ige" has been disregarded in this the
most ancient among the purely literary journals of Europe.

The first number of the "Journal des Savants" was published more than two
hundred years ago, on the 5th of January, 1655. It was the first small
beginning in a branch of literature which has since assumed immense
proportions. Voltaire speaks of it as "le pere de tous les ouvrages de ce
genre, dont l'Europe est aujourd'hui remplie." It was published at first
once a week, every Monday; and the responsible editor was M. de Sallo,
who, in order to avoid the retaliations of sensitive authors, adopted the
name of Le Sieur de Hedouville, the name, it is said, of his _valet de
chambre_. The articles were short, and in many cases they only gave a
description of the books, without any critical remarks. The Journal
likewise gave an account of important discoveries in science and art, and
of other events that might seem of interest to men of letters. Its success
must have been considerable, if we may judge by the number of rival
publications which soon sprang up in France and in other countries of
Europe. In England, a philosophical journal on the same plan was started
before the year was over. In Germany, the "Journal des Savants" was
translated into Latin by F. Nitzschius in 1668, and before the end of the
seventeenth century the "Giornale de' Letterati" (1668), the "Bibliotheca
Volante" (1677), the "Acta Eruditorum" (1682), the "Nouvelles de la
Republique des Lettres" (1684), the "Bibliotheque Universelle et
Historique" (1686), the "Histoire des Ouvrages des Savants" (1687), and
the "Monatliche Unterredungen" (1689), had been launched in the principal
countries of Europe. In the next century it was remarked of the journals
published in Germany, "Plura dixeris pullulasse brevi tempore quam fungi
nascuntur una nocte."

Most of these journals were published by laymen, and represented the
purely intellectual interests of society. It was but natural, therefore,
that the clergy also should soon have endeavored to possess a journal of
their own. The Jesuits, who at that time were the most active and
influential order, were not slow to appreciate this new opportunity for
directing public opinion, and they founded in 1701 their famous journal,
the "Memoires de Trevoux." Famous indeed it might once be called, and yet
at present how little is known of that collection! how seldom are its
volumes called for in our public libraries! It was for a