He was born at
Angoulême, most likely the natural son of Jean de Saint-Gelais, marquis de Montlieu, a member of the
Angoumois gentry. His forename was the French-Norman
malapropism of the British wizard
Merlin featured in
Arthurian legends. He was close to his uncle
Octavien de Saint-Gelais (1466–1502),
bishop of Angoulême since 1494, himself a poet who had translated the
Aeneid into
French. Mellin, who had studied at
Bologna and
Padua, had the reputation of being doctor,
astrologer and musician as well as poet. He returned to
France around 1523, and soon gained favour at the court of the art-loving
Valois ruler Francis I by his skill in light verse. He was made almoner to the
Dauphin, abbot of
Reclus in the
diocese of Troyes and librarian to the king at
Blois. He died in Paris in 1558. ==References==