of i-eligious and theological works.- Fro- mage was present and made an opening discourse at the great synod of the ISlaronites, held Oct. 1.5, 1736, near Tripoli, in Syria. — Hoefer, Now. Biog. Generale, xviii, 9.■l^-2 ; Pose, Neiv Gen. Biog. Dictionary, vii, 456. (J. W. M.)
Fronient. See Fromment.
Froniinent, Antoine, one of the French and Swiss Reformers, was born near Grenoble in 1510. Of Ms earlj' life little is known. A disciple of Farel, he pass- ed with iiim into Switzerland, and labored especially in Neufchatel and Vaud. When Farel was obliged to leave Geneva in 1532 [see Farel], he sent for From- ment, who reached Geneva November 3, and found his task a fearful one. He began his work as a school- master, promising to taach "reading and writing in a month" to all comers, and to charge nothing in case of failure. Many flocked to the school, and were taught not onh' reading and writing, but also the principles of the Reformation. On New-Years' day, 1533, From- ment preached in the fish-market against Romanism ; a crowd of Roman Catholics l)roke up the meeting, and Fromment was obliged to leave Geneva. He re- turned in 1534. A Dominican named Furbitz, preach- ing in the cathedral in favor of transubstantiation, challenged the Protestants to answer his arguments. Fromment, who was in the audience, at once began to speak. A tumult arose, and again Fromment was compelled to depart from the city. He went to Berne, accompanied by one of the burgesses of Geneva, and obtained the protection of the Bernese government, under which both Fromment and Farel returned to Geneva. From 15.'17 to 1552 Fromment was pastor of the quarter of St. Gcrvais. In 1552 he was deposed from the ministry on account of certain misconduct on the part of his wife, the rigid discipline of Geneva not allowing the husband of such a wife to remain a pas- tor. He became a notarj', and in 1559 was made one of the council of Two Hundred. His own life becom- ing disorderly, he was lianislied in 15(12, and was onl}'' allowed to return in 1572. He died in 1585. He wrote a history of the reform in Geneva, which has recently been edited by Gustave Revilliod, under the title Les Acfes et les Gestes merveilleux de la rite de Geni've^faictz dn. temps de la. Reformation, etc. (Geneve, 185-J). — Ru- chat, Reformation en Suisse, t. iii ; Haair, La France Protestante, s. v. ; Poleiiz, Franzos. Cahinismns, i, 314 sq. ; Hoefer, Nonv. Biog. Gmerale, xviii, 930 ; Ijondon Quarterly Reriew, Oct. 1857, 190 sq.
Fromond (Fromondus), a theologian of Liege, was born at Haccourt in 1587. He taught jihilosophy and theology at Louvain, and was, in 1G33, appointed dean of the chapter of St. Peter, in that city. He appears
FRONT
682
FRORIEP
to have possessed some scientific knowledge, besides a pretty extensive ac(iuaintanc(' \vitli theology and phi- lology. Dcs Cartes was one of his friends. Froniond, however, defended Ptolemy's system (of the inniiol)il- ity of the earth and the motion of tlie sun) against I'liilippe Lansherg. He was an intimate friend of Jansenius, and was one of the two theologians to whom the latter confided, when dying, his renowned Avgm- tinuf.. He died at Louvain in 1053. The best work of Froniond is a Commentaire des Actes des Apu/res (Paris, 1670, 2 vols. fol.). He wrote also Anii-Anstarchus, sice de orbe Terne immobili, adrersus PkilijTpum Lans- hergiiim (Antu'. 1631, 4to) : — Vesta^ sive Anii-Aristar- chi finder, contra Jacobum Laiisbergium et Copernicanos (Antw. 1633, 4to) : — Bvevis Anatomia Hominis (Lou- vain, 1641, 4to). — Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Geiicr. xviii, 918.
Front or Facade. In ancient descriptions of churches, the front of the church is spoken of as the cast or altar end. In modern writings, when churches are "oriented" or located with reference to the points of the compass, the principal front or fa(;'ade is the west end, the end away from the altar. (G. F. C.)
Frontier (n^p, hatseli , end, as often rendered, comp. Jer. li, 31 ; Isa. Ivi, 11), the extremity or border of a country (Ezek. xxv, 9).