SCH B 01 01

SCH B 01 01

Musae Etonenses

Series

Skill in the writing of Latin and Greek verses has been a traditional Etonian accomplishment. Latin verse writing is first mentioned in 1479 in one of the Paston letters, and by the sixteenth century there were some very competent verses produced by Etonians. In the eighteenth century it had become a highly developed art; verses (and prose too) were not merely translations from English originals but free compositions, often on abstract themes. Later, in the nineteenth century, the translation of verses from English into Latin became standard.
Awareness of Etonian skill in the writing of classical verses was brought to the world at large by the publication of the three series of Musae Etonenses (1755; 1795 [enlarged 1817] and 1856-1869). In the first set are some verses on the death of the Prince of Wales in 1747 by William George (Head Master of Eton 1728-1743, and Provost of King’s 1743-1756) which were known as “Cardinal’s verses”, because the then Pope, Benedict XIV, said that had the writer been a Catholic, he would have made him a Cardinal.

1703 - 1928

This series includes not only the work sent-up for good or play to the Head Master in the period prior to the formalisation of the system but also various verse-hoards made by boys and collections of their pupils' verses made by tutors. It is therefore a very varied class, with overlaps and gaps.