Floyer Sydenham facts for kids
Floyer Sydenham (born 1710, died 1 April 1787) was an English scholar who loved studying Ancient Greek. He spent his life working with ancient texts and sharing his knowledge.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Floyer Sydenham was born into the Sydenham family. His father was Humphrey Sydenham, who lived in a place called Combe in Somerset. His mother was Katherine Floyer. Both his parents came from old and respected families in England.
Education and Career
When Floyer Sydenham was 16 years old, he began studying at Wadham College, Oxford in 1727. This college had a special connection to his family. His great-grandfather, Humphry Sydenham, was one of the first people to become a Fellow (a senior member and teacher) at Wadham College when it was founded.
Floyer Sydenham earned his first degree (B.A.) from Wadham College in 1731. He then got his master's degree (M.A.) in 1734. After his studies, he became a lawyer in London. He also worked as a teacher and leader in philosophy at Wadham College. For a time, he was also a church leader in a town called Esher.
His Writings and Translations
Floyer Sydenham was best known for his work on the writings of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato. Plato wrote many important conversations, called Dialogues, about ideas like justice, truth, and beauty. Floyer Sydenham translated some of these Dialogues into English so more people could read them.
He also wrote about another ancient Greek thinker named Heraclitus. However, his work on Heraclitus was not as popular. He published books like Notes on Plato and Onomasticon Theologicum. Another scholar, Thomas Taylor, greatly admired Sydenham's work. Taylor even finished some of Sydenham's translations of Plato's Dialogues after he passed away.
Later Life and Legacy
Sadly, Floyer Sydenham did not earn much money from his scholarly work. He faced serious financial problems in his later years. He passed away on 1 April 1787, while dealing with these money issues.
His difficult situation touched many people. His story helped inspire the creation of the Royal Literary Fund. This fund was set up to help writers and scholars who are struggling financially. It was a way to make sure that other talented people would not face the same hardships that Floyer Sydenham did.
