[lit-ideas] Re: The retreat to commitment
- From: "" <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> (Redacted sender "Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx" for DMARC)
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 15 Feb 2015 08:52:38 -0500
In a message dated 2/15/2015 3:18:33 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
Palma@xxxxxxxxxx writes in reply to Geary's reference to "Gonville and Caius
and I
will reply straightaway"
>Who is gonville?
I'm sure Palma was perhaps confused that Geary meant to reply about both
Gonville and Caius.
Caius we more or less all know about.
But, as Palma asks,
>Who is [G]onville?
There were many Gonvilles. The one W. W. Bartley, III, refers to in his
brilliant "The retreat to commitment" is Edmund Gonville.
He was the second son of William Gonville, a Frenchman. In French, 'ville'
means 'ville' (as in "Nashville, Tennessee"), and "gon" means "gon".
William Gonville's first-born son was Nicholas Gonville, who married into the
Lerling family. (William Gonville owned the Manor of Lerling).
Gonville is best known for having founded what is now known as "Gonville
and Caius" that Bartley refers to.
Those who know Gonville and Caius find Gonville and Caius overinformative
and refer to Gonville and Caius as Caius which is, to say the least (or
nevertheless, as Geary prefers) unfair to Gonville.
Other than founding what would later be called Gonville and Caius (or
simply Caius), Gonville had previously founded two religious institutions,
Rushworth, and The Hospital of St John, at Lynn.
The origin of his wealth is obscure. Some say it derived from his father;
some from his mother, and some elsewhere, but he was locally known as
'wealthy Gonville'.
Gonville worked for Edward III, King of England, in some useful capacity.
Among his jobs, it was that of lending money to the King (or 'mony', as it
was then spelt).
In return for the 'mony', Gonville was rewarded with appointment as king's
clerk -- pronounced clark -- a post later known as Secretary of State --
vide Hillary Clinton (and John Kerry -- the first secretary of state 'across
the pond' from Gonville was Jefferson, whom Ezra Pound admired (Ref.:
"Negli anni di Rapallo pubblicò via via i volumi contenenti i canti 31-41
("Jefferson")).
Supported (morally) by Sir Walter Manny, Gonville petitioned Edward III to
set up what would later become Gonville and Caius (or Caius) -- The number
of members of Gonville and Caius was set to "20" only. The king agreed, and
permission was granted by Edward III who issued the Letters patent.
Bartley is right in being grateful to Gonville and Caius.
The retreat of commitment owes a lot to Gonville and Caius (or Caius).
Cheers,
Speranza
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