and moderation made him one of the persons, the most capable I have
known, of advancing the NOBLE PROJECT OF REUNION. In a letter,
which I wrote to him some years ago, by the Count Balati, I assured
him, that, if he could obtain, the general consent of his party, to
what he calls, his Private Thoughts, _Cogitationes Privatae_, I
promised myself, that, by joining to them, the remarks, which I
sent to him, on the Confession of Augsburg, and the other Symbolic
writings of the Protestants, the work of the Reunion would be
perfected, in all its most difficult and most essential points; so
that well disposed persons might, in a short time, bring it to a
conclusion."

The passage is so important, that it is proper to present it to the
reader in Bossuet's own words.

"Parmi les Theologiens de la Confession d'Ausbourg, j'ai toujours
mis, au premier rang, M. l'Abbe de Lokkum, comme un homme, dont le
scavoir, la candeur, et la moderation le rendolent un des plus
capables, que je connusse, pour avancer CE BEAU DESSEIN. Cela est
si veritable, que j'ai cru devoir assurer ce docte Abbe, dans la
reponse que je luis fis, il y a deja, plusieurs annees, par M. le
Comte Balati, que s'il pouvoit faire passer ce qu'il appelle ses
Pensees Particulieres _Cogitationes Privatae_, a un consentement
suffisent, je me promettois qu'en y joignant les remarques, que je
lui envoyois, sur la Confession d'Ausbourg, et les autres ecrits
Symboliques des Protestans, l'ouvrage de la Reunion seroit acheve
dans ses parties les plus difficiles et les plus essentielles; en
sorte qu'il ne faudroit a des personnes bien disposees, que tres
peu de tems pour la conclure[087]."

Dom. de Foris, the Benedictine Editor of the new edition of the works of
Bossuet and the Abbe Racine, _Abrege de l'Histoire Ecclesiastique_[088]
are very severe in their censures of the conduct of Leibniz in the
negotiations for the Reunion, and attribute its failure to his
presumption and duplicity. To the writer of these pages, it appears
clear, that Leibniz was sincere in his wishes for the reunion; and that,
if he occasioned its failure, it was unintentionally. While the
business was in the hands of Bossuet, and Molanus, it was a treaty, not
for the reunion of the Roman Catholic church, and all Protestant
churches, but for the reunion of the Roman Catholic church, and the
Lutheran churc