Marc Lescarbot

Marc Lescarbot was a French author and lawyer born in Vervins, France in 1570. He studied in Paris where he normally had lived, but his family was thought to have come from Guise. He learned to speak Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, but also had an interest in medicine. He was interested in literature, then later on in canonical and civil law. He graduated as a lawyer at the age of 29 in 1599. In his exploration days, he was asked to accompany Jean de Biencourt Poutrincourt and Sieur De Gua de Monts (a fur trader) on their voyage to Acadia. He reached Port Royal in July 1606, and was basically the main source of entertainment for the colony, by creating stories, poems, and plays for the men. He stayed there for a year, until De Mont's fur trade licence was cancelled, forcing the rest of the colony to return back to France. When he returned to France, he wrote books and poetry about his experiences in Port Royal. His writings are part of the reason of our knowlege in Acadian fur trade and colonization. When Pourtincourt had returend to Port Royal in 1606, Lescarbot welcomed him with a dramatic presentation called "The Theatre of Neptune" directed and written by him. The mythical god Neptune, played by Marc, appeared to welcome Poitrincourt in a bark canoe. The performance was played by other French and Micmaq and also completed with cannons and trumpets. Later on in life, Marc married around the age of 50, to a woman named Françoise de Valpergue on September 3, 1619. Lescarbot died on 1642 at the age of 72. Lescarbot had also been a calligrapher, a musician, and a draughtsman. He had composed many writings, and people have learned to appreciate them. Some people have also called him "the best of the historians of New France." Overall he was a very intelligent man with great courage, which I hope too, will influence others.

-Christine