Pierre Louis Ginguene, a French historian, born in Rennes, April 25, 1748, died in Paris, Nov. 16, 1816. He went to Paris in 1772, being then acquainted with classical, French, Italian, and English literature, and music. He had written before leaving Rennes a poem entitled La confession de Zulme. He showed it to many of his friends, copies were taken, and in 1777 it was published without his consent and disfigured by innumerable errors. Several persons claimed the authorship, and he finally published it correctly under his own name in 1779. He afterward published several other poems. In 1770 the celebrated composer Piccini arrived in Paris, and soon after a violent quarrel broke out between his admirers and those of Gluck, in which Gingue-ne was the most effective supporter of Pic-cini's cause. About 1780 he obtained a clerkship in the office of the minister of finance. The moderation of his views brought upon him the hostility of the revolutionists, and in 1793 he was thrown into prison, and only released on the overthrow of Robespierre. He was soon after appointed a member of the executive commission of public instruction, and was director general of that branch of the administration from 1795 to 1797. In 1794, in company with Chamfort, he commenced the Decade pliilosophique litteraire et politique.

After the abolition of the republican calendar the title was changed to Revue, and he continued to write for it till 1807, when it was merged in the Mercure de France. In 1798 he went to Turin as minister plenipotentiary, but remained only seven months. In 1799 he was chosen a member of the tribunate. His course there, especially his opposition to special tribunals, excited the anger of Bonaparte, and he was removed from the office in 1802. In 1802-'3 and 1805-'G he delivered lectures on Italian literature at the athenauim of Paris, which attracted crowded audiences, including a large number of the most distinguished literary men of France. He was a member of the commission established to continue the Histoire litteraire de la France, of which 12 volumes had been completed by the Benedictines; to the succeeding volumes he contributed many articles, mostly on the lives and productions of the troubadours. He also wrote much for the Biographic univer'selle and the Moniteur. But his great work is the Histoire litteraire d'ltalie (9 vols., 1811-19). A small portion of the 7th volume and about half of the 8th and 9th were written by Francesco Salfi, who added a 10th entirely his own, bringing it down to the close of the 16th century.

This work was received with great favor all over Europe, and especially in Italy, where many editions and translations of it have been published. A second edition (14 vols., Paris, 1824-'35) was published under the supervision of Daunou.