GAGUIN, ROBERT. - Theologian and man of letters, b. at Calonne-sur-Lys (diocese of Arras) around 1420–25 and d. at Paris on 22 May 1501. He entered the Order of the Trinitarians while still young. He taught law at the Sorbonne, and had Erasmus and Reuchlin among his pupils. In 1473 he was elected general of the Order. As a historian he described the events of the Kingdom of France; the work, not impartial, enjoyed wide circulation and served as a basis for many historians.
His literary merit has been debated; Erasmus was not sparing in his praise. As a theologian he is known for a discourse and a hexameter poem on the Immaculate Conception, in response to the attacks of V. Bandelli; original, but unconvincing: De intermeratae Virginis conceptu adversus Vincentium quendum (Paris 1488). For the reform of his Order he wrote: Statuta Ordinis Fratrum S.mae Trinitatis et redempt. captivorum (Paris 1479).