Page:Protestant Exiles from France Agnew vol 1.djvu/175

 Dictionary, which was more strictly lexicographic. But Miége’s Folio is full of interest from its short paragraphs illustrative of the habits of thought and expression of the men of his time. As to himself, like most refugees of the period, he was much in the society of Church of England men, and plied with unscrupulous gossip concerning Puritans, Conventicles, Whigs, Presbyterians, and Scotchmen, the compendious result of which appears in a few places in his Dictionary. But his good French Protestant education is apparent. Thus he defines theology, as that “whereof God is the proper object”; and says, “Faith, Hope, and Charity are the three theological virtues”; to this he adds a note, “ is called a Theological Virtue, because it hath its Object and ends in God, the object of Faith being God’s veracity, or infallibility in speaking truth —, because it’s God’s infinite inclination to do good to all — , for that its object is God’s infinite perfection whereby he is the object of all love.” We have some of his sentiments as a French Protestant.


 * }}|C’est un proverbe a quoi revient à peu près le nôtre, A quelque chose Malheur est bon.
 * }}|Huguenot, a nick-name which the Papists of France used to give to the Protestants there.
 * }}|Un Huguenot, un Protestant, un Religionaire.
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 * }
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☞ This name the French Protestants (as several authors write) got from a gate of Tours, called the Gate of S. Hugo, at which the Protestants of Tours used at first to issue out to their assemblies in the fields. Others think this name was given unto them from a nightwalking spirit called S. Hugo, in regard they had their first meetings for the most part in the nights, as had the primitive Christians in the time of their persecutions. Some, more improbably, and indeed ridiculously, derive their name from the first words of an Apology which they are fabled to have made to the King, the words being (as they say) Hue Nos venimus; and as the Protestants did derive that appellation from the word Protestamur, so from those words Hue Nos they fancy came the name Huguenots.

It appears that in Miége’s time the word refugee had not been coined by the English, nor had its French participial root refugié been brought into use as a noun (in fact the French do not seem to have ever coined such a noun, for François refugiés ought to be translated “sheltered Frenchmen”). (Professor Weiss called the world-wide community of Huguenot refugees le refuge, but added that such is not pure French, “nous le savons bien.”) Neither had the word stranger or straunger been then applied to refugees. But Miége has the word “un fugitif,” one that flies (or is fled) out of his country — also the phrases “to fly to a place for shelter”, — se refugier en quelque lieu; “he is fled to me for shelter,” — il s'est refugié auprès de moi; “to be kind to foreigners,” — être ami des étrangers; avoir de la bonté et des égards pour eux. After the word “Frenchman,” he says, “Note, that heretofore the word Frenchman was wont to be used for every outlandish man.” He seems to have rather understated the privileges of denization:—

, or. Regnicole affranchi par les Lettres du Roi, qui en vertue de ces Lettres jouit à peu près des memes Privileges que les Naturels des Pais. C’est un Degré de Naturalization en usage en Angleterre.

☞ A Denison signifies in law an alien infranchised in England by the King’s Charter, and inabled almost in all respects to do as native subjects, namely, to purchase, and possess lands, to be capable of any office or dignity. Yet it is short of Naturalization, because a stranger naturalized may inherit lands by descent, which a man made only a Denizen cannot. And in the Charter whereby a man is made Denison, there is commonly contained some one clause or other, that abridges him of that full benefit which natural subjects do injoy. Now, when a man is thus infranchised he is said to be under the king’s protection; before which time he can enjoy nothing in England, nay, he and his goods might be seized to the king’s use.

The observations of M. Miége on the difference between English and French ideas and ways are serviceable, and often amusing. After explaining the English parliament to mean the national legislature, he comes to