Guillaume Guéroult

Guillaume Guéroult , born towards 1507 with Rouen and dead the October 7th 1569 with Lyon, is a editor, translator and Poète French, precursor, with its Emblesmes , of the Fountain and its fables.

Biography

Guillaume Guéroult knew an extremely agitated life. In its youth, it acquired a good knowledge of the front old languages, its finished studies, to initiate itself with the art of printing works at one of his uncles, Guillaume-Simon of Bosc, bookseller Imprimeur in Rouen. Passed, with his/her uncle, with the Reform towards 1540, written Guéroult, at that time, of the paraphrases of the Psalms and religious poetries that one sang already, because its poetries circulated a long time in manuscripts, before being collected and published in 1548 in its spiritual Chansons .

In 1547, Guéroult left Rouen to live of its trade of corrector in the cities like Paris and Lyon, where printing works were flourishing, like had made his/her uncle, had driven out by the annoyances against the printers and persecutions against Réformés. He on the occasion to put forward poetries which he had already composed and the Attaingnant printer, composing the Seysiesme delivers container XXIX| new songs (Paris, 1545) there inserted the first known printed work of Guéroult, the canticle “Alas! my God, your anger turned to moys”.

Remaining in Lyon, it could be made appreciate in this medium of writers, poets, printers, engravers very famous at the time. As of this moment, it prepares, for the account of various booksellers, of the translations or the works which will be born only later.

Towards 1544 - 1545, it goes to Geneva, probably to the call of his/her uncle of Bosc. In 1546, it publishes there at Jean Girard his translation of the psalm 124 Te Deum laudamus following two sermons of Calvin. But Guéroult did not find in Geneva freedom that he hoped and he bound well quickly with “the Libertines”, the opposition party protesting against the tyranny of Calvin who corrupted the merry tradition of Geneva. Since its return in 1540, Calvin and his disciple Farel had, indeed, in this city, an authority which increased each day with the number of their partisans. Wanting to make reign in the Republic the morals of the Gospel such as they conceived it, not only writings and acts, but the words even of each one were the object of a narrow monitoring on behalf of the ecclesiastical authorities and of the many spies of Calvin. He became the friend of the chiefs of the young libertines who ran the taverns and carried out merry life, the prosecutor Pierre Vandel and his brother-in-law Ami Perrin, one of the four syndics of the city, which, after having been a heat in favor of Calvin, had become the keen adversary about it.

This association not having been long not in being worth troubles to him, it is arrested and imprisoned, the March 22nd 1549, on the denunciation of two booksellers showing it to have badly spoken about Calvin, of the ministers and the syndics as well as lewd joke. Lengthily questioned and finally returned in front of the Vandel public prosecutor, this last got busy in fact to save his/her friend Guéroult. The two pilot booksellers, were wrongly or rightly convinced of false charges and Guéroult condemned to a fine for lewd joke while the indicters were imprisoned.

Again stopped little time after, for unknown reasons, it was, this time, condemned and prohibited stay in Geneva for a time. Leaving Geneva, at the end of 1549 or the beginning of 1550, Guéroult thus came to Lyon where it did not have a sorrow to find an employment. Lyon was then famous for its printers, Of Turn, Roville, Beringen, Arnoullet and others, whose reputation was large and admired work. Guéroult had already been in relation to several of them when, in 1548, the Beringen brothers had printed his First book of the spiritual Songs .

The February 10th 1549, Balthazar Arnoullet received from the king the privilege to print a Histoire and description of all the animals , work which was to include/understand the Blason of Oyseaux , composed by Guéroult. Arnoullet had to precisely do important work of translation and, having Latin language only one insufficient knowledge, it sought an expert corrector in this language. It accepted the services of Guéroult for which the years that it passed to Lyon were one period of great activity. It was there, all at the same time correct, translator, writer and poet.

Presses of Arnoullet left, successively: the Second Book of the description of the Animals , containing the Blazon of Oyseaux , the First book of the Emblems , the translation of the Sentences of Marc Tulle Ciceron , that of the History of the Plants of Léonard Fuschs , in 1550; then, translation of the First volume of the Chronicles & gestures admirable of the Emperors , the First book of the figvres and pourtraitz of the cities plvs illvstres and re-elected of Evrope in 1552 and, the following year, the Epitome Of Corographie d' Europe , without counting a fort beautiful edition of the Holy Bible, chief of work of the Arnoullet presses, of which he was the corrector. It is also during this period that Guéroult becomes the brother-in-law of Balthazar Arnoullet while marrying, with Vienna, the younger sister by his wife.

The literary production of Guéroult however author will undergo a downtime d' because of its implication in the quarrel between Michel Servet and of Calvin. In Vienna, where the family of his wife lived, Guéroult had become acquainted with the doctor and Spanish theologist which quietly lived there since 1540 under the name of Michel of Villeneuve. Having been already continued for heresy in 1538, Servet vainly sought a printer for its famous work, Christianismi Restitutio . Whereas this circumstance made those careful, Guéroult saw in the publication of the Christianismi Restitutio a means of being avenged for Calvin and proposed the business with his/her brother-in-law. But Arnoullet, envisaging many troubles, hesitated to undertake the publication of the book, even without name of author, nor mention of the place of the impression. It was however solved, after Servet had been committed making all the expenses of the publication, to correct itself the tests, to take care of the sale of the work and to pay a gratification of one hundred ecus in Arnoullet and Guéroult.

A printing works was opened in Vienna where Guéroult was sent as foreman, then, by additional, a second workshop, clandestine precaution that one, was installed in an isolated house of Vienna, where was going to be made the impression of the book of Servet with the assistance of three workmen of confidence. The work, of seven hundred thirty-four pages, was finished the January 3rd 1553. Completed at the end of three months, the impression had been done so secretly that nobody knew anything in Vienna of it. All went well until the day when, Guéroult having made transport the finished work to Lyon and a friend of Servet, which it had charged with distributing part of the edition, sent to Calvin two specimens of the work of which it was unaware of the character besides.

Judging heretics number of the proposals of Servet, Calvin warned himself to stop the diffusion of such a work and enquit of the author and source of the work. Learning that it had been written by Servet and that it left the presses of Balthazar Arnoullet of Lyon, workshop of Vienna directed by Guéroult, Calvin hastened to denounce the work and its printers, justice seizes business and made make an investigation in Vienna. One searched took place at Servet the March 16th 1553 and, the following day, at the printers. Arnoullet being then absent, making a voyage to Toulouse, Guéroult is questioned lengthily, printing works and its residence is searched. Questioned separately, the three workmen denied to have worked with the impression of the Christianismi Restitutio .

The March 18th, the investigators questioned Arnoullet on his return of Toulouse, before it could see his brother-in-law and act in concert with him. Its answers agreeing with those of Guéroult, the investigation revealed anything and neither Servet nor the printers were not, for lack of convincing evidence, implied. This solution not satisfying the vindication of Calvin, who saw in Servet an heretic of most dangerous against which it was to fight without respite, it forwarded to justice new precise details on the impression of accused work, following what Servet and Arnoullet were stopped in Vienna the April 5th 1533. Although it is not, this time, not worried, Guéroult, fearing that one did not discover his role in the business and that it was also not imprisoned him, considered it careful not to remain in France and it set out again for Geneva, giving up his wife and her workshop of Vienna.

It was installed in his uncle of Bosc when Servet which, meanwhile, had escaped from the prison of Vienna and had gained Geneva in the hope to go to Naples, was recognized, stopped, considered and condemned to roughing-hew for heresy. The judges wanting to know which had been the role of Guéroult in the publication of the Christianismi Restitutio , they asked to him whether Guéroult had been the corrector of its work, which would have implied it in the lawsuit. Servet ends up saying that it had corrected itself the tests of its book and that Guéroult had not taken share there. Unfortunately, Guéroult having made imprison his/her Arnoullet brother-in-law for the payment of its wages of corrector and the liquidation of an account of books in deposit, this last writing a letter of its prison of Vienna where he complains about the control of Guéroult in his connection and affirms that this one, which was the director of the printing works of Vienna, had corrected the Christianismi Restitutio and had stated to want to translate the work into French, adding that he had also said to him much evil of Calvin. Produced with the lawsuit of Servet, this letter determined an order of arrest of the Small Council of Geneva.

If Guéroult were not worried to have collaborated in the impression of the Christianismi Restitutio or to have slandered of Calvin, the judges sought quarrel to him on the life which it had led to Lyon and Vienna after his departure of Geneva at the end of 1549. The Consistory being informed, learned that he had married in Vienna according to the catholic rite, that he had heard the mass and that he had confessed himself. Having to appear before the Consistory to answer it of these offenses, Guéroult acknowledged that he had married with a catholic and regretted it, that he had indeed heard the mass and had confessed himself, but that it had been constrained there to avoid being put at death. Condemned to one day of imprisonment, it was released the following day “with good remonstrances”. The execution on roughing-hew it of Michel Servet did not put therefore fine at worries of Guéroult touching at the Christianismi Restitutio . The October 30th, on the requisition of Guillaume Farel, the Small Council orders its arrest and, the December 21st, it appears before the Consistory where it denies to have corrected the book, showing in the place, his/her Arnoullet brother-in-law. The Consistory, “seeing his escuses so much frivolous”, statue “quon leaves it like it estoit by front”.

Although the question of the correction of the Christianismi Restitutio is not distinct, Guéroult could turn over to its leading activities. Guillaume of Bosc and another famous printer of Geneva, Jean Girard, had obtained the Council the privilege, for twenty years, to print a certain number of works, in particular of the bibles and psautiers. However, the death of Clement Marot had left unfinished the French verse translation of the Psaumes of David . Of Bosc had addressed itself, to complete the work, in Guéroult. Calvin who, on his side, had requested Theodore de Bèze, asked the Council to revoke the privilege granted by the syndics to Guillaume of Bosc. The Council did not make right to the request of Calvin and, during the months which followed, it was the war between the printers: Jean Girard, of Bosc and Guéroult, a side; and, other, Conrard Badius supported by Calvin, of Bèze and Viret. All and sundry preparing in secrecy of the defamatory epistles which were to appear psautiers at the head that they printed, the Council prevented this publication, but one preserved these worms of Guéroult on Bèze:

Which of Marot, and Besze the worms

Escoutera for best the eslire,

Any good included/understood length and of through.

Dire it will be able by escoutant them to read,

Those of Marot are of Amphion the quadrant

Or the Pan god the gracious flageol;

But those of Besze, as a vicious François,

Hard, fascheux, and contrainct with wonders.

Gives to Marot the glorious bay-tree;

has Besze quoy? of Midas aureilles.

In 1555, Guéroult had become the associate of its uncle of Bosc of which he had been up to now only the corrector. The books left their presses carried as marks a hand holding a crowned palm which the currency accompanied by Guéroult “Victrix patientia” ( victorious Patience ). But the following year, Guéroult is constrained to leave Geneva following serious political events, the elections of February 1555 having been favorable to the party of Calvin and its friends Perrin and VandeI having tried to reverse them. The arrest of Perrin and the death sentence of Vandel having been claimed, Guéroult flees with them. The Council enjoignit the July 19th 1555 with his/her uncle to cease naming his nephew in the books which it would print and those which knew it or could have relationship with him are worried. Of Bosc, of fear to see itself compromised by its nephew and to decline any solidarity with him, having made give to the Council a letter of its nephew where he declares his support for fugitive, Calvin denounces it with the Council which orders that his person is seized. The stay of Geneva forever prohibited east thus in Guéroult.

It remains in various localities until May 1556, date on which it asks for the Council of the town of Nyon the authorization of be fixed at it. Meanwhile, association between the uncle and the nephew were broken not without disputes on both sides. To earn its living, Guéroult returns, after the death of his/her brother-in-law Arnoullet in November 1556, in Lyon where it takes again his trade of corrector of printing works and continues, far from any political agitation, its work of translator and poet which will lead it to give at various printers one second edition of the First Book of the figures and pourtraitz of the cities (1557), a third edition of the translation of the Histoire of the Plants of Fuschs (1558). It will publish also a translation, the First book of the Fabuleuses narrations, with the speeches of the truth and stories the icelles ones. Traduict by Guillaume Guéroult. To which adjousté ancunes poetic works of the mesme translator. (Lyon, 1558).

With the beginning of 1559, appears in Lyon a booklet entitled Épître of the Lord of Brusquet to splendid and honoured Seigneurs Syndics & Conseil with Geneva which, under its apparent good-naturedness, is only one continuation of epigram S making allusion to the actions of the lords Genevese syndics and of Calvin. The Council and the syndics did not let themselves misuse by the signature of the “lord of Brusquet, first fol of Roy, and servant of his room, usher of the Queen, postmaster of Paris”, which handled the irony so well and extremely well knowing “splendid and honoured Seigneurs” that it fustigated. They suspected Guéroult immediately and, if they gave up asking continuations in France, asked, the March 16th 1559 that it be stopped if possible.

Guéroult publishes, at that time, its works in Lyon: Anthems of Time and its parts, at Jean de Tournes, 1560; the Quadrant chrestienne , collection of Protestant songs dedicated to Marguerite de France, duchess of Savoy. Into 1561, it translates of Latin the Discours of the droicte Administration of the Kingdoms and Republiques of Cermenati, dedicated to the town of Lyon which rewards it.

Having undertaken a voyage in Switzerland in 1562, its presence was announced by Viret to Calvin. The Consistory of Geneva asks, without continuations, with the magistrates of Lyon to punish it for malicious remarks which it would have made against Calvin. In 1564, it publishes a illustrated work, the Figures of the Bible, illustrated icelles huictains francoys for interpretation and intelligence , dedicated with Catherine de Médicis.

The Emblesmes

The emblems were a kind very with the mode during all it. After having indicated only engraving, the direction of the word “emblem” will extend to also apply to the Poésie which is used to him of legend or comment. One writes books of emblems then, with the imitation of those of Alciato, as those of Guéroult which seems to be specialized in this kind with the Blazon of Oyseaux (1551), the Anthems of Time and its parts (1560), the Figures of the Bible (1564) composed on the same model of an engraving accompanied by a short piece of poetry. With the number of the emblems of Guéroult whose subject was taken again by the Fountain, one counts:

the Cock and the Fox
the Monkey and the Cat
the Spider and the Swallow
Court of the Lion
Sick animals of the plague
the Astrologer who drops himself in a well

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