Mathieu Marais (bapt. 11 October 1665,

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

-21 June 1737, Paris) was a French

jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyses and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal qualification in law and often a legal practitioner. In the Uni ...

and

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

at the

Parlement A ''parlement'' (), under the French Ancien Régime, was a provincial appellate court of the Kingdom of France. In 1789, France had 13 parlements, the oldest and most important of which was the Parlement of Paris. While both the modern Fre ...

of Paris. He is later known by the edition of his ''Journal and Memoirs'' by Mathurin de Lescures.

Life

Mathieu Marais was born in

, in the rue du Bouloi. His baptismal certificate was dated of October 11, 1665 at the Church of St Eustache of Paris. Because of the high

infant mortality Infant mortality is the death of young children under the age of 1. This death toll is measured by the infant mortality rate (IMR), which is the probability of deaths of children under one year of age per 1000 live births. The under-five morta ...

, infants were baptized the same day or a few days after their birth, so his date of birth is conjectured to be October 10. His father was Renault Marais,

prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the Civil law (legal system), civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the ...

at the

Grand Châtelet The Grand Châtelet was a stronghold in Ancien Régime Paris, on the right bank of the Seine, on the site of what is now the Place du Châtelet; it contained a court and police headquarters and a number of prisons. The original building on the s ...

, and his mother was Catherine-Françoise Billon. His

godparents In infant baptism and denominations of Christianity, a godparent (also known as a sponsor, or '' gossiprede'') is someone who bears witness to a child's christening and later is willing to help in their catechesis, as well as their lifelong ...

were Mathieu Billon, Parisian bourgeois, and Claude Billon, daughter of Guillaume Billon, the King's

candlemaker A chandlery was originally the office in a wealthy medieval household responsible for wax and candles, as well as the room in which the candles were kept. It could be headed by a chandler. The office was subordinated to the kitchen, and only exis ...

. He spent twelve years with the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

, then became a lawyer on November 22, 1688 before retiring in 1736. It was long thought that he ended his career as bâtonnier, but that was actually Jean Marais (or Marays). His nickname was "the lawyer of the women" (''l'avocat des dames''), because he pleaded for a lot of them. He aspired to

French Academy French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

. He was very fond of

Jean de La Fontaine Jean de La Fontaine (, , ; 8 July 162113 April 1695) was a French fabulist and one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. He is known above all for his ''Fables'', which provided a model for subsequent fabulists across Euro ...

, and the wrote an ''Histoire de la vie et des ouvrages de M. de La Fontaine'' (''History of The Life and Works of Mr. de La Fontaine'') published in 1811 by Simon Chardon de La Rochette. He was in contact with several personalities of his time, including

Nicolas Boileau Nicolas or Nicolás may refer to: People Given name * Nicolas (given name) Mononym * Nicolas (footballer, born 1999), Brazilian footballer * Nicolas (footballer, born 2000), Brazilian footballer Surname Nicolas * Dafydd Nicolas (c.1705–1774), ...

, the Chancellor d'Aguesseau, the Cardinal Polignac, the Viscount Charles-Henri-Gaspard de Saulx of Tavannes, and also the financier

Samuel Bernard Samuel Bernard (1651 in Sancerre – January 18, 1739, in Paris), Count of Coubert (1725), was a French noble and financier. Life Of Netherlands, Dutch origin, Samuel Bernard was the son of the painter and engraver Samuel-Jacques Bernard (1615- ...

. His greatest friend seems to have been president Bouhier to whom he, sick and dying, sent a letter on February 1, 1737, where are written journals of his hand; he recommends keeping them in his library of manuscripts so that they do not fall into the wrong hands. He would have contributed to the '' Mercure galant'' for the criticism of

Madame de Lambert Madame may refer to: * Madam, civility title or form of address for women, derived from the French * Madam (prostitution), a term for a woman who is engaged in the business of procuring prostitutes, usually the manager of a brothel * Madame (1961 ...

about Mr. de Sacy's translation of '' Panegyric of Trajan'' by

Pliny the Younger Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, born Gaius Caecilius or Gaius Caecilius Cilo (61 – c. 113), better known as Pliny the Younger (), was a lawyer, author, and magistrate of Ancient Rome. Pliny's uncle, Pliny the Elder, helped raise and educate ...

. As a friend of

Pierre Bayle Pierre Bayle (; 18 November 1647 – 28 December 1706) was a French philosopher, author, and lexicographer. A Huguenot, Bayle fled to the Dutch Republic in 1681 because of religious persecution in France. He is best known for his '' Historica ...

, he collaborated at the '' Historical and Critical Dictionary'' by writing the articles '' Henry III'', ''

Henry, Duke of Guise Henry I, Prince of Joinville, Duke of Guise, Count of Eu (31 December 1550 – 23 December 1588), sometimes called ('Scarface'), was the eldest son of Francis, Duke of Guise, and Anna d'Este. His maternal grandparents were Ercole II d'Este, Du ...

'' and '' Margaret, Queen of Navarre '' among others. His funeral took place at the same St Eustache Church where he was baptized.

Louis Gabriel Michaud Louis-Gabriel Michaud (19 January 1773, Castle Richemont – 8 March 1858) was a French writer, historian, printer, and bookseller. He was notable as the compiler of ''Biographie Universelle'' (1811–). Life He became a lieutenant on 15 July ...

, ''Biographie universelle ancienne et moderne'', vol.26, 1860.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marais, Mathieu 1665 births 1737 deaths 17th-century French writers 17th-century French male writers 18th-century French writers 18th-century French male writers French diarists French literary critics French male non-fiction writers 18th-century French letter writers 18th-century diarists 18th-century French memoirists