Strength and simplicity Bossuet’s initial reception in England, 1672–1686

This article focuses on the early reception of Bossuet in England, especially between the translations by W. Montagu (1672) and J. Johnston (1685). These texts are placed in their political and literary ­contexts. Their rhetorical devices produce a simplicity that is both literary and religious-political. J. Dryden’s work represents a case study of the relevance of this transnational gaze that encompasses the translation and ­confessional scope of these French texts.