Thomas Wilson (rhetorician)
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Thomas Wilson (1524–1581), Esquire,
LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...
, was an English diplomat and judge who served as a
privy councillor A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
and Secretary of State (1577–81) to Queen
Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...
. He is remembered especially for his ''Logique'' (1551) and ''The Arte of Rhetorique'' (1553), which have been called "the first complete works on
logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from premises ...
and
rhetoric Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate parti ...
in English". He also wrote ''A Discourse upon Usury by way of Dialogue and Orations'' (1572), and he was the first to publish a translation of
Demosthenes Demosthenes (; el, Δημοσθένης, translit=Dēmosthénēs; ; 384 – 12 October 322 BC) was a Greek statesman and orator in ancient Athens. His orations constitute a significant expression of contemporary Athenian intellectual prow ...
into English.Frederick Chamberlin: ''Elizabeth and Leycester'' Dodd, Mead & Co. 1939 p. 56


Life

He was the son of Thomas Wilson, a farmer, of
Strubby Strubby is a village in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated just north of the A157 road, south-east from Louth and north from Alford. The village forms part of Strubby and Woodthorpe civil parish, with the nearb ...
, Lincolnshire. He was educated at
Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...
under
Nicholas Udall Nicholas Udall (or Uvedale Udal, Woodall, or other variations) (1504 – 23 December 1556) was an English playwright, cleric, schoolmaster, the author of '' Ralph Roister Doister'', generally regarded as the first comedy written in the English ...
, and at
King's College, Cambridge King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the city ...
, where he joined the school of Hellenists to which
John Cheke Sir John Cheke (or Cheek) (16 June 1514 – 13 September 1557) was an English classical scholar and statesman. One of the foremost teachers of his age, and the first Regius Professor of Greek at the University of Cambridge, he played a great pa ...
, Thomas Smith,
Walter Haddon Walter Haddon LL.D. (1515–1572) was an English civil lawyer, much involved in church and university affairs under Edward VI, Queen Mary, and Elizabeth I. He was a University of Cambridge humanist and reformer, and was highly reputed in his time ...
and others belonged. He graduated B.A. in 1546, and
M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
in 1549. Wilson was an intellectual companion to the sons of
John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland (1504Loades 2008 – 22 August 1553) was an English general, admiral, and politician, who led the government of the young King Edward VI from 1550 until 1553, and unsuccessfully tried to install Lady Ja ...
, especially with
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...
,
Ambrose Ambrose of Milan ( la, Aurelius Ambrosius; ), venerated as Saint Ambrose, ; lmo, Sant Ambroeus . was a theologian and statesman who served as Bishop of Milan from 374 to 397. He expressed himself prominently as a public figure, fiercely promo ...
, and Robert Dudley. When the Dudley family fell from power in 1553, he fled to the Continent. He was with Sir John Cheke in
Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...
in 1555–1557, and afterwards at Rome, whither in 1558 Queen Mary wrote, ordering him to return to England to stand his trial as a
heretic Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...
. He refused to come home, but was arrested by the
Roman Inquisition The Roman Inquisition, formally the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition, was a system of partisan tribunals developed by the Holy See of the Roman Catholic Church, during the second half of the 16th century, respons ...
and tortured. He escaped, and fled to
Ferrara Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...
, but in 1560 he was once more in London. Wilson became Master of Requests and Master of St Katherine's Hospital in the
Tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...
in 1561 and entered parliament in January 1563 as MP for
Mitchell, Cornwall Mitchell (sometimes known as Michael or St Michael's) is a village in mid Cornwall, England. It is situated 14 miles (22 km) northeast of Redruth and 17 miles (27 km) west-southwest of Bodmin on the A30 trunk road. Mitchell straddl ...
. In 1571 and 1572 he was elected MP for
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. From 1574 to 1577, Wilson, who had now become a prominent person in the diplomatic world, was principally engaged on embassies to the
Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...
, and on his return to England he was made a
privy councillor A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
and sworn secretary of state;
Francis Walsingham Sir Francis Walsingham ( – 6 April 1590) was principal secretary to Queen Elizabeth I of England from 20 December 1573 until his death and is popularly remembered as her "spymaster". Born to a well-connected family of gentry, Wals ...
was his colleague. In 1580, despite his being not in holy orders, Queen Elizabeth appointed Wilson
Dean of Durham The Dean of Durham is the "head" (''primus inter pares'' – first among equals) and chair of the Chapter, the ruling body of Durham Cathedral. The dean and chapter are based at the ''Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cu ...
. He died at St Katherine's Hospital on 16 June 1581, and was buried next day, "without charge or pomp", at his express wish.


Works

In 1551 Wilson produced, with Walter Haddon, a
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
life of
Henry Brandon, 2nd Duke of Suffolk Henry Brandon, 2nd Duke of Suffolk (18 September 1535 – 14 July 1551), styled Lord Henry Brandon before 1545, was an English nobleman, the son of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, by his fourth wife, Catherine Willoughby. His father h ...
and his brother
Charles Brandon, 3rd Duke of Suffolk Charles Brandon, 3rd Duke of Suffolk (12 October 1537 – 14 July 1551), known as Lord Charles Brandon until shortly before his death, was the son of the 1st Duke of Suffolk and the ''suo jure'' 12th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby. His father ha ...
. His earliest work of importance was ''The Rule of Reason, conteinynge the Arte of Logique set forth in Englishe'' (1551), which was frequently reprinted. It has been considered a derivative work, in English, of the ''Dialectica'' of John Seton which was circulated as a Latin manuscript before its publication. It has been maintained that the book on which Wilson's fame mainly rests, ''The Arte of Rhetorique'', was printed about the same time, but this is probably an error: the first edition extant is dated January 1553. It is the earliest systematic work of rhetoric and literary criticism existing in the English language. ''The Arte of Rhetorique'' gives Wilson a place among the earliest exponents of English style. He was opposed to pedantry of phrase, and above all to a revival of uncouth medieval forms of speech, and encouraged a simpler manner of
prose Prose is a form of written or spoken language that follows the natural flow of speech, uses a language's ordinary grammatical structures, or follows the conventions of formal academic writing. It differs from most traditional poetry, where the f ...
writing than was generally appreciated in the middle of the 16th century. He was also opposed to "
inkhorn term An inkhorn term is a loanword, or a word coined from existing roots, which is deemed to be unnecessary or overly pretentious. Etymology An inkhorn is an inkwell made of horn. It was an important item for many scholars, which soon became symb ...
s"—borrowings and coinages from Greek and Latin—which he found affected. In 1570 Wilson published a translation, the first attempted in English, of the ''
Olynthiacs The Olynthiacs were three political speeches, all delivered by the Athenian statesman and orator Demosthenes. In 349 BC, Philip II of Macedon attacked Olynthus, which at the time was an ally of Athens. In the Olynthiacs, delivered in 349 BC, Demosth ...
'' and ''
Philippics A philippic ()http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/English/philippic is a fiery, damning speech, or tirade, delivered to condemn a particular political actor. The term is most famously associated with two noted orators of the ancient world: ...
'' of
Demosthenes Demosthenes (; el, Δημοσθένης, translit=Dēmosthénēs; ; 384 – 12 October 322 BC) was a Greek statesman and orator in ancient Athens. His orations constitute a significant expression of contemporary Athenian intellectual prow ...
, on which he had been engaged since 1556. His ''Discourse upon Usury'', which he dedicated to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, his patron and former pupil, appeared in 1572.


Family

In his will proved in 1582, Thomas Wilson refers to his brother Godfrey Wilson of Durham, and calls Sir
William Wynter Admiral Sir William Wynter (c. 1521 – 20 February 1589) was an admiral and principal officer of the Council of the Marine under Queen Elizabeth I of England and served the crown during the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604). Personal Wynter wa ...
his brother-in-law. He also had brothers Humphrey and William in Lincolnshire. He was first married to Agnes Wynter (sister of William Wynter), widow of William Broke of Ham in Essex: Broke died in 1562. Agnes died in 1574. Wilson names one son and two daughters who were born of this marriage: * Nicholas Wilson (executor); of Sheepwash, Lincolnshire. * Mary Wilson (in minority and unmarried, 1581); married (1) Robert Burdett of
Bramcote, Warwickshire Bramcote is a village in the Rugby district of Warwickshire in England. It lies approximately south-east of Nuneaton, between the Ashby Canal and the River Anker. Historically, Bramcote was a dispersed settlement rather than a nucleated village. ...
(died 1603), and (2) Sir Christopher Lowther of Lowther, Westmorland.Pollard, 'Wilson, Thomas', ''Old D.N.B.'' * Lucrece Wilson (in minority and unmarried, 1581); married Sir George Belgrave, of
Belgrave, Leicester Belgrave is an area, suburb, electoral ward and administrative division of the city of Leicester, England. Belgrave is the location of and known for the National Space Centre, Space Park Leicester, the Golden Mile and Belgrave Hall. The old ...
. Sir Francis Walsingham, Sir William Wynter and Mathewe Smyth Esquire were appointed overseers to Wilson's will. According to the ''Visitations of Essex'', Wilson made a late marriage to Jane, widow of John Pynchon of
Writtle The village and civil parish of Writtle lies west of Chelmsford, Essex, England. It has a traditional village green complete with duck pond and a Norman church, and was once described as "one of the loveliest villages in England, with a ravishi ...
, Essex, which is shown in the parish registers of
Terling Terling (pronounced Tar-ling) is a village and civil parish in the county of Essex, England, between Braintree to the north, Chelmsford to the south-west and Witham to the east. History A settlement at Terling dates back to Roman times. Accor ...
(Essex) at 15 July 1576. The ''Visitations'' identify her as a daughter of Sir
Richard Empson Sir Richard Empson (c. 1450 – 17 August 1510), minister of Henry VII, was a son of Peter Empson. Educated as a lawyer, he soon attained considerable success in his profession, and in 1491 was a Knight of the shire for Northamptonshire in Par ...
. P.W. Hasler states that Jane died in 1577, which would account for her not being mentioned in Thomas Wilson's will of 1582. However the register copy of Jane Wilson's will suggests it was written in 1587 and proved in 1588. Both John Pynchon's and Jane Wilson's wills indicate a near relationship to Peter Osborne: possibly Jane was first the widow of Osborne's brother John, of Latchingdon, Essex, who had died in 1553.Will of John Osborne, Gentleman of London (P.C.C. 1553, Tashe quire).


Notes


External links


Bartleby.com's entry for ''The Arte of Rhetorique''
* *
R H Tawney's 1925 Historical Introduction to A Discourse Upon Usury





Further reading

*Susan Doran and Jonathan Woolfson, "Wilson, Thomas (1523/4–1581)," ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004
online edition
January 2008. *Thomas O. Sloane, ''On the Contrary: The Protocol of Traditional Rhetoric'', Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 1997 *Tita French Baumlin, "Thomas Wilson," ''The Dictionary of Literary Biography, Volume 236: British Rhetoricians and Logicians, 1500–1660, First Series'', Detroit: Gale, 2001, pp. 282–306. *Peter E. Medine, ''Thomas Wilson'', Boston: Twayne, 1986 *Peter E. Medine, ed., ''The Art of rhetoric (1560), by Thomas Wilson'', University Park: Penn State University, 1994 *Ryan J. Stark, "Thomas Wilson's Apocalyptic Rhetoric." ''Studies in Philology'' 106 (2009): 341–53. {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Thomas 1524 births 1581 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of King's College, Cambridge English non-fiction writers Marian exiles Deans of Durham English rhetoricians Linguists of English Members of the Privy Council of England 16th-century English writers 16th-century male writers 16th-century English diplomats English male non-fiction writers