Pierre de La Primaudaye was a French writer. He is known particularly for L'Academie Française, which was influential in English translations, from 1584 onwards, particularly The FrenchAcademie of 1618. La Primaudaye came from a large Protestant family in Anjou. There is little evidence about his childhood, but it is known that one of his brothers was executed for killing a member of the gentry, since La Primaudaye refers to his sadness over this event. In 1580 he was a gentilhomme de la chambre for Francis, Duke of Anjou, the youngest son of king Henry II of France. In this position he published a large variety of books on intellectual topics, most notably L'Academie Française, which summarised philosophical and scientific knowledge of the era. Stuart Gillespie describes it as a "prose compendium of scientific, moral and philosophical knowledge". It may have been used as a source by Shakespeare. La Primaudaye followed L'Academie Française with a similar work on religious matters, La Philosophie chrestienne de l'Academie françoise, a book published in 1598 and signed "From Primaudaye, advisor and steward of the King." La Primaudaye's work has an essay-like character, with some similarities to Montaigne, but he is consistently pious rather than sceptical in tone.
Publications
Académie française, divisée en dix-huit journées de l'institution des mœurs, et de ce qui concerne le bien et heureusement vivre en tous états et conditions, par les préceptes de la doctrine et les exemples de la vie des anciens sages et hommes illustres
Suite de l'Académie françoise, en laquelle il est traicté de l'homme et comme par une histoire naturelle du corps et de l'âme
Troisième tome de l'Académie françoise
La Philosophie chrestienne de l'Academie françoise. Des vrais & seuls moyens de la vie bien-heureuse
Quatrains du vray heur
Les Vrayes consolations et sainctes prières de l'âme fidèle
Les Quatrains du Président Favre, auxquels ont este adjoustez 100 quatrains consolatoires du Sr de La Primaudaye
Advis sur la nécessité et forme d'un S. Concile pour l'union des Églises chrestiennes en la foy catholique
