Meric Casaubon (14 August 1599 – 14 July 1671) was an Englishclassical scholar. He was the first to translate theMeditations ofMarcus Aurelius into English. He was the son ofIsaac Casaubon.
Although biographical dictionaries (including theEncyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition) commonly accentuate his name to Méric,[1] he himself did not do so.[2]
Meric Casaubon was born inGeneva to a French father, scholarIsaac Casaubon; he was named for his godfather Meric de Vic. After education inSedan, at an early age he joined his father in England, and completed his education atEton College andChrist Church, Oxford (B.A. 1618; M.A. 1621; D.D. 1636).[3][4]
His defence of his father against the attacks of certainCatholics (Pietas contra maledicos patrii Nominis et Religionis Hostes, 1621), secured him the notice and favour ofJames I, who conferred upon him aprebendal stall inCanterbury Cathedral (stall IX) which he held from 1628 to his death.[5] He also vindicated his father's literary reputation against certain impostors who had published, under his name, a work onThe Origin of Idolatry (Vindicatio Patris adversus Impostores, 1624).[1]
During theEnglish Civil War he was deprived of his benefices and his prebendal stall at Canterbury Cathedral[6] and retired to Oxford[7] refusing to acknowledge the authority ofOliver Cromwell, who, notwithstanding, requested him to write an impartial history of the events of the period. In spite of the tempting inducements held out, he declined, and also refused the post of inspector of theSwedish universities offered him by QueenChristina. After theRestoration, he was reinstated in hisbenefice and his stall in Canterbury[4] and devoted the rest of his life to literary work.[1] He died at Canterbury and is buried in the cathedral. His coin collection was incorporated into that of CanonJohn Bargrave.
Casaubon's reputation was overshadowed by that of his father; but his editions of numerous classical authors, especially of theMeditations ofMarcus Aurelius,[1] were especially valued, and reprinted several times (but by modern standards, his translation is difficult reading). He had an interest in the study of Anglo-Saxon, which he shared with his lifelong "trustie frend"William Somner.Edward Stillingfleet, whom Casaubon admired, bought many of his books, which are now in ArchbishopMarsh's Library, Dublin. Some other volumes from his library came intoCanterbury Cathedral Library throughWilliam Somner.[citation needed]
InA Treatise Concerning Enthusiasme (1655), Casaubon wrote againstenthusiasm, and circumscribed the domain of thesupernatural. The next year he produced an edition ofJohn Dee, portraying him as having had dealings with the Devil. The background is of orthodox Anglicans wishing to discredit the sectarian Protestants of the period; but also to validate the existence of spirits toatheists. Casaubon was in touch withNicholas Bernard about the Dee manuscript.[8] Following the Restoration, Casaubon wrote supporting the traditional theories ofwitchcraft.[9] He was in fact operating on several fronts: as well as attacking those who would deny the supernatural entirely, and limiting the role of reason in faith, he defended humanist learning against the claims for the newnatural philosophy, emanating from figures in theRoyal Society who saw it as completely replacing the old learning.[10]
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Casaubon married Frances Harrison of Hampshire in about 1628. His wife's grandfather wasWilliam Barlow, who had been a canon ofWinchester Cathedral since 1581. The couple had seven children, most of whom were born inCanterbury, but only two lived to maturity:
Frances Casaubon died on 24 February 1652 in London. Her poor health and death was one of the reasons Meric gave for not complying with Oliver Cromwell's request.[11]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Casaubon, Florence Estienne Méric".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 441. Works related toMéric Casaubon at Wikisource