Dumoustier de la Fond
Essais sur l'Histoire de la Ville de Loudun - Poitiers 1778: 127-129
BOULLIAU - HISTORICAL - BIOGRAPHY
Transcribed & Translated by Robert A. Hatch©

La Reine Louise de Gonzague l'accueillie à sa Cour. Jean Casimir le nomma Agent auprès des Provinces-Unies, pendant la guerre qu'il eut avec la Suede. En 1689, il se retira à l'Abbaye de Saint Victor, & y mourut le 25 November 1694, en emportant les regrets de tous les Savans de son siecle.

L'histoire, les Mathématiques, le Droit, la Théologie, furent pendant sa vie les principaux objets de son étude. Il y fit de très-grands progrès, & s'appliqua particuliérement à l'Astronomie.

[128] Il a mis au jour un ouvrage intitulé Astrologia Philolaica, parce qu'il y soutient comme Philolaus, Pitagoricien, & comme Copernic, le mouvement diurne de la terre. Il y a joint des tables très-commodes.

Ses démonstrations sur les lignes spirales, ne sont qu'un dévelopement sensible & lumineux de celles qu'on trouve in Archimede.

On a de lui un ouvrage intitulé: Opus novum ad Arithmeticam infinitorum, in lequel il y a beaucoup d'ordre & de néteté.

Il a fait plusieurs Traités en faveur des Eglises de Portugal, qui étoient sans Evêques depuis que ce Royaume s'étoit soustrait à la domination Espagnole. Le Pape ne vouloit pas absolument donner des Bulles à ceux que le King Jean IV avoit nommés. Ces Traités sont pleins d'érudition. Les formes d'élection, employées autrefois par l'Eglise, à l'égard de ses Evêques, y sont dévelopées avec clarté.

Son ouvrage sur la réformation des quatre Ordre Réligieux Mendians, & la réduction à un nombre déterminé, est d'un excellent calculateur.

[129] Sa Dissertation sur Saint Bénigne de Dijon, est une juste critique de la Chronique de cette Abbaye; il met en évidence les contradictions, & les faussetés que cette Chronique renferme.

Ismaël Boulliau, was born at Loudun on 29 September 1605, to Ismaël Boulliau, Notary and Attorney for the Bailiff of this City, and to Susanne Motet, from Protestant families. He was first an Avocat; but his parents were opposed to a marriage that he wished to contract, he abjured Calvinism at the age of 21 and was Priest at age of 25. He officiated as Curate of Saint Pierre, during the detention of Urbain Grandier; he then went to Paris where he became acquainted with the most distinguished persons. He accompanied President de Thou during his ambassadorship in Holland.

The Queen Louise de Gonzague received him at her Court; Jean Casimir named him his Agent to the United-Provinces during the war he had with Sweden. In 1689 he retired to the Abby Saint Victory, and died there on 25 November 1694, which brought regrets from all the learned of his century.

History, Mathematics, Law, Theology, were throughout his life the principal objects of his study. Here he made very great progress, and applied himself especially to Astronomy.

[128] He brought to light a worked entitled The Astronomy of Philolaus, because he there supported, as had Philolaus (the Pythagorean) and Copernicus, the daily motion of the Earth. He also appended there very easy Tables.

His demonstrations on spiral lines extends noticeably and lucidly those found in Archimedes.

We have from him a work entitle: A New Work On Infinite Arithmetic, in which there is much of great order and clarity.

He wrote several other Treatises supporting the Churches of Portugal, which were without Bishops since the Realm had come under the rule of Spain. The Pope did not wish absolutely to give Bulls to those whom King John IV had appointed. These Treatises display great erudition. The forms of election used elsewhere by the Church, with regard to its Bishops, are explained there with clarity.

His work on the Reformation of the Four Orders of Religious Mendians, and their Reduction to a Determined Number, was composed by an excellent calculator.

His Dissertation on Saint Benigne of Dijon, is a just critique of the chronology of this Abbe; he brought evidence of the contradictions and the falsities concealed in the Chronology.