131
POIRIER
plici so'Cida, superficiaria et falsa lib. Hi (ibid. 1692, 12mo, and 1707, 4to). His purpose is to show that there can be no real erudition without inspiration from above : —Theologie du Cceur (Cologne, 1696, 1697, 16mo) :— La Theologie reelle, vulgairement dits la Theologie Germa- nique (Amsterd. 1700, 12mo). This translation of a Ger- man work of the 16th century, translated before by Cas- talion, had been published in 1676. Poiret accompanied it with a /.«//./■ (in the mystical authors; the latter are 130 in number, and Poiret gives most curious details about their principles, character, life, and works: — The- ologiie Mysticw Idea (ibid. 1702. 12m.. I -.—Fides et Ratio adveisus Principia J. Lockii (ibid. 1707, 12mo) :— Bib- liotheca Mysticorum Selecta (ibid. 1708, 8vo) -.—Postliu- ma (ibid. 1721, 4to). Poiret translated The Imitation of Jesus Christ (ibid. 1683, 12mo, sev. edit.), which he paraphrased partly according to the interior sense; the works of St. Catherine of Genoa (1691, 12mo), and those of Angele de Foligny (1696, 12mo). He edited the lucres cV Antoinette Bourignon (Amsterd. 1679 and fol- lowing, 19 vols. 12mo),with a most circumstantial Life, which was reprinted apart (1683, 2 vols. 12mo), and fol- lowed by an apologetic Mi-moire, inserted in the Nou- velles de la Republique des Lettres (1685); an answer to the attacks of Seckendorf ( Moniium Necessarium, 1080, 4to) ; several mystical Opuscul s ; and after having pub- lished several of the writings of Mine. Guyon, among others, Le Novveau <t PAncien Testament (Cologne, 1713-1715, 20 vols. 12mo) ; her Vie, ecritepar elle-meme (1720, 3 vols. 12mo) ; and her Poesies (1722, 12mo), brought out. a complete edition with great care, in 39 vols., furnishing them with elaborate introductions, prefaces, and apologies, sufficient to make several vol- umes in themselves. In all this there is manifest, as in the editing of Mile. Bourignon's writings, a re- markable willingness to hide himself entirely behind the beloved objects upon which he spends his toil ; so that now in many instances it is impossible to tell just how much of the worth and beauty of whole volumes is to be assigned to himself rather than to the reputed au- thors. Nearly all of Poiret's writings have been trans- lated into Latin, Dutch, and German. SeeWalch, Re- ligionsstreitigl-eiten ausser der evangel. -luthi r. Kirclic, liv, 911 sq. ; Niceron, Hist, des Homines illustres, iv, 144 sq.; x, 140 sq.; Grasse, Literaturgesch. vol. iii. pt. iii, p. 479 sq. ; Erdmann, Versuch einer Gesch. <L neuern Philosophic, vol. i, pt. ii, p. 217 sq.; Bibliotheca Bre- mens. Theol. Philol. torn, iii, pt. i, p. 75 ; Noack, Mystik, § 217; Niedner, Zi-itsehr. fur die hist. Thiol. 1853-54; Hagenbach, Vorlesungen iiber die, Kirchengesch. iv, 326 sq. ; Domer, On the Person of Christ, i, 231 sq. ; Morel], Speculative Philos. of Europe, p. 201; Comment.de Vita < t Sciiptes Pi Iri Poin t, in his Posthuma (Amsterd. 1721, 8vo) ; Jen-is, Hist, of the Church of France (see Index) ; Hurst, Hist, of Rationalism (see Index); Ilaag, La France Protcstante, s. v. ; Histoire des Dogmes (see In- dex).
Poirey, Francois, a French Jesuit, was born in 15*4 at Vesoul. He entered the Society of Jesus at the age of seventeen years ; was a successful teacher of humanities, rhetorics, philosophy, and Holy Writ, and was appointed superior of a house of his order at Nancy ; rector of the college of Lyons, and of that of Dole. He left, Ignis Holocausti (Pont-a-Mousson, 1629, 16mo) : — La Mauiere de se disposer it lien mourir (Douai, 1638, 16mo): — Le bon Pasteur (Pont-a-Mousson. 1630, 12mo: — L< Science des Saints (Par. 1638, 4to), etc. He died at Dole Nov. 25, 1637. — Hoefer, Xouv. Biog. Gem rale, s. v.
Poirier, Germain, Dom, a learned French Benedic- tine, was born Jan. 8, 1724, at Paris. lie was not quite fifteen years of age when he entered the Congregation of Saint-Maur. After teaching philosophy and theology* in the houses of his order, he was appointed secretary to the visitor-general of France, and resigned this place for another which was more congenial to his tastes.
POISON
332
POISOX
that of guardian of th< I tenia. In
I ubliabed in th( ' ction da Histo-
: France, vol xi. which contains the reign ol Henry [, an excellent Preface, which forms the fourth pari of it, and is, according i" Dacier, the mosl ii.il and beal work ever written on the iir-i Capetian
I Lred of the troubles by which his -
ited, be left it in 1765, but re-entered it two years later, and was intrusted with the archives "t Saint-Ger- main-des-Prea In 1785 he was admitted as free asso- ciate int" ill" Academic des Inscriptions. During the
Revolution he was a member <>t the co lissi
uments, and exerted himself activi ly in presen ing from destruction a number of valuable manuscripts. In 17:h; he was appointed librariau of 1 1 1 « - Arsenal, and in 1800 ! sprand d'Aussy in the National Institute. Hi- united i" a ran- erudition a no less ran- modesty : he worked for the pleasure he found in the work: hence ■ communicate the fruil of his re- to anj "in- who recurred to him. Ili> death . ■ -,. -. en i "i iii- \ irtues ami ol In- benevolence; the blessings of the poor, their testimonies ol grati- tude written testimonies, found, with a few pieces ol money, in his bureau— were hi- whole treasure. He wore cheap clothes, and condemned himself t<> priva-