Arthur Lawrence McMahon

“ The first volumes of the history brought him letters of commendation and praise from Pope Innocent XI and many cardinals, but later volumes gave offence at Rome because of the author's Gallicanism, and Innocent XI finally forbade (13 July 1684) the faithful to read the history under pain of excommunication. In the preface to the third edition (Paris, 1699, eight folio volumes) Father Alexander submitted fully to the judgment of the Holy See, and in some scholia added to the dissertations showed that in some instances he had been criticized and judged unjustly. ”

“ Persuaded by that generous promoter of learning, the great French minister, Jean Baptiste Colbert, to enter the society of savants of which the Abbé Colbert (later Archbishop of Rouen) was the central figure, he lectured before it on particular events of history with such success that he was urged to write a complete history after the method that he had followed in his lecture. ”

“ He was appointed, 19 March, 1606, by Paul V, to the Archbishopric of Trani, where he passed the remainder of his life. Besides (1) a commentary on Isaias, and (2) a manual for preachers, he published: (3) "De auxiliis divinæ gratiæ et humani arbitrii viribus et libertate, ac legitimâ ejus cum efficaciâ eorumdem auxiliorum concordiâ libri XII" (Rome, 1610; Lyons, 1620; Douai, 1635) ”