Perard-castel, Francis

Perard-Castel, Francis, a French canonist, was born at Vire in 1647. Admitted to the bar in Paris, he entered into a business relating to benefices, under the direction of his uncle, banker to the court of Rome, to whom he soon succeeded. He afterwards became a lawyer to the grand council, and, exhausted by labor and too close application, he died at Paris in 1687. We have of his works, Paraphase sur le Commentaire de Dumoulin ad Regulas Cancellarice (Paris, 1683 or 1685, fol.): — Remarques sur les Definitions du droit Cunonique (de Desmaisons) (ibid. 1700, fol.), "a work which is of more value," says Camus, "than the Definitions themselves;" the first edition, without notes, is 1668, 4to; the second, 1674, 3 small vols. 4to: — Nouveau recueil de plusieurs questions notables sur les matieres

benficiales (ibid. 1689, 2 vols. fol.): — Traite sommaire de Vusage et de la pratique de la coup de Rome pour l'expedition des signatures et provisions des benefices de France (ibid. 1717, 2 vols. 12mo), with remarks by Guill. Nover. Some authors believe that the latter work is by Castel, uncle of Perard, who may have corrected it. See Denys-Simon, Biblioth. Hist. des Auteurs de Droit; Camus, Biblioth. d'un Avocat; Richard et Simon, Biblioth. sacree.