Jean Papire Masson
French humanist historian
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jean Papire Masson Latin: Papirius[1] (1544 in Saint-Germain-Laval, Loire – 1611) was a French humanist historian, also known as a geographer, biographer, literary critic and jurist.
Life
Masson was initially a Jesuit but left the Society.[2] He studied law at Angers under François Baudouin around 1570.[3] He became close to the circle of Catherine de' Medici, particularly to Carlo Boni, and became professor of law at Angers, where Boni was bishop.[4] Later, he was librarian to the Chevalier de Chiverny, avocat to the Parlement of Paris and married.[2]
Works
He defended Antoine Matharel against François Hotman.[5] He may, in fact, have written much of Matharel's Responsio (1575) to Hotman's monarchomach work Francogallia.[6][7] The debate became a pamphlet war and a slanging match.[8]
The Latin life of John Calvin attributed to Masson had a reputation in its time as fair-minded.[9]
Masson discovered a manuscript of Agobard in 1604 and edited it.[10]
