François de La Mothe Le Vayer
François de La Mothe Le Vayer was a notable French writer and philosopher born in Paris in 1588, hailing from an aristocratic family. Initially educated for a career in law, he ultimately chose to pursue his passion for writing, resigning from his legal post in 1647. La Mothe was a close associate of feminist writer Marie Le Jars de Gournay and was influenced by her intellectual pursuits. He gained recognition for his successful work on the French language, *Considérations sur l'éloquence française*, published in 1638, which led to his induction into the French Academy.
His role as an educator was significant; he served as a tutor to the royal children of Anne of Austria, including the future Louis XIV. La Mothe's prolific output included various pedagogical works and writings on philosophy, where he embraced a skeptical viewpoint. His notable publications included *Des Anciens et Principaux historiens grecs et latins* in 1646 and *Du peu de certitude qu'il y a en histoire* in 1668, the latter being recognized as one of the first instances of historical criticism in France. La Mothe's philosophical contributions established him as a vital link between earlier thinkers like Montaigne and later philosophers such as Pierre Bayle, shaping the intellectual landscape leading into the Enlightenment. He passed away on May 9, 1672, leaving behind a legacy as a respected grammarian, critic, and skeptic.
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François de La Mothe Le Vayer
Writer
- Born: August 1, 1588
- Birthplace: Paris, France
- Died: May 9, 1672
- Place of death: Paris, France
Biography
François de La Mothe Le Vayer was born in Paris in 1588. His family was from Maine, France, and belonged to the aristocracy. His father was a magistrate. La Mothe was educated for a career in law and succeeded his father. He had, however, no particularly affinity for the law. His real interest was in writing. In 1647, he resigned his post and devoted the rest of his life to writing. His predilection for writing may have been influenced by his father, who wrote a treatise on the functions of ambassadors.
La Mothe was a close friend of Marie Le Jars de Gournay, a woman of letters. She was a feminist who was interested in the study of language and edited the Essais of Michel de Montaigne in 1595. When she died in 1645, she left her large collection of books to La Mothe. In 1638, La Mothe published a work on the French language, Considérations sur l’éloquence française. As a result of the success of this work, La Mothe was elected to the French Academy; he was inducted on February 14, 1639.
The following year (1640), he published a pedagogical work, De l’instruction de Mgr. Le Dauphin. This treatise brought him to the attention of Cardinal Armand Jean Du Plessis de Richelieu and later resulted in his appointment as tutor to the royal children. In 1649, Anne of Austria, Queen of France, employed him to teach her younger son and then placed him in charge of the education of her older son, who would become Louis XIV. From 1651 to 1658, La Mothe wrote a series of pedagogical works: La Géographie, Morale, Rhétorique, Economique, Politique, Logique, and Physique du prince. Louis XIV appointed him historiographer of France and councilor of state.
La Mothe died on May 9,1672. He was highly respected for his writing as a grammarian, a critic and a philosopher. In addition to his works on the French language and pedagogy, he wrote on philosophy. In 1646, he published Des Anciens et Principaux historiens grecs et latins dont il nous reste quelques ouvrages. In 1668, he published what may be considered the first historical criticism in France, Du peu de certitude qu’il y a en histoire.
As a philosopher, La Mothe was a skeptic and pleaded the case of skepticism in his works. He lived at a court that was imbued with a strong and intolerant Catholicism; however, he managed to dismiss with little difficulty any suspicions of atheism which were voiced against him. His Quatre Dialogues faits à l’imitation des anciens (four dialogues in imitation of the ancients) is a valuable source of his skeptical philosophy.
La Mothe is important as a philosopher because he provides the link between Montaigne and Pierre Bayle, whose work provided the foundation for the philosophic spirit of the eighteenth century.