Boursier, Laurent Francois

Boursier, Laurent Francois, a French priest and doctor of the Sorbonne, was born at Ecouen, Jan. 24, 1679, and took his doctor's degree in 1706. He then gave himself up entirely to study, and in 1713 published, anonymously, his celebrated work, L'Action de Dieu sur les Creatures, which was attacked by Malebranche. He is also remarkable for the memorial presented by the Sorbonne to the czar Peter, upon. the occasion of his visit in 1717, and drawn up in a single night, upon the means of uniting the Russian and Roman churches. In 1729, he, together with many other doctors, was expelled from the Sorbonne for his opposition to the, bull Unigenitus. He died at Paris, Feb. 17, 1749. See Biog. Univ., s.v. 393.