A LETTER ΤΟ MR. Containing Some Particulars of the Life of Mr. DE RAPIN THOYRAS. SIR, Imagined you would be furprized at my Backwardness to fecond your Design of Writing the Life of Mr. DE RAPIN. This has given me fome Concern, for I would fain have complied with your Motion: But to fay the Truth, I could not till now come to any Refolution. I know not how the Publick ftands affected, and though I fuppofe with you, that the World would be glad to be acquainted with Mr. DE RAPIN, I fhould think nothing can better fatisfy their Curiofity than his new Hiftory of England, it not being poffible, in my OpiVOL. XIII. A 2 nion, nion, but in fo voluminous a Work, an Author draws his own Picture himself, though undefignedly, more to the Life than any other Hand can do. If you say this is not fufficient, because there is nothing faid concerning his Family, and the Adventures he may have run through: I answer, that the two Elogies of Mr. DE RAPIN, one in the Xth Volume of the Bibliotheque Germanique, the other in the Hif toire Literaire of February 1726, feem to contain all that is proper to be faid on thefe two Heads. Hence you are fenfible that I have not the fame Scruple about what you propofe at prefent, that at leaft thefe Elogies may appear again per fixed to the History o England. Indeed I do not fee any Inconveniency in it. What is more, I am refolved to publifh then my felf, but with fome Alterations; that is to fay of the two I defign to make one Difcourfe, borrow ing from both what fhall occur to my Mind, withou ftudying either to fwerve from, or to copy afte them, that there may be room to infert fome Par ticulars that are paffed over in Silence. It may be fhall go too far, contrary to my firft Intention; how ever that be, you may depend upon it I fhall fay no thing but what I have been fully and perfectly in formed of, and what Mr. DE RAPIN'S Family wa ready to justify. Mean while, as in this Thing I hav no other View but your Satisfaction, you may mak what ufe you pleafe of this Letter, fupprefs wh you do not like; nay, if you think fit, content you felf with the Elogies alone, fuch as they were at fir which perhaps would be beft. But to begin : Mr. DE RAPIN, counted among his Ancesto and Relations many eminent Perfons as well Warriou as Gown-men. His Family is originally from Savo where it flourished Time out of Mind *, and fill fever By the Titles of this Family it appears that the Rapins w Noble in the Year 1250. The Bianches that are in Savoy prete to a greater Antiquity: But of that I can fay nothing. feveral honourable Pofts *. As for perfonal Quali- Pour n'avoir fans befoin fu prendre, That is, This Family, being too honeft to invade the Property of others, is gone to decay. Had they been given to what their Name implies, they would have wherewithal to fupport themselves. But to draw nearer to Mr. DE RAPIN, I come to four Brothers of that Name, who fettled in France in the Reign of Francis I, *1. One, a Clergyman, was Almoner to Queen Catharine de Medicis, who fent to the Duke of Savoy for him. Besides the Preferments he enjoyed in his own Country, he was called the King's Orator, but what that means I cannot tell. It is known in general, that fome of the Rapins at feveral Times were Syndicks of the Nobles of their Country: others were deputed by the Nobility to go in their Name and do Homage to the Duke of Savoy their Sovereign. Between the Years 1525 and 1547• A 3 His ( His Brothers, of whom but one left any Children were all three Soldiers, and embraced the Reformed Religion: Nay, it is very probable that they aban doned their Country for the fake of profeffing the fame. The eldest was a Colonel of Foot, and Governou of Montauban, with Authority over the neighbour ing Governours. His Name is among thofe of th Viscounts, who commanded the Troops of the Re formed in the Southern Parts of France. Letters ftil extant fhow how well known he was to King Henr IV, to Lewis and Henry Princes of Condé, to Admi ral Chatillon, and to several other Perfons of the firf Quality. All we know of one of his Brothers called Peter is that a Commiffion of Captain of Horfe muft, by all Circumstances, have been his; but of this we can not be fure, because there is no Name expreffed in it. Philibert another Brother, was Gentleman to the Prince of Condé, and afterwards his Seward *. His Reputation as a Soldier was as great as his Capacity for Business *; but both proved fatal to him, as they Maitre d Hôtel de fa Maison, that is to fay, he had the Management of the Prince's Houfe in the higheft Senfe of the Word, and not as we understand the Term Steward at present. * Bello ftrenuus, fays Thuanus, lib. 32. In fine, Rapin was in great Repute amongst his own Party. The Confpirators of Thoulouse made choice of him to treat in their Name with Fourquevaux, which is a clear Evidence that he had a Head to manage, as well as a Hand to act. Annals of Thoulouse, Ann. 1568. The Conference fpoken of in this Paffage, was held to fee whether there was any way of Accommodation between the two Parties; but it proved fruitless, and only ferved to exasperate them more than ever. Shortly after a Battle was fought in the City, which lafted fome Days, wherein the Proteftants who were pretty numerous there, but however inferiour in Number to the Catho licks, loft three Thousand Men, and were in the end chafed our of the City. A folemn Proceffion was inftituted in Commemoration of this Event. When Peace was restored, the Reformed complained of this Proceffion, as a Thing which revived the Memory of the Troubles, whereupon it was prohibited for the future; neverthelefs it has been all along continued; only it was removed from the 12th of May, to the 17th, on fome Prerence or other. |