Martin Joseph Routh (18 September 175522 December 1854) was an English classical scholar and President of Magdalen College, Oxford (1791–1854).

Birthplace and Oxford career

Routh was born at

South Elmham The Saints are a group of villages in the north of the English county of Suffolk, between the rivers Blyth and Waveney near to the border with Norfolk. The villages are all named after a saint (that of their parish church), and either South E ...

, Suffolk, son of the Rev. Peter Routh, rector there and his wife, Mary Reynolds. He matriculated at

The Queen's College, Oxford The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassical architecture, ...

, on 31 May 1770 and on 24 July 1771, was elected to a demyship at

Magdalen College Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the s ...

. He graduated B.A. on 5 February 1774 and was elected on 25 July 1775 to a

fellowship A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of his college. On 23 October 1776 he took an MA, proceeding B.D. in 1786, and D.D. on 6 July 1790. On 21 December 1777, he received deacon's orders from Philip Yonge, Bishop of Norwich; but did not take priest's orders until 1810. He became a college tutor, a librarian in 1781, a Junior Dean of Arts in 1784–5, and in 1785 served as Junior Proctor of the university. On 28 April 1791 Routh became the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

of Magdalen College, a post he held for the next 63 years until his death in 1854.

Literary works

Routh did not excel in modern languages but was an excellent classical scholar. In 1784 was published his edition of the '' Euthydemus'' and '' Gorgias'' of

Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...

but as time went on his interests turned towards patristics, which he would devote the rest of his life to studying. He was especially interested in the minor ecclesiastics of the second and third centuries, the ante-Nicene fathers. In 1814 he published two volumes of ''Sacrae reliquiae''; in 1818 the third and fourth volumes appeared; in 1848 appeared the fifth volume.

Samuel Parr Samuel Parr (26 January 1747 – 6 March 1825), was an English schoolmaster, writer, minister and Doctor of Law. He was known in his time for political writing, and (flatteringly) as "the Whig Johnson", though his reputation has lasted less well ...

said on 26 March 1814:

I have most carefully perused the two volumes of the ''Sacrae reliquiae''. No such work has appeared in English for a century. I wish Joe Scaliger, Bishop Pearson, Richard Bentley, Bishop Bull, Bishop Stillingfleet, and Doctors Grabe and
Whitby Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a maritime, mineral and tourist heritage. Its East Clif ...
were living to read what I have been reading...Martin Routh is of the right stamp, orthodox but not intolerant, profound, not obscure, wary, not sceptical, very, very, very learned, not pedantic at all.

In 1823 appeared Routh's edition of

Bishop Burnet Gilbert Burnet (18 September 1643 – 17 March 1715) was a Scottish philosopher and historian, and Bishop of Salisbury. He was fluent in Dutch, French, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. Burnet was highly respected as a cleric, a preacher, an academic, ...

's ''History of My Own Time''. This included the notes made by Lord Dartmouth, Lord Hardwicke and

Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish satirist, author, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for the Whigs, then for the Tories), poet, and Anglican cleric who became Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dubl ...

in their personal copies, along with Routh's own notes. The second edition with corrections appeared in 1833. Samuel Parr wrote to Lord Holland on 16 March 1823: "The new edition of Burnet is honourable to the University...As to the Preface, it is worthy of the learned, wise, upright, candid writer. Routh is a Jacobite, but a Constitutionalist; he is ''not'' a Ministerialist; he is really a lover of civil liberty...The perspicuity and ease of the composition was to me delightful". In 1852, aged 97, Routh published the portion of Burnet's ''History'' that covered the reign of James II (1685–1689), adding material not included in the previous edition. He presented a copy to the Chancellor of Oxford, the

Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish people, Anglo-Irish soldier and Tories (British political party), Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of Uni ...

. Routh's nephew, who helped him with the book, enquired of him: "Why is it, uncle, that you are always working at Burnet, whom you are always attacking?" Routh replied: "A good question, sir. Because I know the man to be a liar; and am determined to prove him so".

Later life

When the American Anglicans visited England in 1783 on to help them set up their own episcopate, Thurlow recommended they consult Routh. Routh advised them against approaching the Lutheran bishops of Denmark and instead recommended they approach the

Episcopal Church of Scotland The Scottish Episcopal Church ( gd, Eaglais Easbaigeach na h-Alba; sco, Scots Episcopal(ian) Kirk) is the ecclesiastical province of the Anglican Communion in Scotland. A continuation of the Church of Scotland as intended by King James VI, and ...

as this church had a high church tradition. On 14 November 1784 Robert Kilgour, Bishop of Aberdeen and Primus of Scotland, Arthur Petrie, Bishop of Ross and Moray, and the coadjutor-bishop of Aberdeen, John Skinner, consecrated Samuel Seabury of

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

as bishop. This act was crucial in the survival of the American Episcopal church. In 1810, he was presented with the valuable living of

Tilehurst Tilehurst is a suburb of the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It lies to the west of the centre of Reading, and extends from the River Thames in the north to the A4 road in the south. The suburb is partly within the boundarie ...

in Berkshire, where, it is recorded, he liked to spend his holidays when not in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. He married Eliza Agnes Blagrave, daughter of John Blagrave of Calcot Park in Tilehurst, a lady some thirty-five years his junior.

Last years

Routh sympathised with the Tractarians of the High Church Oxford Movement in the 1830s and 1840s. R. W. Church in his history of the Oxford Movement said Routh "had gone below the surface, and was acquainted with the questions debated by those nglicandivines, there was nothing startling in what so alarmed his brethren, whether he agreed with it or not; and to him the indiscriminate charge of Popery meant nothing. But Dr. Routh stood alone among his brother Heads in his knowledge of what English theology was".

John Henry Newman John Henry Newman (21 February 1801 – 11 August 1890) was an English theologian, academic, intellectual, philosopher, polymath, historian, writer, scholar and poet, first as an Anglican ministry, Anglican priest and later as a Catholi ...

dedicated his ''Lectures on the Prophetical Office of the Church'' (1837) to Routh as one "who has been reserved to report to a forgetful generation what was the theology of their fathers". Shrunken in size and deaf, Routh retained his eyesight, his good memory, and his other intellectual powers to the last, dying at Magdalen College.

Legacy

Many affectionate stories were told of him, but he is best known today for his response to

John Burgon John William Burgon (21 August 18134 August 1888) was an English Anglican divine who became the Dean of Chichester Cathedral in 1876. He was known during his lifetime for his poetry and his defence of the historicity and Mosaic authorship of G ...

, who asked him what he would say to a young don seeking advice: "You will find it a very good practice always to verify your references, sir!" This is also to be found in the short form, "Always verify your references", with and without the "sir". His last words when he collapsed taking a heavy volume from a high shelf in his library allegedly were: "A worthless volume, sir! A worthless volume!". According to Jan Morris, Routh's last words, spoken to his housekeeper, were "Don't trouble yourself".

Works

*His edition of the ''Euthydemus'' and ''Gorgias'' of Plato, 8vo, Oxford, 1784. *''Reliquiæ sacræ sive auctorum fere jam perditorum secundi tertiique seculi post Christum natum quæ supersunt'', 4 vols. 8vo, Oxford, 1814–1818; the first two in 1814, the third in 1815, the fourth in 1818. Routh added a fifth volume in 1848, and brought out a second edition of the first four, the whole in 5 vols. 8vo, 1846–8. *An edition of Burnet's ''History of his own Time'', with notes by the Earls of Dartmouth and Hardwicke and Swift, and observations, 6 vols. 8vo, Oxford, 1823; a second edition, 1833. *''Scriptorum ecclesiasticorum opuscula præcipua quædam'', 2 vols. 8vo, Oxford, 1832; a second edition, 1840, re-edited (anonymously) by Dr. William Jacobson, Bishop of Chester, 1858. *An edition of Burnet's ''History of the Reign of James II'', with additional notes, 8vo, Oxford, 1852. *''Tres breves Tractatus'', containing ''De primis episcopis'', ''S. Petri Alexandrini episcopi fragmenta quædam'', and ''S. Irenæi illustrata rhēsis, in qua ecclesia Romana commemoratur'', 8vo, Oxford, 1853. He wrote a large number of Latin inscriptions, four of which are given in the pages of Burgon's ''Life'' and twenty-five in an appendix.

Notes

References

* *R. D. Middleton, ''Dr. Routh'' (Oxford University Press, 1938).