Brueys, David-Augustin - Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. III, p. 100

Machine translation of the 1948–1954 Italian original. The original text is authoritative.

BRUEYS, DAVID-AUGUSTIN. — Theologian and dramatist, b. at Aix-en-Provence in 1640 to a Protestant family and d. at Montpellier on 25 November 1723. After studying law, he devoted himself to theology, subsequently becoming a member of the Consistory of Montpellier. Converted by Bossuet in 1682, after his wife’s death in 1685 he was himself initiated by Bossuet into Holy Orders. As a controversialist, he undertook the defense of the most heavily attacked points of Catholic doctrine: the Mass, the Eucharist, the Church, and external worship.

But, a more successful imitator of Molière than of Bossuet, he won admiration and has survived less as a polemicist than as a dramatist and collaborator of Palaprat, as is demonstrated by the repeated, including recent, reprints of his finest works: the Avocat Patelin (Paris 1902); Le grandeur (ibid. 1889). Works from before his conversion: Réponse de M. Condom, intitulée Exposition de la doctrine catholique (Geneva 1681); Suite du préservatif [by Jurieu] contre le changement de religion (Amsterdam 1682). After his conversion: Traité de la s. Messe (s. l. 1683); Examen des raisons qui ont donné lieu à la séparation des protestants (Paris 1683); Traité de l'Eucharistie (ibid. 1686); Réponse aux plaintes des protestants contre les moyens qu'on emploie pour les réunir à l'Eglise catholique (ibid. 1686); Traité de l'Eglise (ibid. 1687); Histoire du fanatisme de notre temps (ibid. 1692); Traité de l'obéissance des chrétiens aux puissances temporelles (Mont-

Article illustration — (from E. Kurth, *Bruckner*, Berlin 1925)

BIBL.: Hurter, II, cols. 1064–65; C. Costantin, s. V. in DThC, II, cols. 1142–43; J. Dedieu, s. V. in DHG, X, cols. 886–87.
Vito Zollini