Berto, Jean

Born in the city of Kahn in the family of a teacher, he studied philosophy and mathematics. He was a protege of the poet Philip Deport . He wrote mainly secular poems about court celebrations and events from social life in the spirit of the Deport, but his poems were considered more entertaining than the verses of his patron. He wrote his first sonnet at age 18.

In his youth, he chose religious activity and participated in the conversion of King Henry IV , which allowed him to make a good career. Throughout his life, he was consistently an adviser to the parliament in Grenoble , the secretary of the king, the great elecosinarium of Maria de Medici (after her marriage to the French king), the abbot in Aulnay and in 1606, Bishop Ce .

After being elevated to the rank of bishop, he stopped writing poems, which he was very famous throughout his life, but, despite this, in 1606 he prepared the second (first appeared in 1602) edition of his poems “ Recueil de quelques vers amoureux ”. His serious poems of later years, also describing important events of social life at court, are considered much less talented than those written in his youth. After the assassination of Henry IV, he took part in the general meeting of the clergy and the subsequent solemn worship in the cathedral, but, according to the memoirs of his brother, this event broke him, and a little more than a year later he died.

• G. Grente, J. Bertaut, Parigi, 1903.

• This article (section) contains text taken (translated) from the eleventh edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica , which went into the public domain .