B.A.-“Good to know you through your pen. Where were you born?”
J.C.-“About sixty miles north of Paris.”
B.A.-“What were your parents like?”
J.C.-“My father was a cathedral notary and city councilman. My mother came from a wealthy family. They were married for twenty years before my mother died.”
B.A.-“Did you have any siblings?”
J.C.-Yes. I had four other brothers: Charles who was the oldest, and Antoine and Francois who both died young, and another Antoine named in memory of my brother. My father remarried after my mom’s death and they had two girls.”
B.A.-“You were about six years old when your mom died. It must have been tough to go through that early in life and losing two brothers.”
J.C.-“I don’t write much about it.”
B.A.-“What was it like growing up?”
J.C.-“I was in school most of the time. I went to Paris to study at age eleven or twelve to study Latin under the greatest Latin teacher of the time Mathurin Cordier.”
B.A.-“He must have made quite an impression?”
J.C.-“Indeed. I dedicated my commentary on 1 Thessalonians to him.”
B.A.-“After finishing your studies there, what next?”
J.C.-“I entered monastery school in Montagu.”
B.A.-“How was that?”
J.C.-“Very rigid. Prayers began at four in the morning, followed by lectures until six when Mass was recited. Then came breakfast. From eight to ten was the Grande Classe followed by another discussion. Dinner was at eleven followed by Bible readings and prayers. At midday we were questioned about our morning’s work, and then we rested from one to two. More classes were held from three to five in the afternoon followed by Vespers. Between supper and evening readings, we were questioned about the day’s work. Bedtime was at eight. And we can to recreate twice a week.”
B.A.-“Okay then. Uh, next question. It seems you were on the road to becoming a priest, yet you later studied law what caused that?”
J.C.-“It is a sensitive subject. Basically, my father had a falling out with his priest and the church and pulled me out of the monastery school and sent me to Orleans to study law.”
B.A.-“So it is sort of reversal of what Hans Luther did with his son, Martin?”
J.C.-“I don’t write much about that.”
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