Dudley Loftus
Encyclopedia
Dudley Loftus was an Irish
jurist and noted orientalist
.
Loftus was born the second son of Sir Adam Loftus, into a family of 17 siblings on his great-grandfather’s estate of Rathfarnham Castle
, Dublin. He graduated from Trinity College, Dublin
when 18, then entered Oxford University in 1639 on the advice of Bishop Usher
, taking his Master of Arts degree in 1641. In his lifetime he was acclaimed as a linguist, and his reputation as an orientalist was unrivalled thanks to his Latin translations from Ethiopic, Armenian, Syriac, Hebrew, Arabic, and Persian texts. He served four times as a Member of Parliament and represented Fethard (County Wexford)
between 1692 and 1693. He was also Vicar General of Ireland, Judge of the Prerogative Court of Ireland, and Senior Master of Chancery.
Despite his many accomplishments, Archbishop Marsh wrote of him that "he never knew so much Learning in the Keeping of a Fool". (Even so, the archbishop collected the majority of Loftus' manuscripts and housed them a public library next to St. Patrick's Cathedral, where they can be seen to this day.) Jonathan Swift
for his part described Loftus thus: "Let him be hailed amongst the junior fellows, with his short feet and rhinoceros nose …..Because of his looks and eloquence we name him Ulysses; for Ulysses was not handsome but he had the gift of tongues. No Tartar is more fair, no Athenian better hung, / Sol varnish’d o’er his face, and Mercury his tongue. For his height let us salute him as Ajax, for his scrawniness as Tithonus, for his shaking head as the palsied Priam, for his swiftness as Achilles and finally (for his giant shanks), as the Colossus."
Loftus is interred in the family vault in St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin
.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
jurist and noted orientalist
Oriental studies
Oriental studies is the academic field of study that embraces Near Eastern and Far Eastern societies and cultures, languages, peoples, history and archaeology; in recent years the subject has often been turned into the newer terms of Asian studies and Middle Eastern studies...
.
Loftus was born the second son of Sir Adam Loftus, into a family of 17 siblings on his great-grandfather’s estate of Rathfarnham Castle
Rathfarnham Castle
Rathfarnham Castle is a 16th century castle in Rathfarnham, South Dublin, Ireland.-Origins:The earlier Anglo-Norman castle which was replaced by the present building was built on lands which were confiscated from the Eustace family of Baltinglass because of their involvement in the Second Desmond...
, Dublin. He graduated from Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
when 18, then entered Oxford University in 1639 on the advice of Bishop Usher
James Ussher
James Ussher was Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland between 1625–56...
, taking his Master of Arts degree in 1641. In his lifetime he was acclaimed as a linguist, and his reputation as an orientalist was unrivalled thanks to his Latin translations from Ethiopic, Armenian, Syriac, Hebrew, Arabic, and Persian texts. He served four times as a Member of Parliament and represented Fethard (County Wexford)
Fethard (County Wexford) (Parliament of Ireland constituency)
Fethard was a constituency in County Wexford represented in the Irish House of Commons to 1800.-History:In the Patriot Parliament of 1689 summoned by King James II, Fethard was represented with two members.-1689–1801:...
between 1692 and 1693. He was also Vicar General of Ireland, Judge of the Prerogative Court of Ireland, and Senior Master of Chancery.
Despite his many accomplishments, Archbishop Marsh wrote of him that "he never knew so much Learning in the Keeping of a Fool". (Even so, the archbishop collected the majority of Loftus' manuscripts and housed them a public library next to St. Patrick's Cathedral, where they can be seen to this day.) Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift was an Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St...
for his part described Loftus thus: "Let him be hailed amongst the junior fellows, with his short feet and rhinoceros nose …..Because of his looks and eloquence we name him Ulysses; for Ulysses was not handsome but he had the gift of tongues. No Tartar is more fair, no Athenian better hung, / Sol varnish’d o’er his face, and Mercury his tongue. For his height let us salute him as Ajax, for his scrawniness as Tithonus, for his shaking head as the palsied Priam, for his swiftness as Achilles and finally (for his giant shanks), as the Colossus."
Loftus is interred in the family vault in St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin
St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin
Saint Patrick's Cathedral , or more formally, the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Patrick is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Dublin, Ireland which was founded in 1191. The Church has designated it as The National Cathedral of Ireland...
.