Thomas Smith and the Advancement of Humanism in Cambridge
Read More![Roger Ascham's marginalia
<br><br>
<b>Author:</b> Dionysius of Halicarnassus<br>
<b>Title:</b><i> De Thucydidis historia judicium </i> [On Thucydides] (Venice, 1560)<br>
<b>Shelfmark:</b> C.9.15(1) <a href="http://idiscover.lib.cam.ac.uk/permalink/f/1nnjft8/44CAM_ALMA21420880290003606"> (catalogue record)</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Exhibitions/ThomasSmith/Advancement-of-Humanism/i-t8JtPQ4/0/4668f02f/M/C-009-015-004-M.jpg)
Roger Ascham's marginalia
Author: Dionysius of Halicarnassus
Title: De Thucydidis historia judicium [On Thucydides] (Venice, 1560)
Shelfmark: C.9.15(1) (catalogue record)
Roger Ascham's marginalia
Author: Dionysius of Halicarnassus
Title: De Thucydidis historia judicium [On Thucydides] (Venice, 1560)
Shelfmark: C.9.15(1) (catalogue record)
![As a humanist scholar, civil lawyer and politician, Thomas Smith was greatly inspired by the history and achievements of ancient Rome. In this work the Greek historian Halicarnassus writes, from a conspicuously Greek point of view, about the origins of Rome, including the mythical story of its foundation. He also refers to the establishment of Roman law, which became the basis of civil law as studied and taught by Smith. Although Smith did not annotate this copy extensively there are certain sections that appear to have been of particular interest to him. One such deals with the division of Roman society into six classes by Servius Tullius, the sixth king of Rome. In the margins, Smith has outlined the organisation of the classes by status, age, and wealth, each class being subdivided into groups called ‘centuria’ which were further divided into ‘juniores’ and ‘seniores’.<br><br>
<b>Author:</b> Dionysius of Halicarnassus<br>
<b>Title:</b> <i>Antiquitatum sive Originum Romanarum </i> [The antiquities or Origins of Rome] (Basel, 1532)<br>
<b>Shelfmark:</b> F.1.7<a href="http://idiscover.lib.cam.ac.uk/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=44CAM_ALMA21420903950003606&context=L&vid=44CAM_PROD&search_scope=SCOP_QUE&tab=cam_lib_coll&lang=en_US"> (catalogue record)</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Exhibitions/ThomasSmith/Advancement-of-Humanism/i-mRBMxXW/0/68d5a992/Ti/F-001-007-036-Ti.jpg)
![This page bears sketches of the city of Rome and the river Tiber. These drawings relate to an underlined passage in the text in which the author explains how the Tiber acted as a natural fortification defending the western boundaries of Rome.
<br><br>
<b>Author:</b> Dionysius of Halicarnassus<br>
<b>Title:</b> <i>Antiquitatum sive Originum Romanarum </i> [The antiquities or Origins of Rome] (Basel,1532)<br>
<b>Shelfmark:</b> F.1.7<a href="http://idiscover.lib.cam.ac.uk/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=44CAM_ALMA21420903950003606&context=L&vid=44CAM_PROD&search_scope=SCOP_QUE&tab=cam_lib_coll&lang=en_US"> (catalogue record)</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Exhibitions/ThomasSmith/Advancement-of-Humanism/i-PtLcbjd/0/ab9fb3a8/Ti/F-001-007-002-Ti.jpg)
![The Italian peninsula
<br><br>
<b>Author:</b> Dionysius of Halicarnassus<br>
<b>Title:</b> <i>Antiquitatum sive Originum Romanarum </i> [The antiquities or Origins of Rome] (Basel,1532)<br>
<b>Shelfmark:</b> F.1.7<a href="http://idiscover.lib.cam.ac.uk/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=44CAM_ALMA21420903950003606&context=L&vid=44CAM_PROD&search_scope=SCOP_QUE&tab=cam_lib_coll&lang=en_US"> (catalogue record)</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Exhibitions/ThomasSmith/Advancement-of-Humanism/i-7SFqwh6/0/cf411772/Ti/F-001-007-034-Ti.jpg)
![16th-century calf binding from the Cambridge workshop of Garrett Godfrey with his favourite ornaments: a gryphon, a wyvern and a lion with the his initials under the lion<br><br>
<b>Author:</b> Dionysius of Halicarnassus<br>
<b>Title:</b> <i>Antiquitatum sive Originum Romanarum </i> [The antiquities or Origins of Rome] (Basel, 1532)<br>
<b>Shelfmark:</b> F.1.7<a href="http://idiscover.lib.cam.ac.uk/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=44CAM_ALMA21420903950003606&context=L&vid=44CAM_PROD&search_scope=SCOP_QUE&tab=cam_lib_coll&lang=en_US"> (catalogue record)</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Exhibitions/ThomasSmith/Advancement-of-Humanism/i-jnXLcm7/0/13547837/Ti/F-001-007-031-Ti.jpg)
![At the age of twenty-one Smith, together with his close friend and colleague at Queens’, John Cheke, introduced a new and controversial pronunciation of the Greek language. Based on a system where single letters expressed single sounds, their proposal built on Erasmus’ efforts to revive authentic pronunciation. Several years later their project was banned by Stephen Gardiner, then the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. More than simply an academic stance, Cheke and Smith’s project was perceived as a dangerous political act that endeavoured to challenge accepted customs. Nevertheless, their pronunciation of Greek was taught in English schools until the end of the nineteenth century. In <i>De recta et emendate linguae Graecae pronunciatione</i> Smith defended his project against Gardiner’s ban, which he considered to be an attack on free speech.
<br><br>
<b>Author:</b> Thomas Smith<br>
<b>Title:</b><i> De recta & emendata linguae Graecae pronuntiatione </i> [On the correct and improved pronunciation of the Greek language] (Paris, 1568)<br>
<b>Shelfmark:</b> U.4.8(1)<a href="http://idiscover.lib.cam.ac.uk/permalink/f/1nnjft8/44CAM_ALMA21589117110003606"> (catalogue record)</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Exhibitions/ThomasSmith/Advancement-of-Humanism/i-Z7mXFgm/0/a107f866/Ti/U-004-008-001-Ti.jpg)
![That Smith wrote another dialogue, <i>De recta & emendata linguae Anglicae scriptione, dialogus</i>, on the improvement of English orthography (bound with <i>De recta et emendate linguae Graecae pronunciatione</i>) reveals that he also valued vernacular languages.
<br><br>
<b>Author:</b> Thomas Smith<br>
<b>Title:</b><i> De recta & emendata linguae Anglicae scriptione, dialogus </i> [A dialogue of the correct and improved writing of English] (Paris, 1568) <br>
<b>Shelfmark:</b> U.4.8(2)<a href="http://idiscover.lib.cam.ac.uk/permalink/f/1nnjft8/44CAM_ALMA21589117090003606%22"> (catalogue record)</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Exhibitions/ThomasSmith/Advancement-of-Humanism/i-5K6RZLs/0/7e211a76/Ti/U-004-008-003-Ti.jpg)
![<b>Author:</b> Thomas Smith<br>
<b>Title:</b><i> De recta & emendata linguae Anglicae scriptione, dialogus </i> [A dialogue of the correct and improved writing of English] (Paris, 1568) <br>
<b>Shelfmark:</b> U.4.8(2)<a href="http://idiscover.lib.cam.ac.uk/permalink/f/1nnjft8/44CAM_ALMA21589117090003606%22"> (catalogue record)</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Exhibitions/ThomasSmith/Advancement-of-Humanism/i-XKwK9F8/0/a47bc64f/Ti/U-004-008-002-Ti.jpg)
![This copy is particularly interesting due to the fact that it belonged to a relative of Smith, Sir Edward Smith. As Smith’s only son was murdered in Ireland, his estate went to his nephew, William Smith and was passed through the generations, up to Edward.
<br><br>
<b>Author:</b> Thomas Smith<br>
<b>Title:</b><i> De recta & emendata linguae Graecae pronuntiatione </i> [On the correct and improved pronunciation of the Greek language] (Paris, 1568)<br>
<b>Shelfmark:</b> U.4.8(1)](https://photos.smugmug.com/Exhibitions/ThomasSmith/Advancement-of-Humanism/i-m82vWcH/0/89d30fa7/Ti/U-004-008-004-Ti.jpg)
![A young student named Roger Ascham attended Smith’s first lecture as Regius Professor of Civil Law. After hearing Smith’s impassioned address, he too became a great humanist scholar, joining Smith and Cheke’s intellectual circle and loyally supporting their cause when they proposed their radical new pronunciation of Greek. He and Smith shared a passion for ancient Greek authors, and both scholars annotated their books thoroughly. This annotated copy by Ascham of Dionysius’ critical work demonstrates a humanist scholar and teacher’s approach to the classics. In the final year of his life, he left an important note on the title page that praised András Dudith’s Latin translation of the Greek text: ‘Here is this book, which in my opinion is the sum of teaching, [in] great diligence, [and] in most serious judgment – without which the Greek of Thucydides cannot rightly and easily be understood. R. Ascham. 1568. 7th of June 1568. In my London house.’ His marginalia includes comments on the difficulty or simplicity of certain passages, and underlining of those passages he deemed to be of most importance.
<br><br>
<b>Author:</b> Dionysius of Halicarnassus<br>
<b>Title:</b><i> De Thucydidis historia judicium </i> [On Thucydides] (Venice, 1560)<br>
<b>Shelfmark:</b> C.9.15(1) <a href="http://idiscover.lib.cam.ac.uk/permalink/f/1nnjft8/44CAM_ALMA21420880290003606"> (catalogue record)</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Exhibitions/ThomasSmith/Advancement-of-Humanism/i-XNptCkz/0/2337f770/Ti/C-009-015-002-Ti.jpg)
![Roger Ascham's marginalia
<br><br>
<b>Author:</b> Dionysius of Halicarnassus<br>
<b>Title:</b><i> De Thucydidis historia judicium </i> [On Thucydides] (Venice, 1560)<br>
<b>Shelfmark:</b> C.9.15(1) <a href="http://idiscover.lib.cam.ac.uk/permalink/f/1nnjft8/44CAM_ALMA21420880290003606"> (catalogue record)</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Exhibitions/ThomasSmith/Advancement-of-Humanism/i-wmsFVCw/0/54f50196/Ti/C-009-015-003-Ti.jpg)
![Roger Ascham's marginalia
<br><br>
<b>Author:</b> Dionysius of Halicarnassus<br>
<b>Title:</b><i> De Thucydidis historia judicium </i> [On Thucydides] (Venice, 1560)<br>
<b>Shelfmark:</b> C.9.15(1) <a href="http://idiscover.lib.cam.ac.uk/permalink/f/1nnjft8/44CAM_ALMA21420880290003606"> (catalogue record)</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Exhibitions/ThomasSmith/Advancement-of-Humanism/i-t8JtPQ4/0/4668f02f/Ti/C-009-015-004-Ti.jpg)