RENE LE, born at Paris in 1631, was admitted a canon regular in the abbey of St Genevive, in 1649; and after a year's probation, took the habit. He taught polite literature with great success in several religious houses for 12 years, when he gave up the task for retirement. He then published a parallel betwixt the principles of Aristotle's natural philosophy and those of Des Cartes, with a view to reconcile them; which was but indifferently received. His next treatise was on epic poetry; which Boileau declared one of the best compositions on that subject in the French language, and which produced a great friendship between them. He died in 1680, and left a great number of MSS. which are kept in the abbey of St John de Chartres.