Jean Baptiste Louvet De Couvray, a French revolutionist, born in Paris, June 11,1760, died Aug. 25, 1797. During his youth he was employed in a bookseller's shop, and acquired a knowledge of literature which he employed in the service of the incipient revolution by writing stories, of which the licentious Amours du chevalier de Faublas (1787-'9) is best known, and attained an incredible success. Louvet subsequently distinguished himself by advocating a decree against the emigrant Bourbon princes and nobility, and was employed to edit La Sentinelle, " a sort of pillory to which royalty was attached every morning and insulted." In 1792 he was chosen to the convention from Loiret, and assumed a more moderate position. He joined the Girondists, attacked Robespierre, was proscribed, but escaped and remained con-cealed until the 9th Thermidor. He was then recalled to the convention, and was elected to the council of 500. He finally became a bookseller in the Palais Royal, after marrying a beauty, the noted Lodoiska. A storm of ridicule now burst on Louvet, who had himself ridiculed others so cruelly. Overwhelmed by pamphlets and insults, the man who had placarded Paris with abuse appealed to the law. He finally died neglected and obscure.

His wife, who was warmly devoted to him, wished not to survive his death, but was thwarted in her attempt to poison herself. In addition to Faublas, he wrote Emilie de Valmont, on le Divorce necessaire (1790); Paris justifte; Fecit de mes perils (1795); and two or three comedies.