Taylor, Thomas (2)

"the Platonist," was born in London, May 15,1758. He studied for three years at St. Paul's school, with the design of becoming a Dissenting minister, but afterwards entered Lubbock's banking house. Later he received the appointment of assistant secretary to the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce, which post he held several years. During the last forty years of his life he resided at Walworth (partially supported by an income of £100 from his friend W. Meredith). He died Nov. 1,1835. His works comprise sixty-three volumes, of which twenty-three are large quartos. Besides treatises on arithmetic and geometry, and a few minor essays, etc., his principal work was the translation of Plato, Aristotle, and other Greek and: Latin authors. The Works of Plato, viz. — his Fifty-five Dialogues and Twelve Epistles; Nine of the Dialogues by the late Floyer Sydenham, and the Remainder by Thomas Taylor, etc. (1304, 5 vols. 4to), was printed at the expense of the duke of Norfolk, who locked up nearly the whole edition in his house, where it remained till 1848, when it was sold. Of his translation of Aristotle (1806-12,10 vols. 4to) only fifty complete copies were struck off, the expense being defrayed by W. Meredith. His latest works were translations of Proclus, O Providence and Evil (1833, 8vo; 1841, 8vo); and Plotinus, On Suicide (1834, 8vo). His translations have been commended by some, but by others very severely criticized. For full catalogue of Taylor's works, see Allibone, Dict. of Brit. and Amer. Authors, s.v.