VOLNEY

VOLNEY (1757-1820), French philosopher, born at Craon; travelled in Egypt and Syria; wrote an account of his travels in his "Voyage"; was imprisoned during the Reign of Terror; patronised and promoted to honour by Napoleon, and by the Bourbons on their return; his principal work, "LES RUINES, OU MÉDITATIONS SUR LES RÉVOLUTIONS DES EMPIRES," was an embodiment of 18th-century enlightenment.