Georges de Brébeuf

Georges de Brébeuf (1618 -1681), nephew of Jean de Brébeuf, is a French poet born in the Manche and died close to Caen. Literary event, its translation of the Pharsale of Lucain was greeted by Corneille. Boileau, on the other hand, ridiculed it in its poetic Art before recognizing certain qualities in its epigrams to him: " In spite of its will fatras obscure, often Brébeuf étincelle". (extracted from a dictionary of 1876, which moreover the known as born one in Torigni-sur-Vire).

Conjectures about its birth and its family

Various writings, notes of scholars more or less selective, each one obviously incomplete, coming some from the Files of the Handle, of the Apple-brandy, others of the Files and Library Main roads give their lighting. And R. Harmand, which uses the majority of these sources for its Test in 1897 on Georges de Brébeuf, and who specifies first of all that, among his biographers, " the ones call it Georges and the others Guillaume ".

Was it really born with Torigni-sur-Vire (in the past Thorigny) or Holy-Suzanne-on-Transfers, parish where were numerous Brébeuf? Subject of discussion which finished forever.

The father of the poet was lawyer with Thorigny according to a document of 1622 (A.D. Saint-Lo), and the ratification of its treaty of marriage took place there the 29 janv. 1616 (A.N.) - a long time after the marriage, it was very frequent. Is that enough to say that it remained in Thorigny and that his/her Georges son was born there, even if other acts relating to Brébeuf took place there? Impossible for R. Harmand to check it, because the registers start only at the end of the 18th century. R. Harmand then considered the notes of Mr. Lepingard (Company of Archeology of Saint-Lo) which came from research on the common neighbors. Appear in particular of many Brébeuf in the parochial registers of Holy-Suzanne-on-Transfers:

Baptisms: March 12th, 1618, Jean de Brébeuf, wire of Robert and Marguerite Lecarpentier - Dec. 17, 1620, Genevieve, girl of same (another source: Marguerite of Vernissière), the notes indicate Jean, brother of the poet and Genevieve, undoubtedly her sister without more - August 8th, 1624, Joachim, wire of Robert and Marguerite of Vernissière (in copies of Lepingard) - before, August 16th, 1616, Georges de Brébeuf, wire of Georges and Genevieve d' Emery (it thus seems a homonym of the poet).

Other copies: Robert married in 1st weddings with Marguerite Lecarpentier, of which is resulting Jean (March 12th, 1618), and in 2des weddings with Marguerite of Vernissière, of which is resulting Genevieve (Dec. 17, 1620). A genealogy (A.D. of Cdos, B. NR.) which is interested only in the male descent, allots to Robert and Marguerite Lecarpentier the Georges children (with the detail: Sr of Boissets , the author of…), Jean, Joachim and another Gilles son (without dates and indication of a 2de wife), with marriage in 1605 in Thorigny (but on Nov. 20, 1607 according to Lepingard).

To note that there is also Nicolas, wire of Robert, born on June 23rd, 1630 (buried “on June 23rd, 1691 at 61 years the day and the month of its birth”), which was prior-priest with Venoix, where the poet withdrew himself and there is deceased (bibl. of Bayeux). Other authentic sources lead to two girls: Madeleine (bride with Condé-sur-Vire in 1654) and Genevieve (bride with the even place in 1643) - without any doubt, by steppings, in spite of incomplete acts. But two of them Genevieve makes (that arrives), one being nun with the cloister of the Abbey of Montivilliers (according to the mention appearing in a work of 1949 on Saint Jean de Brébeuf, uncle of the phratry).

Another approach and elements of reflection: Robert de Brébeuf being lawyer with the head office of Thorigny in 1622, it is probable that it remained there, says one. But with Holy-Suzanne (of the remainder distant of two Mile S) three children were born in the same years. And Madeleine, Genevieve, married to Condé, were to have fasteners with this Paroisse. More registers with Condé of 1613 to 1639, but a statement of 1778 (with Juste identities, without the burials) and where the years 1613 to 1616 miss. Appear the baptisms of a Gilles in 1627 and Nicolas de Brébeuf in 1630: are they those whose information misses? In these years, there is only the marriage of Georges de Brébeuf in 1627 (of a 2de connects Brébeuf cousin known in Condé), and coming after the baptism from Gilles, to consider. The baptisms of a Jean in 1628 follow, of François de Brébeuf in 1638 (of others before which could die young people, according to what follows), and that of Marguerite in 1643 girl of the preceding marriage (complete act). Of the Jean and François appearing like wire of this marriage in the already quoted genealogy (A.D. Cdos), make think that they are the precedents, therefore not children of Robert. Untraceable Georges, gap of the moment? The Manor seigneurial, in ruins, of the family of the poet (Sr of Boissets ) located at Condé with Timbered It , village divided with Holy-Suzanne, with the same distance from the two churches, constitutes the last interrogation.

The registers of this time with Holy-Suzanne-on-Transfers also disappeared. We should join G. Guillot (author of the Normandy monumental and picturesque) which wrote in 1899 qu' it did not dare “to regard the question as trench”. Georges de Brébeuf is before a whole poet of the Doyenné of Torigni-sur-Vire, to which belongbelonged Holy-Suzanne-on-Transfers until 1802,… Condé-sur-Vire too.

Compléments which converges with the preceding approach.

Georges of BREBEUF had at least 8 brothers and sisters, all resulting from the same bed. As opposed to what written Lepingard, his/her father did not marry twice and it is highly probable that Marguerite the CARPENTIER and Marguerite of the VERNISSIERE are only one and even nobody. Indeed, according to a document of the Files of the English Channel (5th 13130), Marguerite is the girl of Jean, sior of Moinerie and Arthure AVENEL, which remarie twice, with Richard BUSNEL, sior of Vernissière, then with André the CAMPION. It is very possible that Marguerite took the name of the sieurie of her father-in-law. Moreover, the poet never speaks about his brother Joachim, sior of Balençon, like his half-brother… Are resulting from the marriage of Robert of BREBEUF and Marguerite the CARPENTIER, in addition to Georges:

Jean, sior of Valette, Viscount of Gavray, baptized with Holy-Suzanne-on-Transfers 12.03.1618 the, married one in Julienne JULIEN, then in Catherine FOUCHER, widow of Gabriel AUVRAY.
Genevieve, baptized with Holy-Suzanne-on-Transfers the 17.12.1620, it marries with Condé-sur-Vire the 15.02.1643 Michel DUPONT, then Guillaume LECAUCHOIS, royal notary, of which descent with Gourfaleur (at the time of the marriage of one of the children of this couple, Jean LECAUCHOIS, with Catherine DUFOUR, the 12.02.1669 with Gourfaleur, are present, Jean of BREBEUF, sior of Vallette, Joachim of BREBEUF, sior of Balençon, Gilles of BREBEUF, sior of Vages, uncles of the husband).
Joachim, sior of Balençon, baptized the 08.08.1624 with Holy-Suzanne-on-Transfers, married in Catherine the METAIS then with Marie of the PALUELLE, widow of Gabriel of NEUFVILLE.
Gilles, sior of Vages, which would be baptized with Condé-sur-Vire in 1627 and which Marie with Catherine TURGOT. It is fixed in the Flowering ash.
Nicolas, baptized the 23.06.1630, prior with Venoix, it is at his place that the poet withdraws himself before dying.
Dominique.
Madeleine, it marries the 01.09.1654 with Condé-sur-Vire Eustace ROBERT.
Marie-madeleine, nun with the abbey of Montivilliers, it dies there the 22.06.1691

As for the birthplace of Georges, one loses oneself in conjectures, but it is very probable that it was born with the family Manoir located on Condé-sur-Vire and at equal distance from Holy-Suzanne-on-Transfers. Let us announce that what imported at the time was not the birthplace but the place of the baptism. However, one can note that the first births are recorded with Holy-Suzanne. Later the marriages are done in Condé, at least those of Genevieve and Madeleine. In addition, Robert, being lawyer with Thorigny, one deduced from it that it lived there and that his/her son had been born there… (extracted from a manuscript to appear, end of the year on the family of Brébeuf, starting from many sources in particular the Chartrier of Brébeuf, resulting from the funds Thicket, not exploited to date).

Other elements of biography

Georges de Brébeuf, “in his youth, had taste only for Horace ” and “one of his/her friends, who liked only Lucain, urged it to translate it”. “Its Pharsale , which it composed in accesses of an obstinate fever which tormented it more than twenty years, appeared in 1658. The conversation of his/her friends was the only relief of the long illness with which it was afflicted. Its last years were filled by exercises of piety. It was withdrawn with Venoix close to Caen, and died there in 1681 to 43 years”. Last indication which makes it die in… 1661 (recent sources of reference also write it), if it were born in 1618 like specifies it a historical dictionary of 1779, which adds “not to Rouen, but with Torigni in Basse-Normandie”, and that it “cultivated early poetry”. Author of the solitary Talks , of the poetic Praises , the Epigrams against a fardée woman , of a Collection of various works and of a Traduction of VIIe delivers Enéide .

According to R. Harmand, Georges de Brébeuf died on Sept. 24 1661 (A.N.), a letter of Oct. 1, 1661 in fact mention with this praise: “In short, it was one of our famous, having only nine more glosses”. What means that Georges de Brébeuf was thus approximately 45 years old (1 gloss = 5 years), and who brings back to us to a birth around 1617-18 (rather 1617 , a brother having incipient in 1618). The inaccuracy of the registers, their lack of legibility, the statements of scholars not necessarily exhaustive, and the sources dependant from/to each other always contribute to uncertainties.

Works

Parodie of VIIe delivers of Énéide , Paris, 1650.
Lucain disguised , Rouen and Paris, 1656.
various Poésies , Paris, 1658.
solitary Entretiens , Paris, 1660.
Panégyrique of peace , Paris, 1660.
poetic Éloges , Paris, 1661.
Lettres , Paris, 1664.

Bibliographical sources

New historical dictionary , Company of People-of-Letters, Caen, G. Leroy, Printer of the King, MDCCLXXIX, volume 1st, p. 548,549.
universal Dictionary of the literatures , Gustave Vapereau, Paris, Hatchet, 1876, tome cheese p. 322.
Test on the life and works of Georges de Brébeuf (1617? , 1661) , Rene Harmand, Paris, 1897, p. 12,13,14,17,18,448,449,453,454.
Note on the three Brébeuf , Charles Marie, Company of the Antique dealers of Normandy, 1875, p. 7,112.
the Apostle in the middle eaten , J. Caster hammer, 1949, p. 11,12.

Departmental records of the English Channel.

External bonds

To read some poems Georges de Brébeuf in line

-----

Random links: