Noulleau, Ji:ax-Baptistk, a French ascetic writer, was burn June 24, 1605, in Saint-Brieuc. Descended from a religious family, he was educated at Rennes and Nantes, and at the age of twenty entered into the Con- gregation of the Oratory. In 1639 he took possession
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of the archtlcaconry of Saint-Brieuc, and in 1640 of the prebeiul, vvliich he held until his deatli. He was a pious man — learned, and of austere manners; a true model of penitence, but with an ardent and restless character, carried away by a reformatory zeal which no consideration could arrest. He rendered to M. de Vil- lazel, liis bishop, efficient service in the missions of Brit- tany ; but he did not find in the latter's successor, M. de la Barde, a protector so benevolent. At the request of the chancellor, Boucherat, he was forbidden to preach, and he appealed in vain from this sentence. He then began to preach in the streets. Excluded in 1G54 from ecclesiastical duties in his diocese, he retired to a desert place, and exercised upon his body long macerations. Fasting almost continuously, fatigue and excessive aus- terities shortened his days. He died in Saint-Brieuc, 1672. Noulleau composed upon morality, theology, and the reform of the clergy a great number of articles, of which the principal are, Conjuration contre blasjike- mateurs (Paris, 1645, 4to) : — Pratiques de VOraison (Saint-Brieuc, 1645) : — IJ Esprit dit Christiunisme, tire de cent paroles choisies ck Jesus-Christ (Paris, 1664): — LHdee du vrai Chretien(\hu\.\QQi^) : — Politique Chretienne dans les exercices depiete de Momeiffmur le Dauphin (ibid, 1665, r2mo) -.—De gratia Dei et Ckristi (ibid. 1665, 4to) : — UA iniahle composition des dijerends du temjis, in which he abused the partisans of Arnauld and of Jansenius: — Velitationes contra Amedeum Guememeum, cloacam, sterquiltnium, latrinam casuistarum (1666, 4to) : — Di- verses piiccs Latines et Fran^aises sur les lihertes de VEr/lise Gullicane (1666, 4to). See Le Long, Bibl. Hist, de la France; Feller, Diet. Hist. — Hoefer, Xouc. Biorj. Generule, xxxviii, 318.
Noumena (Gr. vovj-nva) is a philosophical term used by Kant in his Kritik to express the objects of the understanding, in distinction from the phenomena, which he understands to designate simply objects of the senses. The use of the term has been necessitated by the desire to give a strict metaphysical distinction of sensual and intellectual conceptions. Kant, it will be remembered by the philosophical student, rejects the Leibnitzian view of an intellectual phenomenalism. For details the articles Kant and Leibnitz maj' be consulted. See also Ueberweg, Hist, of Philosophii, p. 11, 156, 157, 172, 175, 176, 216, 239. 255,' 261, 262, 421, 530, 531.
Noureddin Mahmtid, Mai.ek-al-Adel, one of the most illustrious men of his time, and the scourge of the Christians who had settled in Syria and Palestine, was bom at Damascus Feb. 21, ill6. His father, Omad-ed-din Zengui, originally governor of Mosul and Diarbekir on behalf of the Seljnk sultans, had establish- ed his independence, and extended his authority over Northern Syria, including Hems, Edessa, Hamah, and Aleppo. Xoureddin succeeded him in 1145, and, the better to carry out his ambitious designs, changed the seat of government from Mosul to Aleppo. Count Jos- celin of Edessa, thinking the accession of a young and inexperienced sovereign afforded him a favorable oppor- tunity of regaining his territories, made an inroad at the head of a large force, but was signally discomfited under the walls of Edessa, his army, with the exception of 10.000 men, being completely annihilated. The re- port of Noureddin's success being conveyed to Western Europe, gave rise to the second crusade. The Crusaders were, however, foiled by Noureddin before Damascus, and, being defeated in a lumibcr of partial conflicts, abandoned their enterprise in despair. Noureddin next conquered Tripolis and Antioch, the prince of the latter territory being defeated and slain in a bloody conflict near Bugia (.Tune 20, 1140), and before 1151 all the Christian strongholds in Syria were in his possession. He then cast his eyes on I'^gyfit, which was in a state of almost complete anarcliy umler the feeble sway of the now effeminate Fatiinites; and, as a preliminarv step, he took possession of Damascus (wliich till this time liad
been ruled by an independent Seljuk prince) in 1156; but a ten-ible earthquake which at this time devastated Syria, levelling large portions of Antioch, Tripolis, Ha- mah, Hems, and other towns, put a stop to his scheme at that time, and compelled him to devote all his en- ergies to the removal of the traces of this destructive visitation. An illness which prostrated him in 1159 enabled the Christians to recover some of their lost ter- ritories, and Noureddin, in attempting their resubjuga- tion, was totally defeated near the Lake of Gennesareth by Baldwin HI, king of Jerusalem ; but, undismayed by this reverse, he resumed the offensive, defeated the Christian princes of Tripolis and Antioch, making pris- oners of both, and again invaded Palestine. Meanwhile he had obtained the sanction of the caliph of Bagdad to his projects concerning Egypt, and the true believers flocking to his standard from all quarters, a large army was soon raised, which under his lieutenant, Shirkoh, speedily overran Egypt. Shirkoh dying soon after, was succeeded by his nephew, the celebrated Salah-ed-din (q. v.), who completed the conquest of the country. Noureddin, becoming jealous of his able young lieuten- ant, was preparing to march into Egypt in person, when he died at Damascus, May 15, 1174. Noureddin is one of the great heroes of JNIoslem history. Brought up among warriors who were sworn to shed their blood lor the cause of the Prophet, he retained in his exalted sta- tion aU the austere simplicity of the first caliphs. He was not, like the majority of his co-religionists, a mere conqueror, but zealously' promoted the cultivation of sciences, arts, and literature, and established a strict ad- ministration of justice throughout his extensive domin- ions. He was revered by his subjects, both Moslem and Christian, for his moderation and clemency, and even his most bitter enemies among the Christian princes ex- tolled his chivalrous heroism and good faith. He ])os- sessed in an eminent degree the faculty of impressing his own fiery zeal for the supremacy of Islam upon his subjects, and his descendants at the present day have fjiithfully preserved both his name and principles. — Chambers's Cyclop, s. v.