Hubert, one of the boldest political writers of the sixteenth century, was born in 1518, at Vitteaux, a town in Burgundy, of which his father was governor. He early evinced an inclination for study, and at the age of nine not only understood, but spoke, Latin. Having completed his studies, he resolved to travel. He set out for Germany, where the learned Joachim Camerarius had little difficulty in imbuing him with the principles of the reformers; but the tumultuous scenes of which he was a daily witness determined him to pass into Italy, there to await the return of tranquillity. He remained some time at Padua, where he studied civil law, and took his degree of doctor in 1548. He then rapidly visited the principal cities of Italy, and hastened his return to Germany, being urged by a desire to make the acquaintance of Melanchthon, whose works had afforded him very great pleasure. He arrived at Wittemberg in the course of the year 1549; and, as long as Melanchthon lived, he returned annually to pass the winter at Wittemberg. From 1551 to 1560 he visited Sweden, Denmark, Lapland, and made two journeys into Italy; the first to satisfy his curiosity on different points, and the second in the suite of Adolphus Count of Nassau, who had desired to have the pleasure of his society. In 1565 he entered the service of Augustus, elector of Saxony, who afterwards sent him to France to congratulate Charles IX. on the re-establishment of peace in his dominions. Languet then accompanied the elector to the siege of Gotha, of which he has left a good account; and was deputies, in 1568, to attend the diet of Spire. In 1570 he assisted at the conferences of Stettin, and was sent into France the same year to compliment Charles IX. on his marriage, and at the same time to engage him to cause the treaties, which guaranteed to the Protestants the free exercise of their religion, to be observed. He was at Paris on the day of the massacre of St Bartholomew, and made so many efforts to save the printer Wechel, and Duplessis-Mornay, both his intimate friends, that he drew on himself the attention of the assassins, and would have fallen a victim to his humane exertions, had it not been for the affection of Morvilliers, bishop of Orleans, who kept him concealed. Being soon afterwards recalled to Saxony, he was sent to Vienna in 1574. In 1577 he passed into the service of the count palatine John Cassimir, and then attached himself to the Prince of Orange, who employed him usefully in different negotiations. Languet died at Antwerp on the 30th of September 1581. His works are:

1. Historica Descriptio susceptae a Cassarea majestate executionis Augusto Saxoniae septem viro duce contra S. Romani imperii rebellum, eorumque receptatorem et capitaneus Gothas, 1568, in 4to; 2. Harangue fait au Roi Charles IX. de la part des Princes Protestants d'Allemagne, insérée dans les Mémoires du Règne de Charles IX. (vol. i.); 3. Epistola Politica et Historica ad Philipp. Sydneum, Francfort, 1630, in 12mo; 4. Epistolae Joachimium Camerarium, et filium, Groningen, 1646, in 12mo; 5. Arcana saculi decimi-sexti, seu Epistolae secretae ad Principem suum Augustum Saxoniae Ducem, Halle, 1699, in 4to; 6. Apologie ou Défense de Guillaume, prince d'Orange, contre le ban et l'édit du roi d'Espagne, Antwerp or Delft, 1581, in 4to; 7. Vindiciae contra Tyrannos, sive de Principiis in Populum, Populique in Principem legitima potestate, Basil, 1579, in 8vo. This last work, which went through a great number of editions in Germany and Holland, was published by the author under the name of Julius Brutus; and was afterwards translated into French by François Estienne, under the title, De la Puissance légitime du Prince sur le Peuple. By a singular anomaly, the translation is now much more rare than the original.

Languet, John-Baptist-Joseph, a doctor of the Sorbonne, was born at Dijon in 1675. He was received into the Sorbonne in 1698, and attached himself to the community of St. Sulpice, to which parish he rendered important service. M. de la Chétardie, the vicar, conscious of his talents, chose him as his curate, in which capacity he officiated for nearly ten years, and in 1714 succeeded to the vicarage. His parish church being small and out of repair, he conceived the design of building a church suitable to the size of the parish, which he began with the sum of a hundred crowns, but soon obtained considerable donations; and the Duke of Orleans, regent of the kingdom, granted him a lottery, and laid the first stone of the porch in 1718. It was consecrated in 1745, M. Languet having spared neither labour nor expense to render it one of the finest churches in the world, both for architecture and ornament. Another work which did him no less honour was the Maison de l'enfant Jesus. This establishment consisted of two parts; the first composed of about thirty-five poor ladies of good families, and the second of more than 400 poor women and children of town and country. The order and economy in this house, for the education and employment of so many persons, gave Cardinal Fleury so high an idea of the vicar of St. Sulpice, that he proposed to make him superintendent-general of all the hospitals in the kingdom; an appointment, however, which he declined. M. Languet was not only singular in this warm, disinterested, and benevolent conduct, but also in other circumstances equally rare, namely, the refusal of several bishoprics which were offered him. He even resigned his vicarage in 1748, but continued to preach every Sunday at his own parish church, and to support the Maison de l'enfant Jesus, to his death, which happened in 1750.