Henry Aldrich

Henry Aldrich (1647-1710). Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Henry Aldrich (1647 - 14 December 1710) was an English theologian, philosopher, and lyricist.

Life

Aldrich was born in Westminster.

He was educated at Westminster School under Richard Busby. In 1662, he entered Christ Church, Oxford, where he earned a B.A. in 1666 and an M.A. in 1669.

He was appointed canon of Christ Church in February 1681-2, and awarded a B.D. and D.D. in the following March. In 1689 he was made dean of Christ Church in succession to Catholic John Massey, a Catholic who had fled to the Continent. In 1692 Aldrich became Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, serving until 1695.

He was active and popular in his college, and bore a great reputation for conviviality. He made a practice of entrusting one of the scholars with an edition of some classical work, which was issued as a new year's gift to every young man in the college.

In 1702, he was appointed Rector of Wem in Shropshire, but continued to reside at Oxford, where he died on 14 December 1710. He was buried in Christ Church Cathedral without any memorial, at his own request.

Writing

Aldrich was a man of unusually varied gifts. A classical scholar of fair merits, he is best known as the author of a little book on logic (Artis Logicæ Compendium). Although not innovative in the field of Logic itself (it closely follows Petrus Hispanus' Summulae Logicales), it remained the popular text-book until the 19th century, the 4th issue of Dean Mansel's revised edition appearing in 1862.

Aldrich also composed a number of anthems and church services of high merit, and adapted much of the music of Palestrina and Carissimi to English words with great skill and judgment. To him we owe the well-known catch, "Hark, the bonny Christ Church bells."

Evidence of his skill as an architect may be seen in the church and campanile of All Saints Church, Oxford, and in 3 sides of the so-called Peckwater Quadrangle of Christ Church, which were erected after his designs.

He wrote a humorous Latin version of the popular ballad A soldier and a sailor, A tinker and a tailor, etc.

Another specimen of his wit is furnished by the following epigram of the 5 reasons for drinking:

Si bene quid memini, causae sunt quinque bibendi;

Hospitis adventus, praesens sitis atque futura,

Aut vini bonitas, aut quaelibet altera causa.

The translation runs:

If on my theme I rightly think,

There are five reasons why men drink:—

Good wine; a friend; because I'm dry;

Or lest I should be by and by;

Or — any other reason why.

References

•  Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). "Aldrich, Henry". Encyclopædia Britannica. I (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 536. . Web, Jan. 8, 2019.

External links

About

• Aldrich, Henry in the Dictionary of National Biography

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain, the 1911 Edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. Original article is at Aldrich, Henry