Marc-Antoine De Noe
Marc-Antoine De Noe [1]
a French prelate, was born of noble parentage, in April, 1724, in ‘ the chateau de la Gremenaudibre, now commune of Ste. Soulle (Charente- Inferieure), and was educated in Paris, where he studied theology in the Sorbonne. On leaving his licentiate, he became successively grand vicar of Albi, then of Rouen, under M. de La Rochefoucauld, archbishop of one after the other of these dioceses, and in Oct., 1756, abbe commendatory of Simone, in the diocese of Auch. Sent in May, 1762, to the general assembly of the clergy of France, M. de Nod was called, Jan. 5, 1763, to the bishopric of Lescar, and consecrated June 12 following. This seat gave him the presidency of the states of Bearn and the title of first counselor to the Parliament of Pan. He regarded his revenues, which amounted to 27,000 livres, as the patrimony of the poor; and distributed them to those unfortunately reduced to extreme poverty by the effect of a terrible epizooty. He then opened two boxes — one for those who could give, the other for those who could only lend; and put 30,000 livres in the first, and 15,000 livres in the second. His example was followed, and misfortunes that all human prudence could not avert were repaired. Deputed in 1789 to the States-general by the particular states of Bdarn, he protested against the reunion of the three orders, withdrew into his diocese as soon as he believed the instructions of his constituents were compromised, and was not a party of the Constituent Assembly Soon the seat of Lescar was suppressed, and a Benedictine, Barthelemi-Jean-Baptiste Sanadon, professor of literature in the College of Pau, was consecrated bishop of the Lower Pyrenees, where Lescar is situated, and the bishopric was fixed at Oleron. M. de Nod, who had, no left Lescar, protested against this innovation, and, yielding to violence, passed into Spain. The war constrained him to leave St. Sebastian, where he had found an asylum, and to seek refuge in England. In 1801 he re signed his see, in order to facilitate the execution of the compact, and on his return to France was nominated April 9, 1802, to the bishopric of Troyes. His conciliatory spirit had already caused all differences to cease and to rally all hearts in this diocese, when death removed him, Sept. 22, 1802. The third day previous to his decease, we learn that Bonaparte had designated him to Pius VII for the cardinalship.
The eulogy of M. di Nod was proposed to the concourse by the Museum of Yonne, and the Academical Society of Aube united which decreed the prize, in 1804, to Luce de Lancival and the second premium to M. Humbert. Bishop Noe loved letters, and cultivated them with success; he understood Hebrew and Greek, and had studied thoroughly the great models of antiquity. It was to them that he owed much elegance .of style and purity prevalent in the few writings he has left, among which are a Discours pronounced at Auch in 1781 for the distribution of the standards of the dragoons of the king's regiment, commanded by M. de Viella, his nephew, in the absence of M. de Lafayette, who was then in America. This discourse, filled with patriotism, is a homiletical masterpiece: — Discours sur l'tatfutur de l'Eglise (1788, 12mo). It had been composed to be pronounced at the general assembly of the clergy of 1785; but it was known to contain singular ideas, and in it was the question of a renouvellement de la defection de la gentility, of a nouveau regne de Jesus Christ. This doctrine, although clothed with seductive colors, approached too near millenarianism; and M. de Nod was requested not to pronounce this discourse. His brother had it printed later, followed by a Recueil de passages upon the intermedial advent of Jesus Christ, and by Remnargues furnished by P. Lambert, a Dominican, an ardent defender of this system: Traduction d'un discours de Pericls, preserved by Thucydides, and inserted in the translation of Isocrates by abbe Auger: — divers Mandements. The Enures de M. de Noe have been collected (Lond. 1801, 12mo); and M. Auguis has given a new and complete edition of them (Par. 1818, 8vo). This last edition contains especially an Eloge d'Evagoras, by Isocrates; an Extrait de l'Eloge des guerriers morts dans la guerre du Peloponese, and is preceded by a Notice historique sur M. de Noe. It is to be regretted that in it are not found l'Oraison funebre de Don Philippe, infant d'Espagne, duc de Parme, pronounced at Paris in 1766, a Panegyrique de Ste. Therese, preached at Toulouse, and a Sermon sur l'aumone. M. de ‘ No was one of the four bishops who, in 1765, refused their adhesion to the acts of the assembly of the clergy, on' the subject of the hull Unigenitus; but he was far from favoring Jansenism. See Luce de Lancival, Eloge de M. de Noe (Paris, 1805, 8vo); Auguis Notice historique introductory to his works; France pontficaile.
