about 1684 dupin conceived the idea of his "nouvelle bibliothèque des auteurs ecclésiastiques ", the first volume of which appeared in 1686. in it he treated simultaneously biography, literary criticism, and the history of dogma; in this he was a pioneer leaving far behind him all previous efforts, catholic or protestant, which were still under the influence of the scholastic method. he was also the first to publish such a collection in a modern language. unfortunately he was young and worked rapidly. in this way errors crept into his writings and his productions were violently attacked.