Pierre de Ronsard, a French Renaissance poet, attended the College de Navarre in Paris. He worked as a page for the Duke of Orleans and King James V of Scotland. He studied Greek at the College of Coqueret with the renowned scholar Daurat after nearly losing his hearing in 1541. Returning to France, he became secretary to Charles IX and Henri III and later served as ambassador to England and Spain. He was awarded two royal pensions--one for life and another for his son who died in childhood. He married Marie Boulainviller in 1554 and had three children. Ronsard is most famous for his exquisite poetry which includes sonnets, odes, and other forms. His work pre-dating that of Shakespeare by about fifteen years made him one of the leading poets of his time. He also played an important role in the early development of French prose through his translations from the Latin and his original works in this genre. He died in 1585 at the age of 46. Even though he was only born eight years after Shakespeare, Ronsard has always been regarded as his superior because of his unique style of writing which influenced Shakespeare greatly. He is now considered one of the founders of modern French poetry. Some of his best-known poems are: "Ode to Beauty"', '"Ode to Music", and '"Ode to Pleasure".