Nelson & His World

Just something that came into my head the other day.

I saw a reference to a Latin grammar textbook authored by one William Lilye in the early 16th century.

Apparently Henry VIII authorised it as the SOLE Latin grammar textbook to be used in education and schools and with corrections and revisions it was used for more than three hundred years.

So most likely there were copies at Nelson schools and in his personal library.

It was known as the Eton Latin grammar or Accidence.

It just got me wondering if Nelson used any Latin phrases or quotations etc. in his letters.

MB

Mark:

the only Latin 'tag' that I can recall Nelson using was 'Post nubila, Phoebus' - 'after the clouds, sunshine' - when he finally got a ship after his five years on the beach.

He would almost certainly have learned Latin at school. The Classics were the basis of the 18th century school curriculum, though other subjects were added. The introduction to this paper outlines what was sometimes taught in addition to the classical 'core'.

http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/cu ... o=ED054038

If Nelson's resistance to French is anything to go by, he probably didn't excel at Latin or Greek either. His arithmetic was a bit wobbly, his grammar sometimes likewise, his recollection of Shakespeare fragmented and inaccurate. What WAS Nelson good at in the academic field? It is a perennial problem for educationists, and I speak from experience here: you encounter students who are, like Nelson, articulate, bright, responsive, energetic, socially well-adjusted and usually incredibly well-informed, but they don't have an academic bent and can become directionless. I often suggested that my pupils might consider the armed forces, and several of them did indeed find purpose and satisfaction in that route.

He may of had some correspondance with the Knights of St John, I know he was in touch with Grand Master Hompech in 1798 ,before the French invasion of Malta

Was 'Dr' Alexander Scott with him then? He was a brilliant linguist, with a reading knowledge of 40 languages. Maybe he, or Nelson's secretary of the time, translated his notes into Latin?

I'm not sure at which point the use of Latin as a 'lingua franca' declined. Sir Thomas More and Erasmus, the Dutch scholar, corresponded in Latin, and Newton wrote his great scientific works in Latin. By the 18th century, French was the language of diplomacy.

I don't think the English at this time had the dreadful reputation for failing to speak foreign languages that they have now. Many naval officers had a good command of French and among the aristocracy at least, French, and often Italian, were widely spoken. Women, though denied a formal classical education, were not considered 'accomplished' - a useful advantage in the marriage market - unless they had acquired a knowledge of French.

Sorry, I digress again.