Dolet
ETIENNE (dō-lā'), "the martyr of the Renaissance"; born in Orleans, France, in 1509. At the age of 12 Dolet went to the University of Paris, where his attention was directed to the study which became the chief interest of his life the writings of Cicero. In 1534 Dolet left Toulouse for Lyons where he killed a person of the name of Compaing.
Having received the royal pardon, he continued to reside in Lyons, always under strong suspicion of heresy. At length, in 1544, he was found guilty of heresy on a charge mainly based on an alleged mistranslation of Plato, in which he was accused of denying the immortality of the soul. After two years' imprisonment, Dolet was burned in the Palace Maubert, Paris, Aug. 3, 1546.