Biographical memoirs of the Bishop of Leon, The Gentleman's Magazine 1807

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After the Peace of Aix la Chapelle, he returned to his studies. He spent some time in a seminary at Paris, and went into the Church ; and, after having taken his degrees in Theology, he became Canon and Vicar General of the Cathedral Church of Treguier, with a pension of 2000 livres, which, however, he always applied to the use of the poorer students. In 1772 he was made Bishop of Leon, (to which the title of Comte is also annexed) ; and there being but a very small seminary in his See, he purchased a large piece of ground, and erected and sitted up a very handsome building or college at his own expence, proper to hold about 200 persons, over whom he placed Ecclesiastics, distinguished for their learning and piety ; to this college he added a small seminary, where the poorer students were brought up and instructed free of all expense.

He endowed the whole of this himself with funds sufficient for the salaries of the Professors, and for the repairs of the buildings. This Establishment was completed long before the Revolution, as is known to several emigrants now in this country, and to several English who visited Britanny before that period.

Besides this work, this good Bishop was very active in various plans and pursuits for the advantage of his Diocese, and particularly for the benefit of the poor, having dedicated two-thirds of his icome to these purposes. The progress of the French Revolution is too well known to need a recital here, nor does the writer know the detail of this Prelate's opinions or conduct in the month of January 1791, when he became obnoxious to the ruling Powers by reliftng the new Civil Contitution, as it was called, of the Clergy, dated August 24, 1790 ; by which the Bishopnie of Leon was suppressed, and united to that of Quimper, in order to form the Diocese of the latter ; notwithstanding which the Bishop of Leon continued to reside in his Episcopal House, and to exercise his functions.

In consequence of this want of compliance with the new order of things, several proceedings were had against him in the Department of Morbihan ; and notice was sent to quit the Episcopal House, and to deliver up all the papers relative to the temporal and spiritual government of his See.

And the Bishop, however, paid little attention to these orders, his conduct was represented to the National Assembly then sitting at Paris, who made a decree the 16th Feb. 1793, to send three Commissioners into the Department, under presence of establishing order ; and, amongst other things, directed, that the late Bishop of Treguier, St Pol de Leon, and Vannes, should immediately, on the notification of the decree, attend the National Assembly.

This Decree was immediatyely printed ; and sent-off to the Directory of the Department of Finistère, with orders to serve it, by an Officer of the Marechauffée on the Bishop of Leon, and summon him to obey it without delay. An officer was sent directly to the District of Morlaix, with orders that the Bishop should be conducted immediately, in a carriage under a good escort, to the National Assembly.

The Bishop received this Decree the 24th, at 10 oc'clock at night, and prepared to attend the National Assembly according to the Decree ; but having received private advice on Friday the 25th not to go to Paris, where he would in-

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Après la Paix d'Aix la Chapelle, il reprit une vie d'étudiant. Il passa un certain temps dans un séminaire à Paris, et rentra dans les ordres ; et, après son diplôme, il devint vicaire général à la Cathédrale de Tréguier avec une pension de 2000 livres que, cependant, il reversa au profit des étudiants pauvres. En 1772 il fur nommé Évêque de Léon (auquel il était annexé le titre de Comte) ; et là constatant que le séminaire de son Siège épiscopal était très modeste, il acheta un grand terrain, et érigea et aménagea comme collège un bâtiment très confortable à ses frais, adapté pour 200 personnes, dans lequel il plaça des ecclésiastiques qui s'étaient distingués pour leurs études et leur piété ; il ajouta au collège un petit séminaire où les étudiants défavorisés étaient formés et instruits gratuitement.

Il prit en compte tout cela personnellement avec des fonds pour les salaires des professeurs, et pour la maintenance de l'établissement. Cet établissement fut achevé bien avant la Révolution, comme le savent plusieurs émigrés actuels dans ce pays, et aussi plusieurs Anglais qui ont séjourné en Bretagne auparavant.

Outre cette œuvre, le bon Évêque était très actif pour divers projets et actions au profit fr son Diocèse, et particulièrement pour les pauvres, leur reversant lui-même les deux tiers de ses revenus. Le déroulement de la Révolution française est tellement connu de chacun qu'il est inutile de le développer, et l'auteur de l'article ne connait pas précisément les détails de l'opinion et la conduite du prélat pendant le mois de janvier 1791, quand il devint opposant aux autorités qui voulait introduire une nouvelle Constitution Civile, dixit, du Clergé, du 24 août 1790 ; , par lequel l’Évêché de Léon fut supprimé et uni à celui de Quimper, pour former le diocèse à ce nom ; en dépit de cela l’Évêque de Léon continua de résider dans son palais épiscopal, et à exercer ses fonctions.

En conséquence de cette volonté d'obligation d'acceptation du nouvel ordre des choses, plusieurs actions furent tentés contre lui dans le département du (Finistère) ; et un ordre de quitter le palais épiscopal lui fut adressé, et de restituer tous les papiers relatifs à l'administration temporelle et sacrée de son Siège.

Cependant, l’Évêque n'accorda aucune attention à ces ordres, son attitude fut dénoncée à l'Assemblée Nationale qui se tenait à Paris, et qui émit un décret le 16 février 1793, et envoya trois commissaires dans le finistère, avec la présence des forces de l'ordre ; et, parmi d'autres choses, ordonna que les derniers Évêques de Tréguier, St Pol de Léon, et Vannes, devaient immédiatement, dès notification du décret, se présenter à l'Assemblée Nationale.

Ce décret fut de suite imprimé ; et envoyé au Directoire du Finistère, avec l'ordre de le délivrer par un officier de la Maréchaussée à l’Évêque de Léon, et de le sommer d'obéir sans délai. Un officier fut envoyé immédiatement au District de Morlaix, avec l'ordre de conduire l’Évêque de Léon en charaban sous bonne escorte, à l'Assemblée Nationale.

Le décret fut remis à l’Évêque le 24, à 10 heures du soir, et il se prépara à se rendre à l'Assemblée Nationale conformément au décret ; mais ayant reçu le vendredi 25 des conseils privés de ne pas aller à Paris, où il serait

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The Bishop's motive for escaping from the pursuit were, that he was aware of the violence of parties at Paris, that he knew his friends and parishionners at Leon would defend him, and that some blood therefore would be split in the conflict.

The Officers of the Marechaussée arrived with their carriage about half an hour after he had quitted the place ; they enquired for him at M. de ________'s, where he had been that evening, and announced their intention of a more particular search the next morning, an account being brought of this to the Bishop, he thought a ... the following day, Saturday Feb. 26, in the fields and woods, disguised as a sportman following game.

Being informed that the Officers had been sent another way by some of his friends, he returned to the same house at night ; the next morning, Sunday the 27th, he determined to quit the country, and bargained with and English smuggler which was at Roscoff, a small port in Brittany, to take hime to England, and it was agreed a boat should be ready to take him up at 10 o'clock at night

He determined to take no baggage with him, and had wished nobody to accompany him ; but many persons came to attend him ; and he could not prevent two of them from so doing. He set out at half past eight, and, after immense fatigue, arrived at the rendezvous by a circuitous path at 11 o'clock ; his hands torn, his legs bruised, and his fette quite wet. " Providentally", he says, for this is his own account, and in his own words, " I had a pair od dry stockings, and the boat-man lent me a pair of shoes ". The set fail on Monday morning, the 28th, at six o'clock, the wind E.N.E. with a high sea. They saw the English coast on Tuesday afternoon, March the 1st ; but an apprehension of the Custom-house Officers and the look-out boats made the paster of the vessel put off frequently from the land ; this continued all Wednesday, and they did not anchor till Thursday morning, the 3d of March at 2 o'lock, in Mounts Bay.

When the vessel was unlading, a boat came to take him up about five o'clock, and conducted him to the only house there was on the shore, kept by one Peter Carter, who spoke French, and supplied him with some warn gin and water and a bed, where he got some little rest, of which, he says in his Diary, he " had the more need, as he had spent three nights in a vile leaky boat, in very bad weather, without any bed except some sail-cloth and sailors cloaths on planks, and barrels of brandy. But, providentially ", the good man adds, " I was not sea-sick ; otherwise I could not have borne it, joined to the cold and the uneasiness of me feet ".

His host conducted him to Marazion, about a league distant. He there met with some French, and English who understood French, who changed some French silver he had still left. He met, likewise, with a Mr Churchill, clerk to Mr Fox, near Falmouth, who gave him a letter to Mrs Scott, of Prenryn, and told him where Mr Clainsie lived, who had lived and whom he had known in Britanny, viz. near St. Austle, in his way to London. He stopped and slept at Mrs Scott's at Penryn, and set out on Saturday the 5th of March for the residence of Mr. Clainsie, whom he found at dinner with his family. At first they thought him an apparition, and could not believe their eyes ; but after they knew him (more by his voice than his person) and they had heard his ..., they burst into tears. Being Catholics, he officiated on the Sunday ; they loaded him with civilities, and it was with difficulty he got away on Thursday, after having passed ...-Wednesday with them. Mr Clainsie insisted on his son accompanying the Bishop to London, which the latter consented to, finding the young man wished it in order to visit his brother, whom he had not seen for three years.

He met at Mr. Clainsie's Mr Brindle, a Catholic priest, who gave him a letter to Lord Arundel, at Wardour-castle, and whom he intended to visit in his way to London.

They arrived at Exeter the 11th where, the Bishop says, a superb Cathedral reminded him what was formerly the Religion of this Island ; the

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He spent a good deal of time with Lord and Lady Arundel, and attended the Catholic Chapel, where Mr Heteley officiated. They left Bath on Tuesday the 15th, pas passing by Windsor, where the Bishop much admired the beautiful Chapel of St. George ; they arrived in Town on the 16th.

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" I feared not to appear before any Tribunal ; if they attacked my doctrine ; it was that of the Clergy or France, of the Holy See, and of the Catholic Church, I was ready to give an account of the hope that was in me : - if they blamed my conduct, it was easy to justify it : but when all semblance of justice was laid aside, when force was employed against my person, an against that liberty which had been so often guaranteed by the new Constitution, I saw there was no longer any security in the ... in Law, ... Justice. " I was aware that the ... degree of violence exercited against me, would have been to prohibit me all correspondence with my Clergy.

My thoughts, therefore, were