A U B R E Y ' S B R I E F L I V E S by John Aubrey edited by Richard Barber
ABOUT THIS BOOK This is a great book consisting of a hundred or so brief biographies of eminent persons principally of the Seventeenth Century. Each biography is no more than a page long. Most entries are humorous accounts of the personal details of the lives of these men, such as "Drunkenness he much exclaimed against, but wenching he allowed"; or "His tongue was a Charme, and drew in so many to be bound for him, and to be ingaged in his Designes, that he ruined a number." The English Civil Wars are covered in great detail. One learns in reading this book that many great men lost their lives at the young age of 22 or 23, such as Sir Charles Cavendish, in which Mr. Aubrey has this to say, "What wonders might have been expected from a Commander so Vigilant, so Loyall, so Constant, had he not dropt downe in his blooming age? This brave Hero might be opprest (as he was at last by numbers) but he could not be conquered." One also learns that it was the business of the crown to support and patronize literary men of promising talent, and Mr. Aubrey covers the lives of most of these men. However, sadly, one also learns that many books and treatises are mentioned that have since been lost to history, such as the voluminous work of Sir James Bovey. Thirty-two treatises are mentioned in his biography, and not one has survived to this day. The titles are all so very interesting, such as "The Art of Conversation," "The Art of Building a Man: or Education," "The Art of Governing the Tongue," "The Causes of the Diseases of the Mind," etc. etc. I really do wish that these books were available today. One can only surmise at their contents from the biography of its author contained in this book. Finally, a word of caution: This fascinating book will cause you to spend hours on Wikipedia reading up on the lives of the men mentioned in this book. Please check pictures and don't hesitate to ask if you have any queries!
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