MADVIG, JOHAN NICOLAI (1804-1886)

This article appears in Volume V17, Page 296 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: LUP-MAL

MADVIG, JOHAN NICOLAI (1804-1886) , Danish philologist, was born on the

island

ISLAND (O.E. ieg =isle, +land')

of Bornholm, on the 7th of August 1804. He was educated at the classical school of Frederiksborg and the university of

Copenhagen

COPENHAGEN (Danish Kjobenhavn)

. In 1828 he became reader, and in 1829 professor, of Latin language and literature at

Copenhagen

COPENHAGEN (Danish Kjobenhavn)

, and in 1832 was appointed university librarian. In 1848 Madvig entered

parliament

PARLIAMENT (Anglo-Lat. parliamentum, Fr. parlement, from parler, to speak)

as a member of what was called the " Eider-Danish " party, because they desired the Eider to be the boundary of the country. When this party came into power Madvig became minister of education. In 1852 be became director of public instruction. Some years later, from 1856 to 1863, Madvig was president of the Danish

parliament

PARLIAMENT (Anglo-Lat. parliamentum, Fr. parlement, from parler, to speak)

and leader of the National Liberal party. With these brief interruptions the greater part of his life was devoted to the study and teaching of Latin and the improvement of the classical schools, of which he was

chief

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

inspector. As a critic he was distinguished for learning and acumen. He devoted much attention to Cicero, and revolutionized the study of his philosophical writings by an edition of De Finibus (1839; 3rd ed., 1876). Perhaps his most widely known works are those on Latin grammar and Greek syntax, especially his Latin grammar for schools (Eng. trans. by G. Woods). In 1874 his sight began to fail, and he was forced to give up much of his

work

WORK

. He still, however, continued to lecture, and in 1879 he was chosen

rector

RECTOR (Lat. for " ruler," " guide," &c., from regere, "
rule
- RULE
")

for the

sixth

SIXTH

time. In 188o he resigned his professorship, but went on with his

work

WORK

on the Roman constitution, which was completed and published before his death. In this book Madvig takes a strongly conservative standpoint and attacks Mommsen's views on Caesar's programme of reforms. It is a clear ex-position, though rather too dogmatic and without sufficient regard for the views of other scholars. His last work was his autobiography, Livserindringer (published 1887). Madvig died at Copenhagen on the 12th of December 1886.
See J. E. Sandys, History of Classical Scholarship (1908), iii., 319-324.

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