Francois Rabelais, a French author, born in Chinon, Touraine, about 1490, died about 1553. He was educated at the convent of Seuillé and the monastery of La Baumette, and was ordained as a priest in 1511. He then made up for former idleness by devoting himself to the study of ancient and modern languages, mastering the Latin, Greek, Italian, Spanish, German, English, Hebrew, and Arabic. Greek had especial attraction for him; and this involved him in serious quarrels with his fellow monks, who were fiercely hostile to the study. The ill feeling grew so strong that in 1524 he obtained permission from Pope Clement VII. to enter the order of Benedictines. He spent several years in their house at Maillezais, but in 1530 abandoned monastic life and repaired to Montpellier to study medicine. In 1532 he was a physician at Lyons, and published annotated and corrected editions of Hippocrates, Galen, and others. From 1533 to 1550 he published several editions of a facetious production, in which he endeavored to destroy faith in astrology.

At Lyons also he published the first rough sketch of the strange work upon which his fame rests: Les faits et dicts du géant Gargantua et de son fils Pantagruel (1533). Jean du Bellay, his old schoolmate, bishop of Paris and afterward cardinal, having been appointed French ambassador to Rome, engaged Rabelais as his physician, and obtained for him from Pope Paul III. a bull, dated Jan. 17, 153(3, remitting the penalties which he had incurred by the abandonment of his order. He then became a member of the abbey of St. Maur des Fossés at Paris, where he remained till 1542, when he was presented with the comfortable living of Meudon. Here he applied himself faithfully to the duties of his ministry, and devoted his leisure hours to the completion of his great work, three books of which had already appeared. This being done in 1551, he went again to Paris, published the fourth book, and spent his later years at Meudon. Such are the ascertained facts of a life which has been egregiously misrepresented. No performance in French literature had greater success in its time, or has since attracted so much attention, as his "Gargantua and Pantagruel." It is a ruthless attack upon monks, princes, kings, and all ecclesiastical and civil authorities.

Amid its chaos of eccentricities and allusions to persons and events, of good sense and folly, of delicate thoughts and gross obscenities, commentators have tried in vain to unravel the work. According to the best authorities, Gargantua stands for King Francis I.; Grandgousier for Louis XII.; Pantagruel for Henry II.; Pichrocole for Maximilian Sforza, duke of Milan; Gargamelle for Anne of Brittany, the queen of Louis XII.; Badebec for Claude of France, queen of Francis I.; Grandejument de Gargantua for Diana of Poitiers; Panurge for the cardinal de Lorraine; and Frère Jean des Entomeurs for Cardinal du Bellay. Be this as it may, "the work was entirely in accordance with the taste of his age," as Vinet remarks; "and excellent minds which could appreciate its fine parts were also delighted with those that are repulsive to our taste." Lord Bacon called Rabelais " the great jester of France;" others have called him a "comic Homer." More than 60 editions of the work have been published; that of Burgaud des Marets and Rathery (2 vols. 12mo Paris, 1857-8) is the most convenient and acceptable, with a good biographical and critical notice, explanations, notes, etc. There are several English translations.

That of Sir T Urquhart (1653; reprinted by the Maitland club, 4to, 1838) was adopted by both Ozell and Motteux as a basis. Their united translation is often reprinted; the last edition is by Bohi (2 vols., London, 1850). Sixteen private let ters of Rabelais were published in 1651. - See Ginguené, De l'autorité de Rabelais dans la révolution présente et dans la constitution ci-vile du clergé, ou Institutions royales, politiques et ecclésiastiques tirées de Gargantua et de Pantagruel (Paris, 1791).