Robert Whittington (also called Robert Wittinton, or Robert Whitynton or Robert Whitinton) (c. 1480 – c. 1553) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

grammarian. He was a pupil at

Magdalen College School, Oxford Magdalen College School (MCS) is a public school (English independent day school) in Oxford, England, for boys aged seven to eighteen and for girls in the sixth form. It was founded by William Waynflete about 1480 as part of Magdalen College, ...

, where he probably studied under the grammarian

John Stanbridge John Stanbridge (1463–1510) was an English grammarian and schoolmaster. He was born in Heyford, Northamptonshire and educated in Winchester College. In 1480 he went to New College, Oxford and stayed until 1486, when he joined the staff of th ...

. In 1513 he was admitted as a BA at Oxford, having studied rhetoric for 14 years, and taught it for 12 years. About 1519 he presented

Cardinal Wolsey Thomas Wolsey ( – 29 November 1530) was an English statesman and Catholic bishop. When Henry VIII became King of England in 1509, Wolsey became the king's almoner. Wolsey's affairs prospered and by 1514 he had become the controlling figur ...

with a verse and a prose treatise, with a dedication requesting patronage. In the same year he published ''Libellus epigrammaton'', an anthology of poems addressed to Wolsey,

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

Thomas More Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VIII as Lord ...

, and

John Skelton John Skelton may refer to: *John Skelton (poet) (c.1460–1529), English poet. * John de Skelton, MP for Cumberland (UK Parliament constituency) *John Skelton (died 1439), MP for Cumberland (UK Parliament constituency) *John Skelton (American footb ...

. His ''Vulgaria'', published in 1520, pays compliments to the late king Henry VII, to

Thomas Linacre Thomas Linacre or Lynaker ( ; 20 October 1524) was an English humanist scholar and physician, after whom Linacre College, Oxford, and Linacre House, a boys' boarding house at The King's School, Canterbury, are named. Linacre was more of a schola ...

, and to More, who was here first described as "a man for all seasons". Whittington's efforts succeeded by 1523, at the latest, when he enjoyed the favour of Henry VIII. Whittington was most famous as the author of elementary Latin school books, including ''De nominum generibus'' (1511), ''Declinationes nominum'' (c. 1511), ''De heteroclitis nominibus'' (c. 1511), ''Syntaxis'' (second edition, 1512), ''De syllabarum quantitate'' (second edition, c. 1512), ''De octo partibus orationis'' (c. 1514), ''De synonymis'' together with ''De magistratibus veterum Romanorum'' (1515), ''Vulgaria'' (English and Latin sentences for translation, 1520), and ''Verborum preterita et supina'' (1521). He also edited

's ''Accidence'' (c. 1515). Each dealt with a different aspect of grammar, and could be bought individually and cheaply. They were widely sold and frequently republished up to the early 1530s. Whittington's grammars continued to be printed during the 1520s, usually by

Wynkyn de Worde Wynkyn de Worde (died 1534) was a printer and publisher in London known for his work with William Caxton, and is recognised as the first to popularise the products of the printing press in England. Name Wynkyn de Worde was a German immigr ...

but briefly also by

Richard Pynson Richard Pynson (c. 1449 – c. 1529) was one of the first printers of English books. Born in Normandy, he moved to London, where he became one of the leading printers of the generation following William Caxton. His books were printed to a high ...

. About 1529, however, Whittington seems to have moved his custom to

Peter Treveris Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

, who issued his works for the next two years. By 1533 Whittington had returned to Worde. Following Worde's death in 1534 he turned his attention to translation from Latin into English. He brought out versions of

Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (; ; English: Erasmus of Rotterdam or Erasmus;''Erasmus'' was his baptismal name, given after St. Erasmus of Formiae. ''Desiderius'' was an adopted additional name, which he used from 1496. The ''Roterodamus'' wa ...

's '' De civilitate morum puerilium'' (1532), three works by

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the estab ...

(''De officiis'', 1534; ''Paradoxa'', c. 1534; and ''De senectute'', c. 1535), and three allegedly by

Seneca Seneca may refer to: People and language * Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname * Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America ** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people Places Extrat ...

(''The Forme and Rule of Honest Lyvynge'', 1546; ''The Myrrour or Glasse of Maners'', 1547; and ''De remediis fortuitorum'', 1547), the ''Forme and Myrrour'' actually being the work of

Martin of Braga Martin of Braga (in Latin ''Martinus Bracarensis'', in Portuguese, known as ''Martinho de Dume'' 520–580 AD) was an archbishop of Bracara Augusta in Gallaecia (now Braga in Portugal), a missionary, a monastic founder, and an ecclesiastical ...

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