BOUQUET, MARTIN. - Benedictine monk, born at Amiens on 6 August 1685, died in Paris on 6 April 1754. He entered the Congregation of St. Maur in 1707. Having become librarian of St-Germain-des-Prés, he was chosen to undertake the compilation of the sources for the history of France. This task, which Mabillon himself had deemed beyond his powers, was accomplished by B. in a most praiseworthy manner, though not entirely; however, his opposition to the bull Unigenitus led to his removal from Paris, from which he returned to the monastery of the "Blancs Manteaux" (1735), where he remained until his death.
From 1738 to 1752 he published the first eight volumes of the *Recueil des historiens des Gaules et de la France*. Volume IX appeared posthumously (Paris 1757, ed. Delisle, ibid. 1850-80). Still highly useful are the prefaces, critical notes, tables, and most meticulous indexes. The *Recueil*, which extends only to the end of the kings of the second dynasty, was continued by various other Maurists, and, after the dissolution of the congregation, by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres. It consists of 24 volumes, the last of which was published in 1904.