Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 8.djvu/820

 LAFORET

740

LAFUENTE

first lived at Madame de la Sabliere's, in the Rue Saint-Honor(5 (1672-93), where he met a most bril- liant society and became the intimate friend of men like Turenne, the Prince of Conti, Cond6, La Roche- foucauld, and distinguished women like Mme de S^- vigne, Mme de La Fa}'ette, Mme de Thianges. In 1674 he published a new series of "Contes", which were seized by the lieutenant of police, and, in 1678, five books of "Fables", that Mme de S6vign6 pro- nounced "divine". He was elected to the French Academy in 1683, but his election was suspended by Louis XIV, on account of the scandal of the " Contes", and finally approved only in the following year, after the poet had publicly atoned for his licentious works in a "Ballade" published in the "Mercure" (January, 1684), and had promised "to be good". When Mme de la S;ibli('rc died, in January, 1693, he was sheltered by M. trilervart,?«(j?frc des reqw'tes in the Parlement of Paris. A few months before, having been taken dangerously ill, he had begun to come back to the faith of his youth. In spite of his bad conduct, he had been indifferent rather than incredulous. The last two years of his life were most edifying. When he died those who put him into his shroud found that he was wearing a hair-cloth. He was buried in the ceme- tery of the Holy Innocents, in Paris. On account of his vivid and picturesque descriptions of the manners of animals, his wit, and his admirable naivete, as well as the concise and firm composition of his little poems, he will forever be regarded as the greatest of French fabulists.

Fagdet. Im Fontaine (Paris, 1886); Lafenestre, La Fon- taine (Paris. 1895): Sainte-Beuve. Portraits litteraires (Paris, 1829); Taine, La Fontaine el ses fables (Paris, 18.53).

Louis N. Delamaere.

Laforet, Nicolas-Joseph, Belgian philosopher and theologian, born at Graide, 23 January, 1823; died at Louvain, 26 January, 1872. After the regular theological course at the seminary of Namur, he en- tered the University of Louvain, where he applied himself especially to the study of Oriental languages, Holy Scripture, and philosophy. In 1848, he was ap- pointed to the chair of moral philosophy at the univer- sity, and, the same )'ear, received the doctorate in theology. Two years later he became president of the College du Pape. Upon the death of Mgr de Ram, the bishops of Belgium chose Laforet to succeed him in the rectorship of the university. One of his main under- takings was the foundation and organization of the schools of civil engineering, industry, and mines. He also established a new literary and pedagogical school, the Justus Lipsius Institute. Moreover his example and advice were a constant encouragement for both professors and students. Laforet was a prothonotary Apostolic ad instar parlidpantium, an honorary canon of the cathedral of Namur, an officer of the Order of Leopold, a commander of the Order of Christ, a mem- ber of the Royal Academy of Belgium, and of the Roman Academy of the Catholic Religion.

Besides a great number of articles, especially in the " Revue catholique", Laforet's main works are: " Dis- sertatio historico-dogmatica de methodo thcologise, sive de auetoritate Ecelesi» catholics tanquam reg- ula fidei christianie" (Louvain, 1849) ; " Etudes sur la civilisation europ^enne consider^e dans ses rapports avec le christianisme " (Brussels, 18.50) ; " La vie et les travaux d'Arnold Tits" (Brussels, 1853); "Principes philosophiquesdela morale" (Louvain, 1852; 2nded., under the title " Philosophie morale", Louvain, 1855) ; " Les dogmes catholiques exposfe, prouvfe et vengfe des attaques de I'h^rfeie et de I'incr^dulit^" (Brus- sels, 18.55-.59); " Pourquoi Ton ne croit pas" (Lou- vain, 1804; Eng. tr. " Why men do not believe", Lon- don, s. d., and new ed., New York, 1909; (Icrm. tr. liy Vosen, "Der moderne Unglaube und seine Hauptur- sachen", Mainz, 1873); "Ilistoire de la philosopliie" (Brussels, 1866-67), which includes only the history

of ancient philosophy, the author dying before he completed the work; " Les martyrs de Goreum " (Lou- vain, 1867; Germ.tr. Miinster, 1867); "Le syllabus et les plaies de la soci^t^ moderne", a posthumous work, including the author's testament (Louvain, 1872).

Annuaire de I'universiU de Louvain, XXXVII (1873), 261, 296; De Monge, Monscigneur Laforet in Revue catholique, XXXIII (1872), 241; Anon.. Bibliographic de Vuniversitc de Louvain (Louvain, 1900), 25; Anon., Uunivcrsite de Louvain (Brussels, 1900). 76.

C. A. DUBRAT.

La Fosse, Charles de, painter, b. in Paris, 15 June, 1636; d. in Paris, 13 December, 1716, and buried in the church of Saint Eustaehe. His father was a jeweller, his mother Marguerite Langlois, and he was the seventh of sixteen ehiklren. He was educated under Francois Chauveau, and then in the studio of Lebrun. In 1063 he was in Venice, anil attracted the attention of Pierre de Bonzy. He was employed ( 1 069) in decorating the Tuileries, and the churches of Saint Eustaehe and the Assumption. On 23 June, 1673, he became a member of the academy, and five months afterwards married Elizabeth Beguin, at the church of Saint Sulpice, but had no family. Lord Montagu, when ambassador to Paris in 1688, came into contact with La Fosse, and so much admired his work that he called him to England, and employed him to decorate Montagu House, on the site now occupied by the British Museum.

William III begged La Fosse to remain in England and decorate Hampton Court, but Mansart the archi- tect recalled him to Paris, that he might carry out the decoration in the dome of the Invalides. He decorated the dome in fresco with an immense scene represent- ing S. Louis placing his crown and sword in the hands of Christ. The ceiling of the Galerie d'ApoUon in the Louvre is also by La Fosse, and he executed a good deal of work at Versailles, including the Salle de Diane and the roof of the chapel, and there are five of his panel pictures in the Louvre. He painted several works for the Trianon which were commissioned in May, 1088. He was one of the finest colourists France ever produced, and had a fine sense of decoration, and extraordinary power in composition, but his drawing was inaccurate, and to compare his work with that of Titian and Veronese is to do it far too great honour. La Fosse was intimate with Crozat, and exe- cuted some decoration for him at his country house. He exhibited at the Salon in 1699, and in 1704, and his works have been engraved by various artists, espe- cially Audrin, Picart, Thomassin, and Simonneau.

J.4LS, Dictionnaire Critique (Paris, 1872), to which book critics are indebted for almost all the definite information re- specting the painter: Villot, Notice des Tableaux du Louvre (Paris, 1878); Kingsley, History oj French Art (London. 1899); also various numbers of the Gentleman's Magazine, with de- scriptions of the paintings .at Montagu House.

George Ch.\rle8 Williamson.

Lafuente y Zamalloa, Modesto, Spanish critic and historian, b. at Ravanal do los Caballeros, 1 May, 1806; d. at Madrid, 25 October, 1S66. He received his early education in his native town, but later took courses at the Universities of Santiago, Astorga, and Valladolid, receiving at the la.st institution the de- gree of Bachelor of Theology in 1S32. He was ap- pointed to the chair of philosophy and later to that of theology at the LTniversity of Astorga, but he re- mainofl only a short time, for he decided to devote himself to jo\irnalism. He moved to Madrid where he published with success a critical and satirical new.s- paper under the title of "Fray Gerundio", a name which, according to Ferrer del Rio, he borrowed from the work of Father Isla. Under the pseudonyms of Fray Gerundio and Tirabeque, he wrote many ca}nl- ladnx or essays on a great variety of subjects, including the political questions of the day. ilis arlicles be- came so popular that it was not long before his paper was read in every corner of Spain. Lafuente's chief