Edme Boursault, a French author, born at Mussy-Pfiveque, Burgundy, in October, 1638, died at Montlucon, Sept. 15, 1701. He went to Paris in 1651, became after a few years a popular writer, and was appointed teacher of the dauphin in reward for his publication De la veritable etude des souverains (Paris, 1671); but he declined this office, as well as membership of the academy, on account of his ignorance of Latin. By his attacks upon high personages at court he lost a pension of 2,000 francs that had been given him by Louis XIV., and narrowly escaped the Bastile. He assailed Moliere, who revenged himself by impaling him in his comedy L'impromptu de Versailles; attacked Boileau in La satire des satires, but subsequently was of service to him; and disparaged Racine's Britannicus in a preface to his novel of Artemise et Polianthe. His Lettres de respect, d'obligation et d'amour (Lettres a Babet) derive a romantic interest from the story of Babet, who died in a convent to which she had been consigned by her parents on account of her devotion to Boursault. His fame rests chiefly on his comedies, Esope d la mile, Esope d la cour, and Le Mercure galant, the last of which is still occasionally performed.