AN Historical and Claffical DICTIONARY. L ABADIE (John) a famous terring a dead body, he was at length French enthufiaft, son of John banished that place as a feditious perCharles Labadie, governor of fon. He then went to Orange, from Bourges, and gentleman in thence to Geneva, where he imposed ordinary of the bed-chamber to the on the people by his devout carriage French king, was born in 1610. He en- and preaching; and from thence was tered young into the Jefuits college at invited to Middleburg, where his spiBourdeaux; which by his own account rituality made him and his followers he afterward quitted, but by other confidered as fo many faints, diftinaccounts was expelled for his peculiar guifhed by the name of Labadists. notions and for hypocrify. He be- They increased fo much that he excame a popular preacher, but being cited the attention of the other repeatedly detected in working upon churches, whofe authority he difputfemale devotees with fpiritual inftruc-ed, until he was formally depofed by tions for carnal purpofes, his lofs of the fynod at Dort. Inftead of obeycharacter among the Catholics, drove ing, he procured a tumultuous fupport him among the Proteftants. A re- from a croud of his devotees, and at formed Jefuit being thought a great length formed a little fettlement beacquifition, he was precipitately ac- tween Utrecht and Amfterdam, where cepted as a paftor at Montauban, he erected a printing-prefs, which where he officiated for eight years; fent forth many of his works. Here but attempting the chastity of a young he was betrayed by fome deferters, lady whom he could not convert to his purpofe, and quarrelling with the Catholic priest about the right of inVOL. II. who expofed his private life, and informed the public of his familiarities with his female difciples, under pre B 205365 tence |