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Politics and Men of Learning in England, 1540–16401

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 August 2009

Matthew A. Fitzsimons
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Extract

The antiquary, professed collector of the manuscripts and records of the past, is popularly ranked with the harmless butterfly-collector. Lytton Strachey characterized him as an “amiable muddler,” and Alexander Pope pilloried his dreary obscurantism.

But who is he in closet close y-pent

Of sober face, with learned dust besprent?

Right well mine eyes arede the myster wight

On parchment scraps y-fed and Wormius hight.

To future ages may thy dulness last

As thou preservst the dulness of the past.

There dim in clouds, the poring scholiasts mark,

Wits who, like owls, see only in the dark,

A lumber-house of books in every head,

For ever reading, never to be read.

These opinions are peculiarly shortsighted, for antiquarianism, the collection and study of old records, has been neither obscure nor harmless in its consequences. Hans Kohn and Carlton Hayes have made clear the considerable part played by antiquaries in stimulating a consciousness of nationalism, the most powerful public emotion of modern times.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Review of Politics , Volume 6 , Issue 4 , October 1944 , pp. 452 - 483
Copyright
Copyright © University of Notre Dame 1944

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References

2 Dunciad, III, lines 185–194. Pope probably had no grievance against Olsus Wormius, the Danish antiquary, but found his name irresistible.

3 Kohn, Hans, The Idea of Nationalism (New York, 1944), Ch. VIIGoogle Scholar. Hayes, Carlton, Essays on Nationalism (New York, 1926), pp. 52–55Google Scholar.

4 Notestein, Wallace, “The Winning of the Initiative By the House of Commons,” The Raleigh Lecture on History, 1924Google Scholar, from The Proceedings of the British Academy, XI, p. 66Google Scholar.

5 “Few [of the antiquaries] were even dimly interested in the conflict of policies or the science of government.”—Whibley, Charles in a well-written article, “Chroniclers and Antiquaries,” The Cambridge History of English Literature (Cambridge, 1932), III, p. 314Google Scholar. Notestein referred to late Elizabethan antiquarianism as “a pleasant hobby with a small group of men as compared with the antiquarian passion of a larger group in the next reign.” Notestein, , op. cit. p. 65Google Scholar.

6 This manifests itself in the Brute legend, and in translations or editions of the parts of classical authors pertaining to Britain.

7 Agarde, Arthur, “Castles,” in Hearne, Thomas, A Collection of Curious Discourses (London, 1770), I, p. 84Google Scholar.

8 MissSmith's, L. T. “Introduction” to her edition of The Itinerary of John Leland (London, 1907), I, p. ixGoogle Scholar. The commission itself has not been found, although there are references to it. Leland signed himself Antiquarius, but this does not mean that he claimed an official position.

9 “Leland's New-Years Gift,” a letter to Henry VIII, in MissSmith, L. T., op. cit., I, p. xxxviiiGoogle Scholar. Bale called the journey “laborious' in his printing of the letter in 1549.

10 Ibid., I, P. xli.

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13 Pp. 16 ff.

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20 Adams, , op. cit., p. 18Google Scholar. Miss Adams' judgement thai before his death “Parker had so organized the Church of England that there was no pressing need of Old English documents to support its policy,” Ibid., p. 36, is substantially true. But the need of historical apologetics continued to be felt, and Archbishop Ussher of Armagh felt that it was one of the most important arguments against the Catholics, who persisted in the belief that their Church was the old one and that the Protesants were innovators. This inspired his work on the religion of the ancient Irish. The Works of James Ussher, edited by Elrington, C. R., 17 volumes (Dublin, 1864), I, p. 57Google Scholar.

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22 Notestein, “The Winning of the Initiative by the House of Commons,” is invaluable on this matter of relations of King, Queen and Parliament.

23 This account is largely based on the following sources: “Introduction: Containing an Historical Account of the Origin and Establishment of the Society of Antiquaries,” in Arclweologia, vol. I, 3rd ed. (London, 1804), pp. i–xliGoogle Scholar; Rev. Hunter, Joseph, “An Account of the Scheme for erecting a Royal Academy in England, in the Reign of King James the First,” in Archaeologia, vol. 32 (London, 1847), pp. 132–149Google Scholar; and learne, I (ed.) A Collection of Curious Discourses, 2 vols.Google Scholar, already mentioned, containing a number of papers, some dated and some signed, delivered at the meetings of the Society.

24 “Op. cit.,” Archacologta, I, p. iv.

25 The petition, signed by Sir John Dodderidge, Sir Robert Cotton and Sir James Lee, is printed in Ibid., pp. iv–v. The criticism of the narrow university curriculum, implied in the petition, was made by several others, among them, SirGilbert, Humphrey in “Queen Elizabethes Achademy,” Early English Text Society, Extra Series no. VIII, Furnivail, ed. (London, 1869), pp. 1–12Google Scholar. Camden implied a similar criticism in founding the first history professorship at Oxford in 1622. Moreover, the grand tour of the continent which in Stuart times was an almost mandatory part of a noble youth's education, was often justified on the ground that it gave the youth a knowledge of other countries and their history, and an experience of men and politics not obtainable in the universities.

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31 Ibid., I, pp. 289, 292. MissEvans, E. has pointed out that the antiquaries did not usually define what they meant by parliament. “Of the Antiquity of Parliaments in Enpland: Some Elizabethan and Early Stuart Opinions,” History (1938), xxiii, pp. 206–221Google Scholar.

32 Archaeologia, 3rd edition, I, p. xv.

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35 Quoted in SirHoldsworth, William, A History of English Law (London, 1937), vol. IV, p. 227Google Scholar.

36 Quoted in SirHoldsworth, William, A History of English Law (London, 1938), I, p. 589Google Scholar.

37 A few of these tracts are listed in Holdsworth, op. cit., vol. IV, p. 112, note 2Google Scholar.

38 In the Dedication of The Jurisdiction of Courts, Cromplon indicates that it was written in retirement as a solace of his old age. Another work by Crompton illustrates the diffusive and patriotic interests of the antiquaries. This is The Mansion of Magnanimitie: wherein is shewed the most high and honoeable Acts of Sundrie English Kings, Princes, Dukes …‥ performed in defence of their Princes and Countrie, published in 1599. For other treatises on the justice of the peace, see Putnam, B. H., “Early Treatises on the practice of the justices of peace in the fifteenth and sixtenth centuries,” in Oxford Studies in Social and Legal History, VII (1926Google Scholar).

39 Camden, William, Britannia, Gough translation (London, 1806), I, p. 4Google Scholar. Upon Elizabeth's accession Nowell returned to England and, as tutor to the unruly Earl of Oxford, lived in Cecil's house in the Strand, where he shared an interest in antiquities and geography with a group that included Cecil, Parker and Joscelyn. Flower, Robin, “Laurence Nowell and the Discovery of England in Tudor Times,” Proceedings of the British Academy, xxi (London, 1935), pp. 51–52Google Scholar. In 1562 Nowell made a copy of the manuscript which contained the Alfredian translation of Bede's Ecclesiastical History, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, and a collection of Anglo-Saxon laws. As most of the original manuscript was burned in 1731, Nowell's copy has preserved this version. Ibid., p. 54.

40 William Somner (1598–1669), the historian of Gavelkind, and of Canterbury, and commentator on the laws of Henry I, translated (but he did not publish) Lambarde's Archaionomia into English so “That such Gentlemen who understood only their mother tongue might not be ignorant of these fundamental constitutions.” Kennet, Life of Somner, quoted in Adams, E. N., op. cit., p. 61, note 3Google Scholar.

41 There was a foundation for Saxon lectures at the Abbey of Tavistock. According to Camden, this foundation “continued to the last age,” i.e. till the time of Henry VIII. Camden, Britannia, Gough, trans., I, p. 33Google Scholar.

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43 The Newberry Library copy of the Descriplio Brilanniae (Venice, 1548) by Paulus Jovius, the humanist historian who was favored by Clement VII, belonged to William Lambarde and has his Latin marginal notes. A note on p. 3 refers to Jovius' papal sentiments and Jovius' remark on p. 4 about the simplicity of Irish dress caused Lambarde to add that this simplicity of dress contrasts sharply with their devious and treacherous characters.

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54 Ibid., pp. 7–8.

55 Ibid., p. 27.

56 Ibid., pp. 44–45, 60.

57 Ibid., p. 198.

58 SirTwisden, John R. and Ward, C. H. Dudley, The Family of Twysden and Twisden (London, 1939), pp. 3–4Google Scholar: “A pedigree of the Roydon family was prepared to show Elizabeth, the widow of William Twysden of Wye, as heir of the Roydons continuing in her issue the family of her ancestors, and an ingenious arrangement of names and shields placed her in a position as much superior to her sisters as if she had been an eldest son.”

59 Ibid., p. 158.

60 Ibid., p. 155.

61 Sir Simonds D'Ewes professed that he had planned to fit himself for the highest offices of state open to the common lawyer. But perceiving the impending ruin of “the Church of God and the Gospel” “I laid by all these lofty and aspiring hopes; and considering that advice of Jeremiah to Baruch (Jer. XLV. 5), that these were not times for God's children to seek great things in, I resolved to moderate my desires, and to prepare my way to a better life with the greater serenity of mind and reposedness of spirit, by avoiding those two dangerous rocks of avarice and ambition.” The Autobiography of Sir Simonds D'Ewes, Halliwell, J. O. ed. (London, 1845), I, pp. 306–307Google Scholar.

62 Palmer, W. M., John Layer (1586–1640) of Shepreth, Cambridgeshire, A Seventeenth-century Local Historian (Cambridge, 1935Google Scholar), gives an account of his work.

63 Carew, Richard, The Survey of Cornwall (London, 1723), pp. xviii–xixGoogle Scholar.

64 Ibid., p. 2.

65 Parks, George B., Richard Hakluyt and The English Voyages, ed. Williamson, J. A., Publication of the American Geographical Society, no. 10 (New York, 1928), pp. 126, 175Google Scholar. Taylor, E. G. R., Late Tudor and Early Stuart Ceorgraphy, 1583–1650 (London, 1934Google Scholar), and Tudor Ceography, 1485–1583 (London, 1930)Google Scholar, have valuable bibliographies and contain some interesting information about the contents of the libraries of such geographical and antiquarian collectors as John Dee, the Earl of Arundel and his son-in-law. Lord Lumley, Sir Thomas Smith and Samuel Purchas. The Hakluyt Society, following their patron's interests, has published many of the valuable sources in the history of English and European expansion.

66 The quotations from Halcluyl are in Robinson, C. N. and Leyland, John “The Literature of the Sea” in Cambridge History of English Literature (Cambridge, 1932), IV, pp. 83–4Google Scholar.

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70 John Stow (1525–1605), the annalist and antiquary, although he was of humble origin, omitted to describe many of the scenes of the city in his Survey of London (London, 1598), e.g. he does not mention the theaties.

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75 Jordan, W. K., The Development of Religious Toleration in England (1603–1640) (Cambridge, 1936), pp. 479–80Google Scholar. The Selden Society has published many volumes of source material on English Legal History.

76 Symon Archer to Halton (April 8, 1638) in Hamper, William, The Life, Diary and Correspondence of Sir William Dugdale (London, 1827), pp. 178–9, noteGoogle Scholar.

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80 John Selden, Hislorp of Tithes, Dedication.