Thomas Rymer
Thomas Rymer was an English literary critic and historian, born around 1643 near Northallerton, Yorkshire. Raised in a conservative, pro-Royalist household, he was the son of Ralph Rymer, who faced execution for his political involvement. Rymer's education at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, was cut short as he pursued law at Gray's Inn, where he was called to the bar in 1673. However, he dedicated himself primarily to literary criticism, advocating for realistic dramatic plots and the concept of "poetic justice." His notable works included *The Tragedies of the Last Age* and *A Short View of Tragedy*, where he critiqued contemporary dramatists for not following classical rules. In addition to his literary contributions, Rymer was appointed historiographer royal and compiled *Foedera*, a comprehensive collection of treaties from 1101 to 1586, published in fifteen volumes. His work remains significant for its historical scholarship, particularly among medievalists, despite some criticism regarding his editorial methods. Rymer's influence was notable in the eighteenth century, although his ideas faced ridicule in the following century.
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Subject Terms
Thomas Rymer
Historiographer Royal
- Born: c. 1643
- Birthplace: Yafforth Hall (near Northallerton), Yorkshire, England
- Died: December 14, 1713
- Place of death: London, England
Biography
Thomas Rymer was born near Northallerton, in Yorkshire, England, probably in 1643. He was the younger son of Ralph Rymer, lord of the manor of Brafferton, who was later executed for participating in the Presbyterian uprising of 1663. Educated at a private school at Danby-Wiske, Rymer was an outstanding scholar, developing conservative and pro-Royalist sympathies. Admitted to Sidney Sussex College at Cambridge in 1658, he left the university without completing a degree in order to study law at Gray’s Inn, London.
Although called to the bar in 1673, Rymer chose to devote most of his time and energies to literary criticism. In 1674, he translated René Rapin’s Reflections on Aristotle’s treatise of Poesie. In the preface, Rymer argued that dramatic plots should be realistic and instruct by moral example and precept (he would later coin the phrase “poetic justice”). In 1677, he obtained a license for a play in rhymed verse, Edgar: Or, The English Monarch (1678), which was a failure.
In 1678, his work of theatrical criticism, The Tragedies of the Last Age, expressed fanatical hostility to John Fletcher and other Jacobean dramatists for not adhering to the classical rules in their tragedies. Expanding this point of view in A Short View of Tragedy (1693), he advocated fidelity to the Greek models of Aeschelus and condemned almost all contemporary dramatists, even Ben Johnson and William Shakespeare. During the 1680’s, he also published two books and several essays about the history and theory of European government.
In 1689, Rymer published a poem congratulating Queen Mary for her ascension to the throne. Four years later, the monarchs appointed him the “historiographer royal” and commissioned him to assemble a printed collection of the source material relating to all of England’s treaties and alliances, following the examples of other European countries. Between 1704 and 1713, Rymer published fifteen volumes of the ambitious project, entitled Foedera (treaties), presenting a chronological arrangement of edited documents from 1101 until 1586. After he died in London on December 14, 1713, his successor brought out five additional volumes in the series.
Later historians have recognized Rymer’s Foedera as an extremely useful work of historical scholarship, especially for medievalists, even though Rymer was not always a careful editor. In the area of literary criticism, he was important for introducing into England the principles of French neoclassical criticism. He was respected and influential during the eighteenth century, although his ideas were ridiculed as excessively narrow in the nineteenth century.