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Font THE NEW SCHAFF-HERZOG 338 Foot-Washing bon, 1564) and his Commentarii in libros metaphysi corum Aristotelis Stagiritce (4 vols., Rome, 1577-89). He originated the theory of the " mediate knowl edge of God," or the knowledge of the potential or what might have occurred either by itself or under certain conditions, but did not-a theory later developed by his fellow Jesuit, Luis Molina (q.v.). 2. Antonio da Fonseca Soares: Portuguese Fran ciscan, poet and devotional author; b. at Vidigueira, (13 m. n.e. of Beja) June 25,1631; d. Oct. 29,1682, as rector of the theological seminary of Torres Vedras (25 m. n.w. of Lisbon). 3. Josh Maria da Fonseca: Portuguese Francis can historian; b. at Evora (75 m. s.e. of Lisbon) Dec. 3, 1690, founded the library of the monastery of Ara Caeli, continued L. Wadding's Annales Mino rum from 1731 to 1740 and died as bishop of Porto in 1752. ~ (O. ZbcgLi·;Rj'.) FONT. See BAPTIBTExY. FOR TAftUS, JOHANNES: Reformed preacher; b. at Zoller, in 'the duchy of Jiilich, 1545; d. 1615. He studied theology at Heidelberg, especially under Zacharias Ureinus, who Latinized his name Piits, into Fontanus. In his twenty-third year he fin ished his studies and became teacher and preacher in the seminary of Neuhausen near Worms, but after the death of Elector Frederick III. was ex pelled by Ludwig VI., who was a Lutheran. Count John the Older of Nassau-Catzellelabogen re ceived him into his country, with other preachers exiled from the Palatinate, and made him preacher in Keppel in the principality of Siegen. But Fontanus remained here only a short time. When in the beginning of 1578 the estates of the province of Geldern and of the county of Ziitphenelected Count John as their viceregent, he took Fontanus along; and under the count's protection the latter organized a Reformed congregation in Arnhem and became its pastor. It grew rapidly under his able direction; and the influence of Fontanus extended over the Church of the whole province, and even beyond its borders. At the first general synod of the whole Reformed Church in the three principali ties of Jiilich, Cleves, and Berg, held at Duisberg in 1610, with Dr. Abraham Scultetua, court preacher of Elector Frederick V. of the Palatinate, he ad vised on the organization of the congregations. When, in consequence of the Arminian movement, the secular authorities tried to interfere with the inner affairs of the Calvinistic Church, Fontanlta stood with great energy for the autonomy of the Church. He was also influential in bringing about a meeting of the strictly Reformed pastors in 1615 at Amsterdam to pass resolutions against the ad herents of Arminius, whom the government pro tected. He established a high school at Haderwyk and was its curator for fourteen years. (F. W. CuNOt.) BIBI.rndalPnY; J. W . Staats fivers, J. Fontanua, Arnhem's Berate Predikant, Arnhem, 1882; A. J. van der As, Bio praphiaeh T--VoordenGoek, vi. 159 sqq., Haarlem, 1859; G. G. van Prinsterer, Archives ou Correapondance dnFdite de to Maiaon d'Oraage Nassau, lat ser., vola. vu., viii., 14 voh., Utrecht, 1835-62. FONTEVRAULT, ORDER OF (ORDO FONTIS EBRALDI): A Roman Catholic order, founded to

the closing years of the eleventh century by Robert d'Arbrissel, who was born at Arbrissel (the modern Arbreaec, in the diocese of Rennes) about 1047 and died in 1117. He was educated at Paris, and at the age of thirty-eight was appointed by Sylvester, bishop of Rennes, vicar-general for the administration of the diocese. Resigning from this office, he taught theology at Angers for a time, and finally retired to a hermit's life in the forest of Craon (Department of Mayenne). He gathered a band of followers, whom he formed, about 1094, into a community of canons regular. Robert built a number of cloisters, of which the most important was that at Fontkvrault (8 m. s.e. of Saumur), consisting of a " great minater," dedicated to the Virgin and containing accommodations for 300 widows and virgins; an infirmary dedicated to St. Lazarus and receiving 120 sick or lepers; and a home for magdalens. A monastery with 200 monks was built beside the " great minater," but was subordinate to it, while the great church, dedicated by Calixtus II. in person in 1109, was for the entire community. In 1106 the order was confirmed by Paschal IL, and in 1113 was withdrawn from the jurisdiction of the ordinaries, whereupon Robert appointed Petronella de Craon-Chemill6 first abbess and prepared a rule. The members of the Order, who were called pauperes Christi, were subject to restrictions of extreme asceticism, but the distinctive characteristic was the union of nunneries and monasteries under the control of an abbess, together with the most rigid separation of monks and nuns. The Order was under special protection of the Virgin. At the death of Robert, Fontkvrault is said to have contained 3,000 nuns, while in the cloister were the tombs of several of the Plantagenet kings of England.

The Order of FontAvrault never spread widely outside of France, although it included fifty-seven priories in four provinces at the beginning of the eighteenth century. _ The congregations of Savigny, St. Sulpice, Tiron, and Cadouin had been formed as early as the twelfth century, and drifted away from the Order, which was not altogether free from disputes between the abbesses and the heads of the subordinate monasteries. The French Revolu tion annihilated the Order, and the last, abbess, Julie Sofie Charlotte de Pardaillan, died in desti tution in Paris in 1799, while the cloister was turned into a prison. (O. ZOCKLERt.) BIBLIOGRAPHY: Helyot, (7rdres monaetiquea, vi. 83 aqq. Heimbueher, Orden and Kougreeationen, i. 417-419; O. ZSCkler; Aakeae and Monchtum, pp. 419-422, Frankfort, 1897; Hauck-Herzog, RE, vi. 125 gives a list of the older literature on the order. The Life of Robert d'Arbrisael,

by Roberta von Beda Plaine, is in the biemoirea of the Association bretonne, 1876, and a Vita is in Mittheitungen aua den Benediktina- and Cisterciena-0rden, vi (1886),84 eqq.

FONZI0, BARTOLOMEO. See ITALY, Tat; RExORMATION IN, § 3. -

FOOLS, FEAST OF (Festum stultorum, fatuorum, Jollorum; F(Ate des foux): A Christian survival of the old Roman Saturnalia. In the early Church participation in all heathen festivals was strongly interdicted, but there is evidence that about the year 200 there were Christians who still longed for the amusements of this season (Tertullian, De idololatria, xliv.). By the fourth century it was