Secretary To The Archbishop of Canterbury
Appointed secretary to Theobald, he was frequently sent on missions to the papal see. During this time he composed his greatest works, published almost certainly in 1159, the Policraticus, sive de nugis curialium et de vestigiis philosophorum and the Metalogicon, writings invaluable as storehouses of information regarding the matter and form of scholastic education, and remarkable for their cultivated style and humanist tendency. The idea of contemporaries standing on the shoulders of giants of Antiquity first appears in this work. The Policraticus also sheds light on the decadence of the 12th-century court manners and the lax ethics of royalty. After the death of Theobald in 1161, John continued as secretary to Thomas Becket, and took an active part in the long disputes between that primate and his sovereign, Henry II, who looked upon John as a papal agent.
His letters throw light on the constitutional struggle then agitating England. With Becket he withdrew to France during the king's displeasure; he returned with him in 1170, and was in Canterbury at the time of Becket's assassination. In the following years, during which he continued in an influential situation in Canterbury, but at what precise date is unknown, he wrote a Life of Becket.
Read more about this topic: John Of Salisbury
Famous quotes containing the words secretary, archbishop and/or canterbury:
“... the wife of an executive would be a better wife had she been a secretary first. As a secretary, you learn to adjust to the boss’s moods. Many marriages would be happier if the wife would do that.”
—Anne Bogan, U.S. executive secretary. As quoted in Working, book 1, by Studs Terkel (1973)
“The archbishop is away. The church is gray.
He has left his robes folded in camphor
And, dressed in black, he walks
Among fireflies.”
—Wallace Stevens (1879–1955)
“But a problem occurs about nothing. For that from which something is made is a cause of the thing made from it; and, necessarily, every cause contributes some assistance to the effect’s existence.”
—Anselm of Canterbury (1033–1109)