Étienne Dolet
Encyclopedia
Étienne Dolet was a French
scholar, translator
and printer
.
. A doubtful tradition makes him the illegitimate son of Francis I
; but it is evident that he was at least connected with some family of rank and wealth.
From Orléans he was taken to Paris about 1521, and after studying under Nicolas Bérauld, the teacher of Coligny
, he proceeded in 1526 to Padua
. The death of his friend and master, Simon de Villanova, led him, in 1530, to accept the post of secretary to Jean de Langeac, bishop of Limoges and French ambassador to the republic of Venice
; he contrived, however, to attend the lectures of the Venetian scholar Battista Egnazio, and found time to write Latin
love poems to a Venetian woman named Elena.
to study law
, where he soon became involved in the violent disputes between the different nations of the university. As a result of these he was thrown into prison and finally banished by a decree of the parlement. He entered the lists against Erasmus in the famous Ciceronian controversy
, in which he took an ultra-Ciceronian stance. In 1535 he published through Sébastien Gryphe
at Lyon
a Dialogus de imitatione Ciceroniana. The following year saw the appearance of his two folio volumes Commentariorum linguae Latinae. This work was dedicated to Francis I, who gave him the privilege of printing during ten years any works in Latin, Greek
, Italian
or French
, which were the product of his own pen or had received his supervision; and accordingly, on his release from an imprisonment occasioned by his homicide
of a painter named Compaing, he began at Lyon his typographical and editorial labours.
in Latin to Rabelais
in French. But before the term of his privilege expired his labours were interrupted by his enemies, who succeeded in imprisoning him (1542) on the charge of atheism
.
, the queen of Navarre
and the parlement of Paris, he was again arrested, and branded as a relapsed atheist by the theological faculty of the Sorbonne
. On 3 August 1546 (his 37th birthday), he was strangled and burned in the Place Maubert. On his way there he is said to have composed the punning pentameter Non dolet ipse Dolet, sed pia turba dolet.
or with the advocates of anti-Christian rationalism
has been frequently disputed; by the principal Protestants of his own time he was not recognized, and by Calvin
he was formally condemned, along with Agrippa and his master Villanova
, as having uttered execrable blasphemies against the Son of God. The religious character of a large number of the books which he translated or published is sometimes noted in opposition to these charges, as is his advocacy of reading the Scriptures in the vernacular tongue.
Dolet has been referred to as an Anti-Trinitarian.
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, translator
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
and printer
Printer (publisher)
In publishing, printers are both companies providing printing services and individuals who directly operate printing presses. With the invention of the moveable type printing press by Johannes Gutenberg around 1450, printing—and printers—proliferated throughout Europe.Today, printers are found...
.
Early life
He was born in OrléansOrléans
-Prehistory and Roman:Cenabum was a Gallic stronghold, one of the principal towns of the Carnutes tribe where the Druids held their annual assembly. It was conquered and destroyed by Julius Caesar in 52 BC, then rebuilt under the Roman Empire...
. A doubtful tradition makes him the illegitimate son of Francis I
Francis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...
; but it is evident that he was at least connected with some family of rank and wealth.
From Orléans he was taken to Paris about 1521, and after studying under Nicolas Bérauld, the teacher of Coligny
Gaspard de Coligny
Gaspard de Coligny , Seigneur de Châtillon, was a French nobleman and admiral, best remembered as a disciplined Huguenot leader in the French Wars of Religion.-Ancestry:...
, he proceeded in 1526 to Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
. The death of his friend and master, Simon de Villanova, led him, in 1530, to accept the post of secretary to Jean de Langeac, bishop of Limoges and French ambassador to the republic of Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
; he contrived, however, to attend the lectures of the Venetian scholar Battista Egnazio, and found time to write Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
love poems to a Venetian woman named Elena.
Writings
Returning to France soon afterwards he proceeded to ToulouseToulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
to study law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, where he soon became involved in the violent disputes between the different nations of the university. As a result of these he was thrown into prison and finally banished by a decree of the parlement. He entered the lists against Erasmus in the famous Ciceronian controversy
Ciceroniamus
Ciceronianus is a treatise written by Desiderius Erasmus and published in 1528. It which attacks the style of Latin written during the early 16th century, which style attempted to ape Cicero's Latin. As Cicero lived before Christ, Erasmus claimed his Latin was pagan, and therefore unsuited to...
, in which he took an ultra-Ciceronian stance. In 1535 he published through Sébastien Gryphe
Sébastien Gryphe
Sebastian Gryphius was a German bookseller-printer and humanist.- Biography :He was the son of Michael Greyff , and learned from him the new craft of printing, in Germany and then in Venice...
at Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
a Dialogus de imitatione Ciceroniana. The following year saw the appearance of his two folio volumes Commentariorum linguae Latinae. This work was dedicated to Francis I, who gave him the privilege of printing during ten years any works in Latin, Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
or French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, which were the product of his own pen or had received his supervision; and accordingly, on his release from an imprisonment occasioned by his homicide
Homicide
Homicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...
of a painter named Compaing, he began at Lyon his typographical and editorial labours.
Cato christianus
He endeavoured to conciliate his opponents by publishing a Cato christianus, in which he made profession of his creed. The catholicity of his literary appreciation, was soon displayed by the works which proceeded from his press: ancient and modern, sacred and secular, from the New TestamentNew Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
in Latin to Rabelais
François Rabelais
François Rabelais was a major French Renaissance writer, doctor, Renaissance humanist, monk and Greek scholar. He has historically been regarded as a writer of fantasy, satire, the grotesque, bawdy jokes and songs...
in French. But before the term of his privilege expired his labours were interrupted by his enemies, who succeeded in imprisoning him (1542) on the charge of atheism
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
.
Further imprisonment and death
After imprisonment for fifteen months, Dolet was released by the advocacy of Pierre Duchatel, Bishop of Tulle. He escaped from a second imprisonment (1544) by his own ingenuity, but, venturing back from Piedmont, whence he had fled in order to print at Lyon the letters by which he appealed for justice to the king of FranceFrancis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...
, the queen of Navarre
Marguerite de Navarre
Marguerite de Navarre , also known as Marguerite of Angoulême and Margaret of Navarre, was the queen consort of Henry II of Navarre...
and the parlement of Paris, he was again arrested, and branded as a relapsed atheist by the theological faculty of the Sorbonne
Collège de Sorbonne
The Collège de Sorbonne was a theological college of the University of Paris, founded in 1257 by Robert de Sorbon, after whom it is named. With the rest of the Paris colleges, it was suppressed during the French Revolution. It was restored in 1808 but finally closed in 1882. The name Sorbonne...
. On 3 August 1546 (his 37th birthday), he was strangled and burned in the Place Maubert. On his way there he is said to have composed the punning pentameter Non dolet ipse Dolet, sed pia turba dolet.
Religious views
Whether Dolet is to be classed with the representatives of ProtestantismProtestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
or with the advocates of anti-Christian rationalism
Rationalism
In epistemology and in its modern sense, rationalism is "any view appealing to reason as a source of knowledge or justification" . In more technical terms, it is a method or a theory "in which the criterion of the truth is not sensory but intellectual and deductive"...
has been frequently disputed; by the principal Protestants of his own time he was not recognized, and by Calvin
John Calvin
John Calvin was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism. Originally trained as a humanist lawyer, he broke from the Roman Catholic Church around 1530...
he was formally condemned, along with Agrippa and his master Villanova
Villanova
Villanova may refer to:In botany:*Villanova, a genus of plants in the family Phyllanthaceae, an invalid name replaced by Flueggea, or bushweed*Villanova , a genus of plants in the family Asteraceae.In education:*St...
, as having uttered execrable blasphemies against the Son of God. The religious character of a large number of the books which he translated or published is sometimes noted in opposition to these charges, as is his advocacy of reading the Scriptures in the vernacular tongue.
Dolet has been referred to as an Anti-Trinitarian.
Legacy
The trial of Dolet was published (1836) by A.H. Taillandier from the registers of the parlement of Paris. A statue of Dolet was erected on the Place Maubert in Paris in 1889.Further reading
- Boulmier, Joseph, E. Dolet, sa vie, ses oeuvres, son martyre (1857)
- Christie, Richard CopleyRichard Copley ChristieRichard Copley Christie was an English lawyer, University teacher, philanthropist and bibliophile.He was born at Lenton in Nottinghamshire, the son of a mill owner. He was educated at Lincoln College, Oxford where he was tutored by Mark Pattison, and was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1857...
, Étienne Dolet, the Martyr of the Renaissance (2nd ed., 1889), containing a full bibliography of works published by him as author or printer; - Didot, Ambroise Firmin, Essai sur la typographie (1852)
- Galtier, O., Étienne Dolet (Paris, 1908).
- Michel, L., Dolet: sa statue, place Maubert: ses amis, ses ennemis (1889)
- Née de la Rochelle, J.F., Vie d'Éienne Dolet (1779)