AMELOTTE, DENIS, a celebrated French writer,
was born at Saintonge in 1606. He maintained a close
correspondence with the fathers of the Oratory, a con-
gregation of priests founded by Philip of Neri. He
wrote the life of Charles of Gendron, second superior
of this congregation, and published it at Paris in 1643.
In this work he said something of the famous abbot
of St Cyran, which greatly displeased the gentlemen
of Port Royal, who, out of revenge, published a libel a-
gainst him, entitled Idée générale de l'esprit et de l'œuvre
de P. Amelotte. He was so much provoked by this sa-
tire, that he did all in his power to injure them. They
had finished a translation of the New Testament, and
were desirous to have it published: for which purpose
they endeavoured to procure an approbation from the
doctors of the Sorbonne, and a privilege from the king.
But Amelotte, by his influence with the chancellor,
prevented them from succeeding. In this he had also
a view to his own interest; for he was about to publish
a translation of his own. Amelotte's translation with
annotations, in four volumes octavo, was printed in the
years 1666, 1667, and 1668. It was not very accurate,
according to F. Simon, who tells us that it contains
some very gross blunders. Amelotte wrote also an
Abridgement of Divinity, a Catechism for the Jubilee,
and a kind of Christian Manual for every day. To-
wards the end of his life, he entered into the congrega-
tion of the Oratory in 1650; and continued amongst
them till his death, which happened in 1678.