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Cotton (or Coton), Pierre

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a French theologian, was born at Neronde, in Forez, in 1564. He studied in Paris and Bourges, went to Turin, and there joined the Jesuit order, against the wishes of his father. After staying some time at Milan, Rome, and other cities of Italy, he went to France, where he preached with success, was received at the court, and gained the confidence of Henry IV, whom he accompanied in his travels as confessor. Cotton refused the archbishopric of Aries and the cardinalate. At the time of the murder of Henry by Ravaillac, May 14, 1610, Cotton attempted to defend his order from the accusations made against them, by a work entitled Lettre Declaratoire de la D)octrine des Peres Jesuites (Paris, 1610). When Albert of Luynes became strongly influential with Louis, Cotton retired from the court, and went to visit the house of the novices of his order at Lyons, where he remained for some time, and finally devoted himself to missionary work in the south of France and in Italy. At length he went to Paris, where he preached before the king. He died in that city, March 19, 1626. Besides the above, Cotton wrote: Institution Catholique, in opposition to Calvin's Institutions: — Geneve Plagiaire, against the-Geneva Bible translation (Paris, 1618), which called forth a rejoinder by B. Turretin: — Defense de la Fidelite des Traductions de la Bible Faites a Geneve (Geneva, 1619): — Sermon aux les Principales et Plus Difficiles Matieres de la Foi (Paris). See Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, s.v.