Basnage, JAQUES

Basnage, JAQUES, the son of an able advocate in the parliament of Normandy, was born in 1653 at Rouen, where he became pastor of the Reformed church. On the revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685) he retired to Holland, and finally settled as minister of the Walloon church in the Hague, having gained the friendship of the Grand Pensionary Heinsius. Here, while zealously discharging his religious duties, he was called upon to take an active part in state affairs, particularly in negotiating the defensive alliance concluded between France, England, and the States-general in 1717. Amid all these duties and distractions, Basnage cultivated literature with ardour, and was no less distinguished for his extensive learning than for the polish of his manners and the integrity of his character. His chief works are of an historical nature. One of the best, a history of the Jews, has been translated into English (Lond. 1708). Basnage died September 22, 1723.