Thomas Tyrwhitt
Encyclopedia
Thomas Tyrwhitt was an English
classical scholar and critic
.
, where he also died. He was educated at Eton
and Queen's College, Oxford
(fellow of Merton
, 1755). In 1756 he was appointed under-secretary at war, in 1762 clerk of the House of Commons
. In 1768 he resigned his post, and spent the remainder of his life in learned retirement. In February 1771 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1784 he was elected a trustee of the British Museum
, to which he bequeathed a portion of his valuable library.
Special mention is due of his editions of Chaucer
's Canterbury Tales (1775–1778); and of Poems, supposed to have been written at Bristol
by Thomas Rowley
and others in the Fifteenth Century (1777–1778), with an appendix to prove that the poems were all the work of Chatterton
.Tyrwhitt's friend the bibliophile Thomas Crofts
is credited with introducing Tyrwhitt in 1776 to George Catcott who possessed the 'manuscripts'of the poems. Initially Tyrwhitt had been convinced of the genuineness of them and pressed for publication in 1777. It was only when the third edition was published that Tyrrwhitt recanted and pronounced them forgeries
In 1782 he published a Vindication of the Appendix in reply to the arguments of those who maintained the genuineness of the poems. While clerk of the House of Commons he edited Proceedings and Debates of the House of Commons, 1620–1621 from the original manuscript in the library of Queen's College, Oxford, and Henry Elsynge
's (1598–1654) The Manner of holding Parliaments in England.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
classical scholar and critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
.
Life
He was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where he also died. He was educated at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College, Oxford
The Queen's College, founded 1341, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Queen's is centrally situated on the High Street, and is renowned for its 18th-century architecture...
(fellow of Merton
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to...
, 1755). In 1756 he was appointed under-secretary at war, in 1762 clerk of the House of Commons
House of Commons of Great Britain
The House of Commons of Great Britain was the lower house of the Parliament of Great Britain between 1707 and 1801. In 1707, as a result of the Acts of Union of that year, it replaced the House of Commons of England and the third estate of the Parliament of Scotland, as one of the most significant...
. In 1768 he resigned his post, and spent the remainder of his life in learned retirement. In February 1771 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1784 he was elected a trustee of the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
, to which he bequeathed a portion of his valuable library.
Works
His principal classical works are:- Fragmenta Plutarchi II. inedita (1773), from a Harleian manuscript
- Dissertatio de Babrio (1776), containing some fables of AesopAesopAesop was a Greek writer credited with a number of popular fables. Older spellings of his name have included Esop and Isope. Although his existence remains uncertain and no writings by him survive, numerous tales credited to him were gathered across the centuries and in many languages in a...
, hitherto unedited, from a Bodleian manuscript - the pseudo-Orphic De lapidibus (1781), which he assigned to the age of ConstantiusConstantius ChlorusConstantius I , commonly known as Constantius Chlorus, was Roman Emperor from 293 to 306. He was the father of Constantine the Great and founder of the Constantinian dynasty. As Caesar he defeated the usurper Allectus in Britain and campaigned extensively along the Rhine frontier, defeating the...
- Conjecturae in Strabonem (1783)
- Isaeus De Meneclis hereditate (1785)
- AristotleAristotleAristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
's Poetica, his most important work, published after his death under the superintendence of Thomas Burgess, bishop of SalisburyBishop of SalisburyThe Bishop of Salisbury is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset...
, in 1794.
Special mention is due of his editions of Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer , known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey...
's Canterbury Tales (1775–1778); and of Poems, supposed to have been written at Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
by Thomas Rowley
Thomas Chatterton
Thomas Chatterton was an English poet and forger of pseudo-medieval poetry. He died of arsenic poisoning, either from a suicide attempt or self-medication for a venereal disease.-Childhood:...
and others in the Fifteenth Century (1777–1778), with an appendix to prove that the poems were all the work of Chatterton
Thomas Chatterton
Thomas Chatterton was an English poet and forger of pseudo-medieval poetry. He died of arsenic poisoning, either from a suicide attempt or self-medication for a venereal disease.-Childhood:...
.Tyrwhitt's friend the bibliophile Thomas Crofts
Thomas Crofts
The Reverend and Learned Thomas Crofts FRS FSA was a British bibliophile, Anglican priest, Fellow of the Royal Society and European traveller.- Early life :Thomas was born in Monmouth, Wales and was the son of John Crofts...
is credited with introducing Tyrwhitt in 1776 to George Catcott who possessed the 'manuscripts'of the poems. Initially Tyrwhitt had been convinced of the genuineness of them and pressed for publication in 1777. It was only when the third edition was published that Tyrrwhitt recanted and pronounced them forgeries
In 1782 he published a Vindication of the Appendix in reply to the arguments of those who maintained the genuineness of the poems. While clerk of the House of Commons he edited Proceedings and Debates of the House of Commons, 1620–1621 from the original manuscript in the library of Queen's College, Oxford, and Henry Elsynge
Henry Elsynge
Henry Elsynge was an English administrator, who acted as clerk of the House of Commons, and wrote on parliamentary procedure.-Life:...
's (1598–1654) The Manner of holding Parliaments in England.