It's possible you're thinking of one of these:
* Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu: He was a French political philosopher whose most famous work is *The Spirit of the Laws*. He might be confused with de La Tocnaye due to the similarity in name and the fact they were both French writers.
* Alexis de Tocqueville: He was a French political scientist and historian, best known for his book *Democracy in America*. Again, the similarity in name and shared French nationality could lead to confusion.
* An obscure author: It's possible there is a lesser-known author named de La Tocnaye. To get a more specific answer, you would need to provide more information, such as the genre of writing or the approximate time period.
To help you find the right author, please provide more context:
* What kind of writing are you interested in? (e.g., fiction, non-fiction, political theory, historical accounts)
* Do you know the approximate time period of the writing?
* Do you remember any other details about the author or their work?
With more information, we can help you identify the correct author.