Thomas Twyne
Encyclopedia
Thomas Twyne was an Elizabethan translator and a physician of Lewes
in Sussex
, best known for completing Thomas Phaer's translation of Virgil
's Aeneid
into English verse after Phaer's death in 1560, and for his 1579 English translation of De remediis utriusque fortunae
, a collection of 253 Latin dialogues written by the humanist Francesco Petrarca (1304-1374), commonly known as Petrarch.
Thomas was the son of John Twyne
(c.1500-1581) of Bullington, Hampshire
, himself a translator, schoolmaster, noted collector of antiquarian
manuscripts and author of the Commentary De Rebus Albionicis (London, 1590). Tywne's son, Brian Twyne
, became the first Keeper of the Archives of the University of Oxford
.
Thomas was a native of Canterbury
and was educated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford
. He acted in the Richard Edwardes
version of Palamon and Arcite
, put on before Elizabeth I at Oxford
in 1566, on which occasion the stage collapsed, killing and injuring a number of people. He enjoyed the patronage of Lord Buckhurst
and greatly admired John Dee
and his mystic philosophy.
, F.S.A. (1792-1837) translated the rather florid Latin inscription:
Hippocrates saw Twyne lifeless and his bones slightly covered with earth. Some of his sacred dust (says he) will be of use to me in removing diseases; for the dead, when converted into medicine, will expel human maladies, and ashes prevail against ashes. Now the physician is absent, disease extends itself on every side, and exults its enemy is no more. Alas! here lies our preserver Twyne; the flower and ornament of his age. Sussex deprived of her physician, languished, and is ready to sink along with him. Believe me, no future age will produce so good a physician and so renowned a man as this has. He died at Lewes in 1613, on the 1st of August, in the tenth climacteric.
A modern edition of forty-six of Petrarch
's dialogues, Phisicke Against Fortune, was published in 1993.
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, best known for completing Thomas Phaer's translation of Virgil
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid...
's Aeneid
Aeneid
The Aeneid is a Latin epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. It is composed of roughly 10,000 lines in dactylic hexameter...
into English verse after Phaer's death in 1560, and for his 1579 English translation of De remediis utriusque fortunae
De remediis utriusque fortunae
De remediis utriusque fortunae is a collection of 253 Latin dialogues written by the humanist Francesco Petrarca , commonly known as Petrarch...
, a collection of 253 Latin dialogues written by the humanist Francesco Petrarca (1304-1374), commonly known as Petrarch.
Thomas was the son of John Twyne
John Twyne
John Twyne was an English schoolmaster, scholar and author, and also Member of Parliament for Canterbury.-Life:He was born about 1501 at Bullington, Hampshire, the son of William Twyne...
(c.1500-1581) of Bullington, Hampshire
Bullington, Hampshire
Bullington is a civil parish in the Test Valley district of Hampshire, England. The parish contains Upper Bullington and Lower Bullington, both about 9 miles south-east of Andover. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 101....
, himself a translator, schoolmaster, noted collector of antiquarian
Antiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...
manuscripts and author of the Commentary De Rebus Albionicis (London, 1590). Tywne's son, Brian Twyne
Brian Twyne
Brian Twyne was an antiquarian and an academic at the University of Oxford. After being educated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and becoming a Fellow of the college in 1606, he published his one main work, a history of the university, in 1608...
, became the first Keeper of the Archives of the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
.
Thomas was a native of Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
and was educated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom...
. He acted in the Richard Edwardes
Richard Edwardes
Richard Edwardes was an English poet and playwright; he was made a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, and was master of the singing boys...
version of Palamon and Arcite
Palamon and Arcite
"Palamon and Arcite" is part of Fables, Ancient and Modern written by John Dryden and published in 1700. "Palamon and Arcite" is a translation of "The Knight's Tale" from The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. Although the plot line is identical, Dryden expanded the original text with poetic...
, put on before Elizabeth I at Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
in 1566, on which occasion the stage collapsed, killing and injuring a number of people. He enjoyed the patronage of Lord Buckhurst
Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset
Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset was an English statesman, poet, dramatist and Freemason. He was the son of Richard Sackville, a cousin to Anne Boleyn. He was a Member of Parliament and Lord High Treasurer.-Biography:...
and greatly admired John Dee
John Dee (mathematician)
John Dee was an English mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, occultist, navigator, imperialist and consultant to Queen Elizabeth I. He devoted much of his life to the study of alchemy, divination and Hermetic philosophy....
and his mystic philosophy.
Epitaph
In St. Ann's church on the hill at Lewes. The historian Thomas Walker HorsfieldThomas Walker Horsfield
Rev. Thomas Walker Horsfield FSA , was an English Nonconformist minister, topographer, and historian best known for his works The History and Antiquities of Lewes and The History, Antiquities and Topography of the County of Sussex .-Life:He was the eldest of six children of James Horsfield and Ann...
, F.S.A. (1792-1837) translated the rather florid Latin inscription:
Hippocrates saw Twyne lifeless and his bones slightly covered with earth. Some of his sacred dust (says he) will be of use to me in removing diseases; for the dead, when converted into medicine, will expel human maladies, and ashes prevail against ashes. Now the physician is absent, disease extends itself on every side, and exults its enemy is no more. Alas! here lies our preserver Twyne; the flower and ornament of his age. Sussex deprived of her physician, languished, and is ready to sink along with him. Believe me, no future age will produce so good a physician and so renowned a man as this has. He died at Lewes in 1613, on the 1st of August, in the tenth climacteric.
A modern edition of forty-six of Petrarch
Petrarch
Francesco Petrarca , known in English as Petrarch, was an Italian scholar, poet and one of the earliest humanists. Petrarch is often called the "Father of Humanism"...
's dialogues, Phisicke Against Fortune, was published in 1993.
Books
- Humphrey LloydHumphrey LloydHumphrey Llwyd was a Welsh cartographer, author, antiquary and Member of Parliament. He was a leading member of the Renaissance period in Wales along with other such men as Thomas Salisbury and William Morgan...
(Llwyd, Lhuyd), Humphrey (1527-1568), Commentarioli Descriptionis Britannicae Fragmentum (Cologne, 1572), translated into English by Thomas Twyne as The Breviary of Britayne (London, 1573) - Pierre Drouet's work translated by Thomas Twyne as A new counsell against the plague (1578)
- Maffeo VegioMaffeo VegioMaffeo Vegio was an Italian poet who wrote in Latin; he is regarded by many as the finest Latin poet of the fifteenth-century. Born near Lodi, he studied at the University of Pavia, and went on to write some fifty works of both prose and poetry....
, Supplement to the Twelfth Book of the Aeneid as translated by Thomas Twyne, 1584