Élie Vinet was a leading figure in humanism, a teacher at the Collège de Guyenne in Bordeaux, well known for his historical works (notably his history of the towns of Saintes, Angoulême and Bordeaux), his translations of classical authors, and above all his edition of the poet Ausone. What is less well known is that between 1543 and 1575 he published several works on mathematics, in Latin and French. Some of these were republished several times (the astronomy works in particular, as well as his French work on practical geometry), proof of their success during the Renaissance, and beyond for astronomy. Our aim here is to provide an overview of Vinet’s mathematical output, in an attempt to identify what was at stake for a teacher during the Renaissance.