  A third piece of suggestive evidence was Gassendi's membership in the group known as the libertins érudits.  Other members of this diverse group, on a broad construal, included Guy Patin, Pierre Charron, François Le Vayer La Mothe, Gabriel Naudé, Théophile de Viau, and Cyrano de Bergerac. Molière is also sometimes considered to have belonged to the libertins, and he is thought to have studied under Gassendi's informal tutelage (Sortais 1922). Gassendi's ties to the libertins also brought him in contact with a range of other intellectuals and artists—the latter including, most notably, Nicolas Poussin. The libertins, constituting more of a literary salon than the philosophically- and scientifically-oriented Mersenne circle, promoted a morality determined by reason, stripped of theological considerations, and defined on an individualist basis. In their commitment to intellectual liberty, they professed a diverse mix of metaphysical and epistemic views, especially materialism, skepticism, rationalism, deism, and Epicureanism—each party to the group offering a different mix.  They were politically and socially savvy enough to promote their libertine views in a manner and style that verges on the secretive.  Such secrecy as a guiding stylistic force can be seen in aspects of Gassendi's writing and rhetorical style, as he frequently makes allusions likely to be understood only by his friends or the equally erudite, constantly draws on expressions from ancient sources to make his own points, and offers a variety of quasi-coded rhetorical elements, most famously including his somewhat hesitant and qualified endorsement of the Copernican model.