The Book Named The Governor

by Sir Thomas Elyot

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ++++ The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to ensure edition identification: ++++ The Book Named The Governour Sir Thomas Elyot Arthur Turberville Eliot J. Hernaman, 1834 Education of princes; Kings and rulers

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1531

Reviews

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elyot is, first of all, a fine classicist. But before that, he recommends the exercise best for a leader, archery of course--what he calls, "shooting." He dissuades from bowling, "in bowling oftentimes too much [strength is used] whereby the sinews be too much strained." "In like wise football [soccer], wherein is nothing but beastly fury and extreme violence; whereof proceedeth hurt, and consequently rancour and malice tdo remain with them that be wounded..."
Elyot's paragraph review of Odysseus landing naked among the Phaeacians, yet so majestic the King wants his daughter to marry him: "without apparel or servant, yet such a wonderful majesty in his countenance and speech, that the king of the country, named Alcinous, in that extreme calamity, wished that Ulysses would take his daughter Nausicaa to wife." Wish I'd recalled this when I taught the Odyssey for many years.
He recommends Claudian's verses to Theodosius and Honorius be posted on the wall of a ruler's room,
including, "Thou shalt be deemed then worthy for to reign,/ When of thyself thou winnest the mastery."
He makes the point that monstrous emperors like Nero, Caligula, Domitian, Commodus, Heliogabulus all found ribalds to act as they themselves did. As an American in the 2010s, we may perceive our rulers, our legislatures, awash in money to buy their continued rule. But their greed itself creates more followers who also value the money over the electorates' needs.

[Blunt Of Mercia · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely useful book, as it contains not only humanist political philosophy, but the system of virtue ethics, showing the precise useage of terms like ingratitude, clemency, ambition etc, in the 16th century. It is also an indication as to how they are to be understood in Latin. As an example: "intelligence" now has no relation whatever to intellectus, intellegere, or intelligentia, but here is given as it is used in Latin.

The first paragraph of the chapter on Ingratitude, (book II. XIII.), for another example, is obviously the source for Shakespeare's song "Blow, blow thou winter wind."