- Pontus de Tyard
Pontus de Tyard (c.
1521 -September 23 ,1605 ) was a Frenchpoet and priest, a member of "La Pléiade ".He was born at
Bissy-sur-Fley inBurgundy , of which he was "seigneur", but the exact year of his birth is uncertain. He became a friend ofAntoine Héroet andMaurice Scève . His first published work, "Erreurs amoureuses" 1549, was augmented with other poems in successive editions till 1573. His work anticipated that ofPierre de Ronsard andJoachim du Bellay , but on the whole his poetry is inferior to that of his companions. However, he was one of the first to write sonnets in theFrench language (preceded byMellin de Saint-Gelais ). He is also said to have introduced the "sestine ", originally a Provençal invention, intoFrench poetry .In his later years he devoted himself to the study of
mathematics andphilosophy . He becamebishop of Chalon-sur-Saône in 1578, and in 1587 published his "Discours philosophiques". He was a zealous defender of KingHenry III of France against the claims of theHouse of Guise . This attitude led to his persecution; he was driven from Chalon and his château at Bissy-sur-Fley was plundered. Nevertheless, he survived all the other members of the Pléiade and lived to see the onslaught made on their doctrines byFrançois de Malherbe . Pontus resigned his bishopric in 1594, and retired to theChâteau de Bragny , where he died.
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