Stanley, THOMAS

Stanley, THOMAS, translator of Æschylus and historian of philosophy, was the son of Sir Thomas Stanley, and was born at his house of Comberlow in Hertfordshire in 1625. He had Fairfax, translator of Tasso, for private tutor, and studied at Cambridge, passing M.A. in 1641. He also had the Oxford master's degree, though he does not seem to have studied there. He became a member of the Middle Temple, and practised law throughout life, though his best energies were given to literature. He published translations from the Greek, Latin, French, Spanish, and Italian poets; but his great works were the History of Philosophy (4 vols. 1655-62) and an edition of Æschylus, with Latin translation and commentary (1663-64). The former deals only with Greek philosophy, and is based on Diogenes Laertius; but it was long a standard work, having been translated into Latin by Leclerc and others. The Æschylus was generally considered to surpass its predecessors (though Stanley was blamed for 'plagiarism' from Casaubon, Scaliger, and others); the best edition was that edited by Butler in 1809-16. Stanley died in London, 12th April 1678. See the Life prefixed to Brydges' edition of his Poems (1814-15).