 He then went on to study eloquence at the University of Caen, under Professor Antoine Halley with whom he was to remain in friendly terms until the end of his life.Amongst his classmates were, the theologian, orator, poet and humanist, Guillaume Marcel and Georges de Brébeuf, the translator into French of Lucan's "Pharsalia".Graced with a keen taste for literature, he started to compose, soon after finishing his classical studies.