Michel le Vassor was a French Oratorian priest and author, who became a Protestant in exile in England. He is known for theological, historical and political works.
Le Vassor's Traité de la véritable religion was an attack on the biblical criticism of Richard Simon, Jean Le Clerc, and Benedict Spinoza. It included early examples of arguments against Spinoza's thought that were to become standard, and was widely recommended ; Le Vassor's reputation was made by the work, accessible in French, and he was mentioned with the leading Catholic opponents of Spinoza, Daniel Huet and François Lamy, as well as the Protestants Bernard Nieuwentyt and Buddeus. It was stated in the Traité as a commonplace that a form of Spinozism had become popular particularly in educated French circles, that its appeal was both its systematic character and the opportunities it afforded for sniping against the Bible and miracles, and that Spinoza had not in fact died an atheist as had been alleged, in Pierre Bayle's account. The main religious battle had now shifted, Le Vassor argued as many others did at the time, to face general impiety rather than just Protestant views, and an "enlightened" Christianity was required to provide effective opposition to free-thought. The basis needed was an emphasis on rational design in nature, the innateness of belief in a providential God, and the continuity of tradition attesting the teaching of the Church. The design argument was used also at this time by Jacob Abbadie and Le Clerc, and was taken up later by Isaac Jaquelot and Jean Denyse. Simon defended himself against Le Vassor in 1689 with an Apology, published in the name of a nephew. In the same year Le Vassor published some New Testament paraphrases. The anonymous Les Soupirs de la France esclave has been attributed to Le Vassor; the traditional attribution to Pierre Jurieu is now much contested. It touched on economic themes under the ancien régime, was published in 15 parts, and was largely reprinted in 1788 as Les voeux d'un patriote, through the efforts of Jean-Paul Rabaut Saint-Étienne. Le Vassor's Lettres d'un gentilhomme français, published at Liège, discussed a proposed French poll tax. Traité de la manière d'examiner les différends de religion was seen as a work of apologetics on behalf of the Church of England. Lettres et memoires de François de Vargas, de Pierre de Malvenda et de quelques évéques d'Espagne touchant le Concile de Trent was a translation from Spanish originals of 16th-century letters of Francisco de Vargas y Mexia to Cardinal Granvelle relating to the Council of Trent, expanded by correspondence of Pedro de Malvenda and others. The letters were in the collection of Sir William Trumbull. Other works were the Histoire du règne de Louis XIII and An account of the present state and government of the Empire of Germany addressed to Thomas Foley, on the death of Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor. The history of Louis XIII was a virulent anti-Catholic work; at the time of its publication Le Vassor was tutor to Henry Bentinck, known by the courtesy titleViscount Woodstock. Louis XIV made a point of asking Woodstock's father the Earl of Portland to dismiss Le Vassor; and Portland eventually complied for the sake of diplomacy. Voltaire wrote that this was the satirical work of an "odious declaimer", who sought only to denigrate Louis XIV, and of the factual content little was actually incorrect, though all the judgements were.
