John Aubrey

John Aubrey ( born March 12, 1626 Easton Piers or Percy, near Malmesbury in Wiltshire, † June 7, 1697 ) was a British classical scholar and author. He is especially known for his collection of short biographies, which he published under the title Brief Lives.

Life and work

The son of a wealthy family, born Aubrey was sent to Malmesbury to the Latin School. He was informed of Robert Latimer, whose students also Thomas Hobbes was one of the Aubrey met in Latimer's house and whose biography he would later write. Then Aubrey went to Trinity College, Oxford. 1642 his studies were interrupted by the English Civil War. In 1646 he moved to the Bar Middle Temple, but was never called as a barrister in court. During a trip he discovered the stone circles of Avebury, which aroused his interest. 1652 his father died, Richard Aubrey, who left him large estates, but also debt.

Aubrey became acquainted with famous contemporaries. Due to his good memory, he coined a their quirks and remembered the gossip that was told about them. This should help him later in writing the very short biographies.

1663 Aubrey was a member of the Royal Society. Through several processes, it increasingly lost possession and had to leave his home in Easton Piers in 1670. From then on, he lived by the hospitality of his acquaintances.

For Anthony Wood, the Aubrey had met at Oxford, and who just wrote his works Athenae Oxonienses, he began to collect biographical information. 1680 he presented then his own biography collection in view. In order to gather as much information he gave Wood the verification of this information. It is reported Aubrey had written his morning texts in the homes of Outlined as they recovered from the previous night. This, designated by him as Schediasmata lines were gradually supplemented by newly discovered information, juicy details and the latest gossip.

First, the only manuscript of Wood was used for the book. Because most Outlined however, were still alive and Wood lawsuits feared because of the description, Wood underlined some passages or entire articles from the factory. So it was that in 1692 complained to Aubrey Wood. It took until the wild, together written in no apparent order notes, now preserved in the Bodleian Library, could be brought and published in readable form.

Later he got the idea to describe the history of his homeland under the title History of Northern Wiltshire. Since, however, he believed no longer to be finished in his lifetime with the work, he handed over his notes and manuscripts in 1695 Thomas Tanner, who should be bishop of Norwich and Ely later.

During his travels, he died of a stroke in June 1697.

Works

Most of his works, such as the Brief Lives, Life of Mr. Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury or Architectonica Sacra (see also Celts ideology ), were published posthumously. The Brief Lives, long derided for their trenchant views and lurid scandal, are now seen as an important part of the exploration of his time and the then British nation.

• Mr. John Aubrey's, Esq. Life ⸗ designs. Translated by Wolfgang Schlüter. Eichborn, Frankfurt am Main 1994, ISBN 3-8218-4114-1 ( = The other library 114).