Robert Arnauld d'Andilly

By the elegance of his language, he was among the major poets, writers and translators of 17th century French classicism.

A fervent Catholic, he played an important role in the history of Jansenism and was one of the Solitaires of Port-Royal-des-Champs.

He was also renowned for his part in the development of the pruning of fruit trees, to which he was devoted.

Robert Arnauld was born in Paris, the eldest of the twenty children of lawyer Antoine Arnauld, procurator-general of Catherine de Médicis,[2] and his wife Catherine Marion.

He was a member of a notable family, whose members included Jacqueline (the future Mother Angélique), Henri, who would be bishop of Angers, and the Sorbonne academic Antoine, called "le grand Arnauld".