Thomas Elyot

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Sir Thomas Elyot in a drawing by Hans Holbein the Elder. J.

Sir Thomas Elyot (* around 1490 in Wiltshire , † March 20, 1546 in Carleton ( Cambridgeshire )) was an English diplomat in the service of Henry VIII , a humanist writer and translator.

1527 he was beaten to Knight Bachelor ("Sir").

In 1531 appeared his most important work The Boke Named the Governour , also published as The Book of the Governor . In this prose essay, Elyot sets out, from a humanistic point of view, primarily the principles for the education and upbringing of the young nobles as future social and political leaders, which he discusses against the background of the general moral and ethical foundations of education. The work, which was published in seven different editions between 1531 and 1580, was an important advisor on educational issues for several generations in aristocratic circles.

Elyot attaches particular importance to learning Greek and Latin at an early age, which should begin at the age of seven, and an intensive study of the classical literature of antiquity , for example the works of Homer , Virgil or Ovid . In this way not only the intellectual abilities should be trained, but also the foundations for the moral education should be laid.

In addition to eloquence , virtues such as courage, strength or wisdom as well as the rules of decency and good behavior must be conveyed. Relaxation and pleasure should also be sought in musical and sporting activity in order to avoid indolence or idleness .

Elyot translated the writings of Isocrates , Plutarch , Cyprian of Carthage and Pico della Mirandola into English.

Fonts (selection)

  • The Boke named the Governour (1531) Full text of Oregon 1988 edition
  • The Knowledge which Maketh a Wise Man and Pasquyll the Playne (1533)
  • The Banquets of Sapience (1534),
  • The Castell of Helth (1536)
  • Latin Dictionary (1538). 2nd ext. Ed. 1542; Reprint 1545
The first Latin-English dictionary.
  • The Defense of Good Women (1540);
A glorification of Anne of Cleve , in the form of a biography of Queen Zenobia of Palmyra .
  • Preservative agaynste Deth (1545)
Contains numerous quotations from the Church Fathers

Individual evidence

  1. ^ William Arthur Shaw: The Knights of England. Volume 2, Sherratt and Hughes, London 1906, p. 46.
  2. See the introduction to the work of Elyot by Alfred Ainger: Critical Introduction · Sir Thomas Elyot (c. 1490–1546) . On: bartleby.com . Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  3. See Sir Thomas Elyot on the Education of Aristocratic Children, from The Book Named The Governor (1531) . On: Staging the Henrician Court . Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  4. See Section VII as well as XVI and XVII in The Boke named The Governour . On: Oregon University . Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  5. ^ Stanford Lehmberg, Elyot, Sir Thomas (c.1490–1546) , In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008, accessed September 19, 2010

Literature and web links