BOLLANDIST FATHERS, The, the authors of the famous Acta Sanctorum. During the Roman Catholic revival in the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17 th centuries a great number of martyrologies were published, and it occurred to a Jesuit father, Heribert Rosweyd, to collect all the various legends about the martyrs and saints of the church into one great standard martyrology, which he proposed should fill 18 vols, folio. Rosweyd died in 1629 without having been able to carry out his plan. His idea, however, was taken up by John Bolland, a Jesuit father of the Low Countries, who had settled in Antwerp. He began an extensive correspondence, writing to every one throughout Europe who he supposed was able to help him. The public libraries and the libraries of convents and churches were thoroughly examined for MSS. about saints and martyrs, and so much material was found that the original plan of the work was soon widened. The groundplan of the undertaking was to form a huge calendar, giving the life and deeds of each saint under the heading of the day set apart by the church for his honour. In 1643 the first two volumes were published, containing the saints’ days in January. Bolland died soon after the beginning of his labour, but not until he had seen the work fairly started; other deaths followed, but the work was prosecuted in accordance with the original plan, and went on prosperously until 1773, when the troubles which then overtook the Jesuits affected the Bollandists also. The little company struggled on, however, amid many difficulties until 1794, when they were dispersed; and the whole of the MS. collections w ere destroyed during the French invasion of the Netherlands. At this time 54 vols, had been published, bringing the work down to the 15th of October....