Renaudot, Théophraste (1586-1653). A native of Loudun and friend of Scévole de Sainte-Marthe. His exceptionally inventive mind and experiences as a doctor prompted him to set up bureaux d'adresse et de rencontre (job centres, later also free medical agencies) and the first mont-de-piété, or pawnshop, for the poor. The support these ventures elicited from Louis XIII, Richelieu, and his éminence grise led in 1631 to his founding the weekly Gazette, the first French newspaper [see Press, 1].

— Peter Bayley

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