John Eyton Bickersteth Mayor
Encyclopedia
John Eyton Bickersteth Mayor (28 January 1825 – 1910) was an English
classical scholar.
He was born at Baddegama, Sri Lanka
(then Ceylon), and returned to England to be educated at Shrewsbury School
and St John's College, Cambridge
.
From 1863 to 1867 he was librarian of the University of Cambridge
, and in 1872 succeeded HAJ Munro in the professorship
of Latin
, which he held for 28 years. His best-known work, an edition of the thirteen Satires of Juvenal, is notable for an extraordinary wealth of illustrative quotations. His Bibliographical Clue to Latin Literature (1873), based on Emil Hübner
's Grundriss zu Vorlesungen über die römische Litteraturgeschichte, was a valuable aid to the student, and his edition of Cicero
's Second Philippic became widely used.
He also edited the English works of John Fisher
, Bishop of Rochester (1876); Thomas Baker's
History of St John's College, Cambridge (1869); Richard of Cirencester
's Speculum historiale de gestis regum Angliae 447–1066 (1863–1869); Roger Ascham
's Schoolmaster (new ed., 1883); the Latin Heptateuch (1889); and the Journal of Philology.
According to the Enciklopedio de Esperanto, Mayor learned Esperanto
in 1907, and gave a historic speech against Esperanto reformists at the World Congress of Esperanto
held at Cambridge.
His life and work are idiosyncratically and somewhat unsympathetically described in Juvenal
's Mayor: The Professor Who Lived on 2d. a Day by J. G. W. Henderson.
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.
He was born at Baddegama, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
(then Ceylon), and returned to England to be educated at Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School is a co-educational independent school for pupils aged 13 to 18, founded by Royal Charter in 1552. The present campus to which the school moved in 1882 is located on the banks of the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England...
and St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
.
From 1863 to 1867 he was librarian of the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, and in 1872 succeeded HAJ Munro in the professorship
Kennedy Professor of Latin
The Kennedy Professorship of Latin is the senior professorship of Latin at the University of Cambridge.In 1865, when Benjamin Hall Kennedy retired as headmaster of Shrewsbury School, his friends and former pupils created a fund with the intention of founding a chair in Latin to be named after him...
of Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, which he held for 28 years. His best-known work, an edition of the thirteen Satires of Juvenal, is notable for an extraordinary wealth of illustrative quotations. His Bibliographical Clue to Latin Literature (1873), based on Emil Hübner
Emil Hübner
Emil Hübner was a German classical scholar.He was born at Düsseldorf, the son of the historical painter Julius Hübner ,...
's Grundriss zu Vorlesungen über die römische Litteraturgeschichte, was a valuable aid to the student, and his edition of Cicero
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
's Second Philippic became widely used.
He also edited the English works of John Fisher
John Fisher
Saint John Fisher was an English Roman Catholic scholastic, bishop, cardinal and martyr. He shares his feast day with Saint Thomas More on 22 June in the Roman Catholic calendar of saints and 6 July on the Church of England calendar of saints...
, Bishop of Rochester (1876); Thomas Baker's
Thomas Baker (antiquarian)
Thomas Baker , English antiquarian, was the grandson of Colonel Baker of Crook, Durham, who won fame in the English Civil War by his defence of Newcastle upon Tyne against the Scots. Thomas was educated at the free school at Durham, and went on to St John's College, Cambridge, where he later...
History of St John's College, Cambridge (1869); Richard of Cirencester
Richard of Cirencester
Richard of Cirencester , historical writer, was a member of the Benedictine abbey at Westminster, and his name first appears on the chamberlain's list of the monks of that foundation drawn up in the year 1355....
's Speculum historiale de gestis regum Angliae 447–1066 (1863–1869); Roger Ascham
Roger Ascham
Roger Ascham was an English scholar and didactic writer, famous for his prose style, his promotion of the vernacular, and his theories of education...
's Schoolmaster (new ed., 1883); the Latin Heptateuch (1889); and the Journal of Philology.
According to the Enciklopedio de Esperanto, Mayor learned Esperanto
Esperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
in 1907, and gave a historic speech against Esperanto reformists at the World Congress of Esperanto
World Congress of Esperanto
The World Congress of Esperanto has the longest tradition among international Esperanto conventions, with an almost unbroken run of more than a hundred years. The congresses have been held since 1905 every year, except during World Wars I and II...
held at Cambridge.
His life and work are idiosyncratically and somewhat unsympathetically described in Juvenal
Juvenal
The Satires are a collection of satirical poems by the Latin author Juvenal written in the late 1st and early 2nd centuries AD.Juvenal is credited with sixteen known poems divided among five books; all are in the Roman genre of satire, which, at its most basic in the time of the author, comprised a...
's Mayor: The Professor Who Lived on 2d. a Day by J. G. W. Henderson.
External links
- Works written or edited by John E. B. Mayor at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...