the Fourth Week of Advent
Click here to join the effort!
Bible Encyclopedias
Francois de La Mothe Le Vayer
1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
or FRANCOIS DE LA MOTHE LE VAYER (1588-1672), French writer, was born in Paris of a noble family of Maine. His father was an avocat at the parlement of Paris and author of a curious treatise on the functions of ambassadors, entitled Legatus, seu De legatorum privilegiis, officio et munere libellus (1579) and illustrated mainly from ancient history. Francois succeeded his father at the parlement, but gave up his post about 1647 and devoted himself to travel and belles lettres. His Considerations sur l'eloquence francaise (1638) procured him admission to the Academy, and his De l'instruction de Mgr. le Dauphin (1640) attracted the attention of Richelieu. In 1649 Anne of Austria entrusted him with the education of her second son and subsequently with the completion of Louis XIV.'s education, which had been very much neglected. The outcome of his pedagogic labours was a series of books comprising the Geographie, Rhetorique, Morale, Economique, Politique, Logique, and Physique du prince (1651-1658). The king rewarded his tutor by appointing him historiographer of France and councillor of state. La Mothe Le Vayer died in Paris. Modest, sceptical, and occasionally obscene in his Latin pieces and in his verses, he made himself a persona grata at the French court, where libertinism in ideas and morals was hailed with relish. Besides his educational works, he wrote Jugement sur les anciens et principaux historiens grecs et latins (1646); a. treatise entitled Du peu de certitude qu'il y a en histoire (1668), which in a sense marks the beginning of historical criticism in France; and sceptical Dialogues, published posthumously under the pseudonym of Orosius Tubero. An incomplete edition of his works was published at Dresden in 1756-1759.
See Bayle, Dictionnaire critique, article "Vayer"; L. Etienne, Essai sur La Mothe Le Vayer (Paris, 1849).
These files are public domain.
Chisholm, Hugh, General Editor. Entry for 'Francois de La Mothe Le Vayer'. 1911 Encyclopedia Britanica. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/bri/f/francois-de-la-mothe-le-vayer.html. 1910.
