Maria Schurman*, and his many fanatical writings. A book called the Marriage Chretien, written by this

* Maria Schurman, was born at Cologne, on the 5th of Nov. 1607, and died at Wieuwert in Friesland, on the 5th of May, 1678, in the seventy-first year of her age. Jean le Labeurer, in his Histoire du Voyage de la Reyne de Pologne, printed at Paris in 1648, speaking of her surprising endowments, says, "Elle respondit en Italien a Monsieur d'Orange, qui l'interrogeoit par ordre de la Regne, and elle argumenta tres-subtilement en Latin sur quelques poincts de theologie. Elle repartit aussi fort ellegamment en mesme langue, au compliment que je lui fis pour Madame la Mareschalle. Elle parla grec

avec le Sieur Corrade premier medicin de la Regne. Enfin elle nous eust encore parlé d'autres langues si nous les eussions sçeuës; car outre la Grecque, la Latine, la Francoise, l'Italienne, l'Espagnole, l'Allemande, et le Flaman, qui lui est naturel, elle a encore beaucoup de connoissance de l'Hebreu, Syriacque et Chaldaïque; et il ne luy manque qu'un peu d'habitude pour les parler." Her writings entitled Opuscula Hebræa, Græca, Latina, were published by Frederic Spanheim, Professor of Divinity, in 1648, in 12mo. There are some admirable Latin letters on moral subjects in this book. Her epistle de Vita Termino to Berovicius, is a fine thing. See how she concludes: Unam tantum sollicitudinem nobis reliquit Deus, ut, quam

Ivon was their directory, and from it they formed a protestant La Trappe; with this difference from the

nobis imposuit provinciam curemus sedulo ante rerum eventum; post vero in hoc uno secure acquiescamus, quod ille sic voluit, qui nisi optima velle non potest. Audiamus, obsecro, divinam illam Epicteti vocem; semper magis volo quod Deus vult, quam quod ego. Adjungar et adhærébo illi, velut minister et assecla: cum illo appeto, cum illo desidero, et simpliciter atque uno verbo quod Deus vult, volo. Hic unica Halcyonia curarum æstibus; hic animorum per ancipitia fluctuantium statio tutissima: hic denique terminus in quo mente et calamo acquiesco. This is beautiful.

Her other work is called Eukleria, or Bona Pars, in allusion to Mary's chusing the better part. This is hard to be met with. It is one octavo in Latin, and though it be not without some vision, yet it is in the main a beautiful and solid performance. It is in the manner of Law's Christian Perfection, and has several sentiments resembling those of Madam Guion, in her Comment on the New Testament, and Madam Bourignon, in her numerous works. It was the famous Labadie, the fanatic, who brought Mrs. Schurman over to the interior life and silent worship, in the forty-third year of her age, and from that time to her dying-day, she renounced the world, and never went to public worship. The men of learning and worth were no longer seen in crouds at her house, engaged with her in the noblest literary convers

Catholic religious men, that the friars of the reformed monastery were to have wives in their con

sations; for the advancement of truth and the sciences; but in a solitude, purchased by herself, she moped away her remaining life in quietism, and holy reveries, and parting from reason in religion, sunk into passive unions of nothing with nothing, and became the prey of cunning and stupid religionists. Her house was always full of them. She would see no other company. The holy Labadie expired in her arms, aged sixty-four, in the year 1674; Mrs. Schurman being then sixty-seven. What a deplorable change was here, and owing to no reason in religion. Adhere to reason I enjoin you, for whoever tells you, you must give it up in religion, is the son of darkness, and the truth is not in him.

Labadie, born Feb. 13, 1610, had been many years a Jesuit, then Jansenist, Carme Solitaire, Missionnaire, and Devot, and afterwards by the interest of the marquis de Favas, a protestant, was made minister of Montauban.

Bayle, Bernard, and Basnages, in the Nouvelles de la Republique des Lettres, tell a strange story of this man, while he was minister at Montauban: that he had brought over a beautiful young lady, Madamoiselle de Calonges, to the interior or spiritual life, and to make her perfect in what they call 'la spiritualité et l'oraison mentale,' he told her she must be absolutely alienated from all sensible objects in her meditations, and lost in

vent: the better to enable them to obtain Christian perfection in the religious life. These Regulars,

the depths of reflection, dans le reueillement interieure.' To this purpose he gave her a point to meditate on, and desired she would give it her whole application, as she sighed after Christian perfection. Miss began, and the director left her, under a detachement absolu;' but returned in an hour or two to her chamber. He found her like contemplation on a monument; her eyes fixed, and her whole body, as if it were a petrefaction. Softly the holy man approached; strange pleasures filled his soul, as he gazed upon his heavenly disciple, and believing her quite perfect, from her attitude, in the interior way, he gently put his pious hand upon her lovely breast, and began to feel the finest tetons in the world. But as Madamoiselle de Calonges was a woman of sense and virtue, she could not resign to this part of interior religion, and started up in a passion, giving the director a pounce, and asking him what he meant by such behaviour?

The minister replied, sans être déconcerté, et avec un air devot; je vois bien ma fille, que vous étes encore bien éloignée de la perfection reconnoissez, humblement vôtre foiblesse, et demandez pardon a Dieu d'avoir été si peu attentive aux mysteres que vous deviez mediter. Si vous y aviez apporté tout l'attention nécessaire, vous ne vous fussiez pas apperçue de ce qu'on faissoit à votre gorge. Mais vous étiez si peu détachée

men and women, were a most industrious people, never idle; but between their hours of prayer

des sens, si peu concentrée avec la divinite, que vous n'avez pas été un moment à reconnoître qu je vous touchois. Je voulois éprouver si votre serveur dans l'oraison vous élevoit au dessu de la matiére, et vous unissoit au souverain etre, la vive source de l'immortalité et de la spiritualité, et je vois avec beaucoup de douleur, que vos progres sont très petits: vous n'allez que que terre à terre. Que ce la vous donnez de la confusion, ma fille, et vous porte à mieux remplir les saints devoirs de la priére mentale.”

This speech, continue the historians, was so far from satisfying the beautiful Miss Calonges, as she perceived the dreadful consequence of such doctrine, and knew it might be extended to the most impure transactions, in order to be thoroughly concentered with the divinity, that it enraged her as much as the action of Labadie, and she would never after have any more to say to him. "Elle rompit entierement avec luy." Bayle says he will not warrant the truth of this story, and Bernard tell us he has some doubt about it; but Henry Basnage in his Histoire des Ouvrages des Savans, assures us he had the account of this affair from the mouth of Mademoselle de Calonges: he says he heard her relate it several times, and that she always spoke of the false and hypocritical devotion of Labadie with horror. But, notwithstanding all this, I have some doubts as to the veracity