John Doget (c. 1435–1501) was an English

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

, scholar and Renaissance humanist. He was the nephew of Cardinal Thomas Bourchier,

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

. He was born in Sherborne, Dorset, and was probably educated in Bourchier's household before being admitted to Eton College as a king's scholar about 1447. From Eton he passed to King's College, Cambridge, in 1451, and became a fellow there in 1454. In 1460 Doget was ordained, and gained his Master of Theology in 1464. In the same year he left Cambridge and went to Bologna, where he studied Canon law and earned his doctorate in 1469. He returned to Cambridge in 1463. Doget was sent to Rome to help arrange a peace between

Pope Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV ( it, Sisto IV: 21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484), born Francesco della Rovere, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 to his death in August 1484. His accomplishments as pope include ...

and Florence in 1479, dealing also with the princes of Sicily and Hungary. He was then appointed to an embassy to Christian I of Denmark. He was appointed domestic chaplain to

Richard III Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...

in 1483. At some time between 1473 and 1486, he presented his ''Examinatorium in Phaedonem Platonis'', the first philosophical work by an English humanist, to Cardinal Bourchier. The text of the '' Phaedo'' on which Doget comments is the translation of Leonardo Bruni. As

Roberto Weiss Roberto Weiss (21 January 1906 – 10 August 1969) was an Italian-British scholar and historian who specialised in the fields of Italian-English cultural contacts during the period of the Renaissance, and of Renaissance humanism. Early career ...

has pointed out in the commentary, "his aim appears to have been an interpretation of some of Plato's passages as Christian maxims. Because of this he deals principally with an explanation of obscure passages in the ''Phaedo'', which are presented so as to emphasize their common points with Christian doctrine" (Weiss, p. 166). The neoplatonic texts cited by Doget, which include

Marsilio Ficino Marsilio Ficino (; Latin name: ; 19 October 1433 – 1 October 1499) was an Italian scholar and Catholic priest who was one of the most influential humanist philosophers of the early Italian Renaissance. He was an astrologer, a reviver of ...

's Latin version of the '' Pimander'', or ''Poemander'', of Hermes Trismegistus, are seen through the prism of Christian apologetics, and the Phaedo was no doubt chosen in the first place as a vehicle for his commentary because it could be presented as a mythologized version of Christian doctrine. Doget's manuscript was later purchased by another humanist, Robert Sherborn, Bishop of Chichester. Henry VII presented him to the provostship of King's College in 1499. In 1500 he managed to obtain a licence from the King to impress men and boys into the

King's College Choir The Choir of King's College, Cambridge is an English Anglican choir. It is considered one of today's most accomplished and renowned representatives of the great English choral tradition. It was created by King Henry VI, who founded King's Coll ...

, a much-needed privilege due to the complexity of polyphonic music at the time - skilled choir members were in high demand,

Lady Margaret Beaufort Lady Margaret Beaufort (usually pronounced: or ; 31 May 1441/43 – 29 June 1509) was a major figure in the Wars of the Roses of the late fifteenth century, and mother of King Henry VII of England, the first Tudor monarch. A descendant of ...

having seized three clerks and a chorister from King's the year before Doget's appointment. His will is dated 4 March 1501 and bequeathed all his books on canon law and theology to King's College. He died the following month, and was buried in

Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England. The cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of Salisbury and is the seat of the Bishop of Salisbury. The buildi ...

References

*'' Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''. *Roberto Weiss, ''Humanism in England during the fifteenth century'', third edition, 1967. {{DEFAULTSORT:Doget, John 15th-century births 1501 deaths Doget, John Doget, John Doget, John Doget, John Provosts of King's College, Cambridge Doget, John Doget, John 15th-century English Roman Catholic priests 16th-century English Roman Catholic priests Burials at Salisbury Cathedral