Jean Ambroise (printer)

Biography

The act of division of 1687 between the children of Jean Ambroise and Marie Péguineau teaches us that two of them, Jean and Michel, had taken the state of their father and that one of the sons-in-law, Jean Berthet, made the trade of the bookstore; however as of the death of the household head, by act of the February 22nd 1677, Jean Ambroise had bought the funds of printing works, and it is him which continued parternelle industry. It paid for price of this acquisition a sum of 600 pounds, and was committed making with his mother a life annuity of 100 pounds. His/her Michel brother having left the world to take the habit of the Capuchins, Jean, second of the name, was alone to represent the family in the profession which made with Laval the reputation attached in the name of the Ambroise.

He had married in Laval, towards 1671, Marie Fanouillais, of a family which one often meets the name in the documents and the local genealogies. Their descent was numerous. Last nine children are still represented in an act of 1722 concerning the succession of Marie Fanouillais, their mother. Jean Ambroise still lived, but it had made resignation of its goods in favor of his children of which several followed the paternal career, while others had embraced various vocations.

Incidents

Before enumerating the works and the opuscules printed by Jean Ambroise, we will report with some details an anecdote which touches with the history of the printing works and which will enable us to throw a somewhat indiscreet glance in the house of the Master printer. A little alive incidents are too rare so that we deprive ourselves to tell this one.

Marc-Antoine Roger, operator-oculist remaining with Paris, which arrived at Laval at October 1690 to exert its art with the profit of the inhabitants, used the two means of publicity; on the boards of its improvised establishment, it employed all the resources of its eloquence to draw the benevolent attention of the public, and, by addition, it made print “ receptes of the Orviétan that it vendoit ”. One learned, in these wall cupboards, that the operator lived the Capital and that it had come, during a humane round of benevolence, to visit the good people.

Jean Ambroise, then only printer in Laval, thus accepted the visit of this artist, who came to order the impression of his sheets to him. One composed in this moment with the workshop a small booklet from which some prints were already taken and ran on the tables. Marc-Antoine examined one of them, lute by curiosity and, any charlatan who it was, was somewhat scandalized by it. The printer which occurred and which took its visitor for a not very scrupulous industrialist, says to him that it was a drolery that one could sell on an open theater. With this indirect invitation, the oculist answered with dignity that it did not sell these trifles.

He took however for him a specimen of the first sheet of the pulling, which carried this title Sermon on the excellence of the wine . He it lute and was scandalized by it. As it had in its customers the son of the judge of police force, the salesman of orviétan did not fail to speak to him about makes out, the more so as it complained bitterly about the priest of the Trinité of Laval which preached against him with its preaches, and which would do well better, added it, to supervise and denounce its parishioners. The operator still carried his complaints against Pierre Bureau, Doctor of Divinity and priest of the Trinity, with a Jacobin father, whom he consulted to so know in conscience his state was damnable. - You can run away yourselves there, answers the director. The Jacobin had to answer that Mr. Bureau did not save more his parishioners who foreigners, because it was the truth, and which it attracted itself even by the roughness of his zeal of many enmities.

Jean Ambroise had another denouncer in the person of Master Rene Ruffin, lawyer in Laval. This one, as of September, being returned on business at the printer, found many company there: they was lords Julien Martin and Urbain Leblanc, priests of the city, and Joseph Lebreton, priest of Simplé, then Sirs André Petit, prosecutor of the attic with salt of the Gravel and Charles Quihéry, expert. All seemed the familiar ones of the house because after having visited the workshop and having conversed rather lengthily, they sat at table to collate under pretext which the ecclesiastics could not, according to the statutes diocesans, to do it with the inn. In the intimacy of this friendly meeting, one showed even a pleasantly versified petition addressed to the bishop of Mans against this awkward prohibition. The conversation rolled then on the opuscule which was composed with printing works. Maître Ruffin made his remonstrances with Jean Ambroise who answered that if Latin who was there was reprehensible it nothing knew any, not including/understanding it, that besides this drolery had already been printed downtown other and lately in Paris, which finally the manuscript him had been given by it by the sieurs Lucé and Rachellé, clerk of Mister de Sinfray, director of the gabelles ones. The business was spread too much not to arrive at the ears of the justice which had to inform some. It was recognized that the Sermon on the excellence of the wine , including/understanding two small printed sheets, contained several passages of the Holy-Writing applied to the vice, and that the epigraph Bonum vinum laetificat horn hominum was said, by profanation, drawn from the law of Bacchus. Various sentences met there also contrary with the moralities. Jean Ambroise was condemned to the confiscation and the destruction of the booklet, hundred grounds of fine and as much in alms at the hospitals, then was quoted to appear before the court to be admonished. It does not seem that it accepted of quite good grace the reprimand, because the official report notes only that he retorted: “ I will answer after having consulted my council. ”

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