''The Boke named the Governour'', sometimes referred to in modern English as ''The Book of the Governor'', is a book written by

Thomas Elyot Sir Thomas Elyot (c. 149626 March 1546) was an English diplomat and scholar. He is best known as one of the first proponents of the use of the English language for literary purposes. Early life Thomas was the child of Sir Richard Elyot's fi ...

and published in 1531. It was dedicated to

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

and is largely a treatise on how to properly train statesmen. It also discusses ethical dilemmas in the education system of the time. ''The Book of the Governor'' is evidence of the impact that Renaissance humanism had on prose writing.

Thomas Elyot

Thomas Elyot was born before 1490 and died in 1546. He was the son of Sir Richard Elyot and Alice Fynderne. His father was a prominent lawyer, so Thomas received a quality education. Both

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

and

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

claim him as an alumnus, but there is no sufficient evidence either way. He studied mostly liberal arts and philosophy, but also some medicine. In 1510 he married Margaret Aborough. In 1530 he was

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

ed. In 1531, he was made ambassador to the Emperor,

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

. In 1538 he published the first Latin-English dictionary. As a writer, he is clear, precise, measured, and practically monotonous. His major works include: *''The Boke named the Governour'' (1531) *''Of the Knowledge which maketh a Wise Man'' (1533) *''The Education of Children, translated out of Plutarch'' (1535) *''Dictionary'' (1538) *''The Castel of Helth'' (1539) *''The Defence of Good Women'' (1540) ''The Boke named the Governour'' is considered to be the first educational treatise in English. It sets out the way of life for member of the English governing class. Between 1531 and 1580, the book went through seven different editions. According to Biblio.com, the Book of the Governor "went through edition after edition all through the sixteenth century. It achieved this fame for many reasons. It is the first work in recognizably modern English

prose Prose is language that follows the natural flow or rhythm of speech, ordinary grammatical structures, or, in writing, typical conventions and formatting. Thus, prose ranges from informal speaking to formal academic writing. Prose differs most n ...

, to which Elyot added many new words. It provided influential advocacy for the study of the classics, from which he quotes extensively. the principal cause of its popularity was the current vogue for its subject – it is a treatise on moral philosophy, laying down the lines on which the education of those destined to govern should be directed, and inculcating the high moral principles which should rule them in the performance of their duties. There was nothing very original or revolutionary in the thoughts expressed: Elyot acknowledges his debt to the ''Institutio Principis Christiani'' of Erasmus and Castiglione’s ''Il Cortegiano'', though not that to Francesco Patrizzi, Bishop of Gaeta at the end of the fifteenth century, whose ''De Rego et Regis Institutione'' was certainly the model for ''The Governour''. Nevertheless it remained a textbook for behaviour for generations and had a lasting effect on the writing of English."

Humanism

Elyot wrote his book at the beginning of English Renaissance humanism. During this time, "humanists were distinguished from other scholars not by exclusive focus on human or secular texts, but rather by their focus on secular writings, particularly classical ones, ''as well as'' on religious texts and thoughts".Black, Joseph. The Renaissance and the Early Seventeenth Century. 2nd ed. Vol. 2. Peterborough, Ont.: Broadview, 2010. It was during this time that the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

and

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

classics were finally coming back. This is the time when

Plato Plato ( ; Greek language, Greek: , ; born BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical Greece, Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the writte ...

played a significant role in philosophical history. Renaissance humanism also introduced a new richness in the English language – writers began to use rhetoric, and language was viewed as a worthy subject to study. This is why Elyot's book became so popular not only with the people, but also the King.

References

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20131024010330/http://www.classiclanguagearts.net/Projects/WritingLessonsFromTheRenaissance/bookofthegovernor.htm *http://www.luminarium.org/renascence-editions/gov/gov1.htm *Black, Joseph. ''The Renaissance and the Early Seventeenth Century''. 2nd ed. Vol. 2. Peterborough, Ont.: Broadview, 2010. Print. {{DEFAULTSORT:Book of the Governor, The 1531 books Etiquette Early Modern English literature Books about education