Page:A new and general biographical dictionary; containing an historical and critical account of the lives and writings of the most eminent persons in every nation v1.djvu/258

 ANACHARSIS. Graceful, cleanly, fmooth, or round, All with Venus' girdle bound. ANCILLON (DAVID), aminifler of the reformed church at Metz, where he was born the i jth of March, 1617. He itudied from the ninth or tenth year of his age in the Jefuits college, where he gave fuch proofs of genius, that the heads of the fociety tried every means to draw him over to their t>5fcours fur religion and party; but he continued firm againft their attack^, laViedeM >an( j thereupon took a refolution of ftudying divinity. He went to Geneva in 1633, and purfued a courfe of philofophy under Mr. Du Pin, and his divinity ftudies under Spanheim, Diodati, and Tronchin, who conceived a very great efteem for him. He left Geneva in April 1641, and offered hi m- felftothe fynod of Charenton in order to take upon him the office of a minifter : his abilities were o-reatlv admired O J by the examiners, and the whole aflemhly was fo highly pleafed with him, that they gave him the church of Meaux, the moft confiderahle then unprovided for. Here he acquired a vaft reputation for learning, eloquence, and virtue, and was even highly refpe&ed by thofe of the Roman catholic communion. He returned to his own country in 1653, where he remained till the revocation of the edicl of Nantes !!>;<?. in 1685. He retired to Francfort after this fatal blow j and having preached in the French church at Hanau, the whole aflembly was fo edified by it, that they immediately cnlled together the heads of the families, in order to propofe that he might be invited to accept of being minifter there. The propofition was agreed to, and they fent deputies to him, who obtained what they defired. He began the exercife of his miniltry in that church about the end of the year 1685. His preaching made fo great a noife at Hanau, that the pro- ftfibrs of divinity and the German and Dutch miniOers at- tended his fermons frequently ; the count of Hanau hfmfelf, who had never before been feen in the French church, came thither to hear Mr. Ancillon : they came from the neigh- bouring parts, and even from Francfort ; people who under- ftooti nothing of French, flocked together with great eager- Ibid. p. 356.nefs, and (aid they loved to fee him (peak. This occafioned a jealqufy in the two other mimfrers, who were piqued at the efteem and affcclion {hewn to their new colleague ; th'cy were difplcafed at it, and obliged him, by a thouiand uneafy circumitances, to abandon voluntarily a place which they could not force him from. He returned to Francfbrt, where he would have fixed, if the circumftances of his family, which