Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 3.djvu/64

 BUFFIER

40

BUIL

The Sisters of Charity hospital accommodates 250 patients. Their emergency hospital treats 1,200 patients a year. The Sisters of Mercy at the Mercy Hospital accommodate about 40 patients. Esti- mated Catholic population 200,000.

Bayley, History of the Church in New York (New York, 1870); Timon, Missions in Western New York (Buffalo. 18021; Donohue, History of the Catholic Church in Western New York (Buffalo, 190*4); Id.. The Iroquois anil the Jesuits (Buffalo. 1895); Relations ,l,s Jesuites (Quebec, 1858,1; Margry, Deeou- vertes (Paris, 1S93); Hennepin. Nourelle Decourerte (Utrecht, 1078); Chonin, Life and Times of Bishop Ryan (Buffalo, 1893); The Historical W ritinys nj the late Orsnmus II. Marshall (Albany, 1887); The Sentinel, files (Buffalo); Maps by General James Clarke (Auburn); Bishop Timon's diary and unpublished letters.

Thomas Donohue.

Buffier, Claude, philosopher and author, b. in Poland, of French parents, 25 May, 1661; d. in Paris, 17 May, 1737. He received his early educa- tion at the Jesuit College in Rouen and entered the Society of Jesus in 1679. After teaching litera- ture in Paris, he returned to Rouen to take a chair of theology. Mgr. Colbert, archbishop of that city, issued a pastoral recommending to his clergy certain books of Gallican and Jansenistic tendencies. Buf- fier attacked the pastoral in a pamphlet and having refused to make a retractation journeyed, with tin- leave of his superiors, to Rome to lay his case before the Congregations. There he easily justified him- self and returning to Paris was connected, from 1701 to 1731, with the "Journal de Trevoux". He pub- lished works on history, asceticism, biography, edu- cation, literature, and especially on philosophy. He was not, as is often asserted, a disciple of Descartes, for he rejects altogether methodic doubt and follows in general the scholastics. The Encyclopedists, ac- cording to Tabaraud, inserted in their publications, without due credit, entire pages from his books, and Reid, the Scotch metaphysician, acknowledges his great indebtedness to Burner. His chief works are: a Life of Count Louis de Sales, brother of the saint (Paris, 1708); "Pratique de la memoire arti- ficielle" (Paris, 1701) often reprinted; " Grammaire francaise sur un plan nouveau (Paris, 1732), in many editions and translations; "Exposition des preuves les plus sensibles de la Vraie Religion" (Paris, 1732); and "Cours des sciences" (Paris, 1722).

Bernard in Diet, de thiol, cath.. s. v.; Hurter, Nomenclator, II, 1050; Sommervogel, Bibl. de la. c. de J„ II, 340-359. Walter Dwight.

Buglio, Louis, a celebrated missionary in China, mathematician, and theologian, b. at Mineo, Sicily, 26 January, 1606; d. at Peking, 7 October, 1682. He entered the Society of Jesus, 29 January, 1622, and, after a brilliant career as professor of the humanities and rhetoric in the Roman College, asked to be sent on the Chinese mission. With great zeal and success Father Buglio preached the Gospel in the provinces of Su-Tchuen, Fu-kien, and Kiang-si. He suffered severely for the Faith in the persecution which was carried on during the minority of the Emperor Kang-hi. Taken prisoner by one of the victorious Tatar chiefs, he was brought to Peking in 1648. Here, after a short captivity, be was left free to exercise his ministry. Father Buglio collaborated with Fat Iters Adam Schall, Verbiest, and Magalhaens in reforming the Chinese calendar, and shared with them the confidence and esteem of the emperor. At bis death he was given a state funeral.

Thoroughly acquainted with the Chinese language, Father Buglio both spoke and wrote it fluently. A list of his works in Chinese, more than eighty vol- umes, written for the most part to explain and de- fend the Christian religion, is given in Sommervogel. Besides Parts I and III of the "Summa" of St. rhomas, he translated into Chinese the Roman Mis- sal (Peking, 1670) the Breviary and the Ritual (ibid., L674 and 1675). These translations require a special

notice, as they were part of a project which, from the beginning of their apostolate in China, the Jesuit missionaries were anxious to carry out. Their pur- pose was not merely to form a native clergy, but, in order to accomplish this more easily, to introduce a special liturgy in the Chinese tongue for the use at least of native priests. This plan was approved by Pope Paul V, who, 26 March, 1615, granted to reg- ularly ordained Chinese priests the faculty of using their own language in the liturgy and administration of the sacraments. This faculty was never used. Father Philip Couplet, in 16S1, tried to obtain a re- newal of it from Rome, but was not successful.

Acta ,S'.s\. XIII, 1-3. Diss, xlviii; Sommervogel, Biblio- tloque de la c. de J.. II, 303; Cordier, BiUiotlucu Sumo ^Paris, 1881), I, 514; Menologe S. J.: Assistance d'ltalie.

Joseph M. Woods.

Buil (also Boil or Boyl), Bernardo, Friar Minor. The fact that there were two religious of the name of Bernardo Boil living in Spain at the same time has given rise to much confusion and even to the opinion that they were not two distinct persons, but that the same individual was at one time a member of the Franciscan order, and later became a Benedictine. It seems, however, more probable to assert that Ber- nardo Boil, the Franciscan, was a different person from Bernardo Boyl, the Benedictine. It was to the former that Alexander VI addressed his Bull dated 25 June, 14!I3. appointing him first vicar Apostolic of the New World. This appears to be certain, first of all from the opening words, "Dilecto filio Bernardo Boil, fratri Ordinis Minorum", etc. of the Bull itself, a part of which is reproduced in the first volume of The Catholic Encyclopedia. In the second place, the concluding words of the Bull, where reference is made to the prohibition of Boniface VIII concerning members of mendicant orders taking new domiciles without permission from the Holy See, seem clearly to indicate that the papal rescript was intended for Boil, the Franciscan, and not for his namesake the Benedictine. It is a matter of fact, however, that Bernardo Boyl, O.S.B., became first vicar Apostolic of the New World. This was due to the intrigues of King Ferdinand of Spain who employed Boyl. the Benedictine, to great advantage in several important diplomatic negotiations and had sought his appoint- ment as vicar Apostolic in America. When the papal Bull arrived in Spain, ignoring the king's choice, and nominating a Franciscan of the same name with the trifling difference of the i and y, which letters were pronounced alike, the only exception being in the order to which the respective priests belonged, it became convenient to conclude that a mistake had been made in Rome — which interpretation Ferdinand found expedient to favour his own ends and views. A false copy of the Bull was therefore made with the necessary changes and delivered to Boyl. the Benedic- tine, while the king retained the original document appointing Boil, the Franciscan. In time this latter document disappeared so completely that no of it could lie found in the Spanish archives. A copy. however, was carefully preserved in the Vatican library and was brought to light by the researches of the historian Roselly. Perhaps Bernardo Boil. O.F.M., never knew of the high dignity which Alex- ander VI had conferred upon him. It is certain he

did not leave Spain; yet he was d( jun the true, legitimate, and first vicar Apostolic of the \< u \\ 01 Id.

V regards Bernardo Boyl, O.S.B., it is a matter of history thai his labours were without fruit, and the

only record of his official action in An. erica is the fulmination of censures.

Eto i ' t/s di I on,, i E8, Chrisiophi Colomb; Kiatirin dt sa vie

• t.l /oat Pin- 1S.,0i; I. .-,1)8 513, tr.. RaRHT(B

1870); Iardocci, Vila • '-■•< ■ Milan. I8S5), 1.

\wi. 613-615; il »ms, Kirch, n. s,»™»», III. 90 LOO; Hedser i in. neon i 'athol Philadel-

phia, 1896), VII, 141-154; Bee also Wadding, Annaltt Mino-