LE MAISTRE, Isaac, known as de Sacy (de Sact), which is the anagrammed name. — B. in Paris on 29 March 1613, d. at Pomponne on 4 Jan. 1684. Having entered Port-Royal and been ordained a priest (1649), he distinguished himself in the spiritual direction of the nuns gathered there. At the time of the harsh measures against the Jansenists, he suffered imprisonment in the Bastille (1666–68), where he translated the Old Testament. Returning to Port-Royal and again expelled, he retired (1679) to the home of his cousin, the Marquis of Pomponne.
He published the Traduction du Nouveau Testament, known as the Testament de Mons (2 vols., Amsterdam 1667), condemned by Clement IX on 20 Apr. 1668, and La Ste Bible en latin et en français avec des explications (32 vols., Paris 1687–1702; many editions; the best is in 12 vols., ibid. 1789–1804), to which his brother Antoine contributed. These biblical translations, of little interest from an exegetical standpoint, are highly notable for their style. Also famous is his version of L'Imitation de Jésus-Christ (ibid. 1650; over 1500 editions).