Editing Adrien Baillet (section)

==Life==

He was born in the village of [[La Neuville-en-Hez|Neuville]] near [[Beauvais]], in [[Picardy]]. His parents could only afford to send him to a small school in the village, but he picked up some Latin from the friars of a neighbouring convent, who brought him under the notice of the [[bishop of Beauvais]]. By his kindness Baillet received a thorough education at the theological seminary, and was afterwards appointed to a post as teacher in the college of Beauvais. In 1676 he was ordained priest and was presented to a small vicarage.<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=1|wstitle=Baillet, Adrien|volume=3|page=219}} The article contains this footnote: See the edition by [[Bernard de la Monnoye|M. de la Monnoye]] of the ''Jugemens des savans'' (Amsterdam, 4 vols. 1722), which contains the ''Anti-Baillet'' of [[Gilles Ménage]], and an ''Abrégé de la vie de Mr Baillet''.</ref>

He accepted in 1680 the appointment of librarian to [[Francois-Chretien de Lamoignon|François-Chrétien de Lamoignon]], advocate-general to the [[parlement of Paris]]. He made a ''[[catalogue raisonné]]'' (in 35 vols.) of its library, all written with his own hand.<ref name="EB1911"/>

The remainder of his life was spent in incessant, unremitting labour; so keen was his devotion to study that he allowed himself only five hours a day for rest.<ref name="EB1911"/>

With regard to René Descartes, he is popularly said to have recorded in his biography the three dreams <ref>''La vie de monsieur Descartes'', vol. I, pp. 81-86.</ref> leading up to the [[Cogito, ergo sum|Cartesian Cogito]].