François Gayot de Pitaval (Lyon, 1673 - 1743), French lawyer.
Lawyer and author of the XVIIIe century. It made its studies in Paris to become Abée, but left the religion for the army. At 50 years, it taken again studies to become lawyer. In addition to its traditional of the famous Causes, which one finds inter alia the lawsuit of Martin Guerre, it wrote many books of historical, gallant and poetic anecdotes.
Publications
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Question of Estat: Girl claimed by two mothers. (1716)
- New Collection Of Enigmas (1721)
- Library of people of course, OR MIXES CURIOUS. WITTY REMARKS Of HENRI IV, OF LOUIS XIV, SEVERAL PRINCES & SEIGEURS OF the COURT, & OTHER FAMOUS PEOPLE. (1723, reed. 1732) - 6 volumes
- Art to decorate the spirit by amusing it, or new choice of sharp features, saillans & light, either in worms, or in prose. (1729) - 2 volumes
- Spirit of the pleasant conversations, New mixture of thoughts chosen, in worms and proses, serious and enjouées, intéressans, of singular anecdote, historiette instructive and critical remarks on several works. (1731) -2 volumes
- New mixture of thoughts chosen, in worms and proses, serious and enjouées, intéressans, of singular anecdote, historiette instructive and critical remarks on several works. (1732) - 2tomes
- the critical Aristarque forgery recognized, or letters on the dictionary neologic; Pants-Phoebus; the speech of Mathanasius; voyages from both GULLIVER…. of the abbot Desfontaines/Greek Anecdotes, or adventures secret of Aridée. (1733) - 2 volumes
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famous and interesting Causes, with the jugemens which decided them (1734-1741 in 18 volumes) .
Quotation
- “I would like as much to ask an old man: “which day will you die? ” To ask a pretty woman who is not too young: “Which day are you born?”. ” Gayot de Pitaval (1675)" It is necessary to acknowledge that its taste and its talents were poor; but what to make the most contributed it treat without care, it is that he believed himself most clever of the writers and did not hide any. It had even set up judges some on the Parnassus, and criticized the writers boldly more célèbres." (Quérard according to Biogr. univ.). -----