1566-1571, in 3 vols. by de Laderchi, and in the 19th century down to A.D. 1585 in 3 vols. by August Theiner. A new edition was published by Mansi (43 vols., 1738 ff.), with Raynaldi’s continuation and Pagi’s criticism.--During the 17th century the French Catholic scholars bore the palm as writers of Church history. The course was opened in general church history by the Dominican =Natalis Alexander=, a learned man, but writing a stiff scholastic style (_Selecta hist. eccl. capita et diss. hist. chron. et dogm._ 24 vols., Par., 1676 ff.). This first edition, on account of its Gallicanism was forbidden at Rome; a later one by Roncaglia of Lucca, with corrective notes, was allowed to pass. Sebast. le Nain de =Tillemont=, with the conscientiousness of his Jansenist faith, gave an account of early church history in a cleverly grouped series of carefully selected authorities (_Memoires pour servir à l’hist. eccl. des six premiers siècles, justifiés par les citations des auteurs originaux._ 16 vols., Par., 1693 ff.). =Bossuet= wrote, for the instruction of the Dauphin, what Hase has styled “an ecclesiastical history of the world with eloquent dialectic and with an insight into the ways of providence, as if the wise Bishop of Meaux had been in the secrets not only of the king’s but also of God’s councils” (_Discours sur l’hist. universelle depuis le commencement du monde jusqu’à l’empire de Charles M._ Par., 1681). =Claude Fleury=, aiming at edification, proceeds in flowing and diffuse periods (_Histoire ecclst._ 20 vols., Par., 1691 ff.).--The history of the French Church (A.D. 1580) ascribed, probably erroneously, to Theodore Beza, the successor of Calvin, marks the beginning of the writing of ecclesiastical history in the Reformed Church. During the 17th century it secured an eminence in the department of church history, especially on account of learned special researches (§ 160, 7), but also to some extent in the domain of general church history. =J. H. Hottinger= overloaded his _Hist. ecclst. N. T._ (9 vols., Fig., 1651 ff.) by dragging in the history of Judaism, and Paganism, and even of Mohammedanism, with much irrelevant matter of that sort. Superior to it were the works of =Friedr. Spanheim= (_Summa hist. eccl._ Leyd., 1689) =Jas. Basnage= (_Hist. de l’égl._ 2 vols., Rotd., 1699). Most important of all were the keen criticism of the Annals of Baronius by =Isaac Casaubon= (_Exercitt. Baronianæ._ Lond., 1614), and by =Sam. Basnage= (_Exercitt. hist. crit._ Traj., 1692; and _Annales polit. ecclst._ 3 vols., Rotd., 1706).