Pierre Thomas
Encyclopedia
Pierre Thomas, sieur du Fossé (1634–1698) was a French
scholar and author, and was the son of a master of accounts at Rouen
. He was sent as a child to be educated to the Jansenists at Port-Royal des Champs. There he received his bent towards the life of a recluse, and even of a hermit, which drew him to establish himself in the neighborhood of Port-Royal des Champs. There he associated with Louis-Sébastien Le Nain de Tillemont
, Antoine Singlin
, Robert Arnauld d'Andilly
and Antoine Le Maistre
.
In 1661 he came to Paris
, and in 1666 was arrested along with Louis-Isaac Lemaistre de Sacy
, and after a month in the Bastille
was exiled to his estate of Fossé
near Forges-les-Eaux
. He later made yearly visits to Paris during the winter months. Apart from his collaboration with de Sacy on a French translation of the Bible
, Thomas wrote some hagiographic works and left Mémoires (1697–1698 and again 1876–1879), which are highly praised by Sainte-Beuve as being a remarkable mirror of the life at Port-Royal.
He also wrote under the pseudonymes Pierre Thomas Beaulieu and Pierre Thomas La Motte.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
scholar and author, and was the son of a master of accounts at Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
. He was sent as a child to be educated to the Jansenists at Port-Royal des Champs. There he received his bent towards the life of a recluse, and even of a hermit, which drew him to establish himself in the neighborhood of Port-Royal des Champs. There he associated with Louis-Sébastien Le Nain de Tillemont
Louis-Sébastien Le Nain de Tillemont
Louis-Sébastien Le Nain de Tillemont was a French ecclesiastical historian.He was born in Paris into a wealthy Jansenist family, and was educated at the Petites écoles of Port-Royal, where his historical interests were formed and encouraged...
, Antoine Singlin
Antoine Singlin
Antoine Singlin was a French Jansenist Catholic priest, best known as a member of the Jansenist community at Port-Royal-des-Champs and as head of the Petites écoles de Port-Royal ....
, Robert Arnauld d'Andilly
Robert Arnauld d'Andilly
Robert Arnauld d’Andilly was a French conseiller d’État, specialising in financial questions, in the court of Marie de' Medici. By the elegance of his language, he was among the major poets, writers and translators of 17th century French classicism...
and Antoine Le Maistre
Antoine Le Maistre
Antoine Le Maistre was a French Jansenist lawyer, author and translator. His name has also been written Lemaistre and Le Maître, and he sometimes used the pseudonym of Lamy.-Background and early life:...
.
In 1661 he came to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and in 1666 was arrested along with Louis-Isaac Lemaistre de Sacy
Louis-Isaac Lemaistre de Sacy
Louis-Isaac Lemaistre de Sacy , a priest of Port-Royal, was a theologian and French humanist. He is best known for his translation of the Bible the most widespread French Bible in the 18th century, also known as the Bible de Port-Royal.-Biography:Louis-Isaac Lemaistre de Sacy was born in Paris, one...
, and after a month in the Bastille
Bastille
The Bastille was a fortress in Paris, known formally as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. The Bastille was built in response to the English threat to the city of...
was exiled to his estate of Fossé
Fossé
Fossé may refer to the following communes in France:* Fossé, Ardennes, in the Ardennes department* Fossé, Loir-et-Cher, in the Loir-et-Cher department* Le Fossé, in the Seine-Maritime department...
near Forges-les-Eaux
Forges-les-Eaux
Forges-les-Eaux is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:A farming and spa town, with considerable light industry, situated by the banks of the rivers Andelle and Epte, in the Pays de Bray, some southeast of Dieppe, at the junction...
. He later made yearly visits to Paris during the winter months. Apart from his collaboration with de Sacy on a French translation of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, Thomas wrote some hagiographic works and left Mémoires (1697–1698 and again 1876–1879), which are highly praised by Sainte-Beuve as being a remarkable mirror of the life at Port-Royal.
He also wrote under the pseudonymes Pierre Thomas Beaulieu and Pierre Thomas La Motte.