Writings of Charles S. Peirce: A Chronological Edition, Volume 8: 1890–1892

43. The Great Men of History

258 43 The Great Men of History January 1892 Houghton Library The following list of men who produce upon us the impression of greatness has been drawn up with great care. Of course, different students would make somewhat different lists; but in the main they would agree. A few names have been added in brackets which, though they are not exactly great, are very extraordinary. Abelard. 1079–1142. Logician. Aeschylus. B.C. 525–456. Tragic poet. Alcibiades. B.C. 450–404. Politician. AlexandertheGreat. B.C. 356–323. Conqueror of the World. Alfred the Great. 849–941. King of England. Apelles. B.C. 325. Painter. Apollonius of Perga. B.C. 250. Geometer. Aquinas. 1224–1274. Theologian. Archimedes. B.C. 287–212. Mathematician. [Aretino]. 1492–1557. Satirist. Aristotle. B.C. 384–322. Philosopher. Arkwright. 1732–1792. Inventor of the spinning-jenny. Philip van Artevelde. 1340–1382. Patriot. Athanasius. 296–376. Theologian. Attila. 434–453. Scourge of God. St. Augustine. 354–430. Theologian. Augustus Caesar. B.C.63–A.D.14. Emperor. Marcus Aurelius. 121–180. Emperor and moralist. Sebastian Bach. 1685–1750. Musician. Francis Bacon. 1561–1626. Philosopher. Roger Bacon. 1214–1292. Philosopher. Carl Ernst von Baer. 1792–1876. Naturalist. Honoré de Balzac. 1799–1850. Novelist. Barneveldt. 1549–1619. Statesman. [Chevalier Bayard]. 1476–1524. Le chevalier sans peur et sans reproche. Thomas à Becket. 1117–1170. Statesman and ecclesiastic. 43. Great Men of History, 1892 259 Opening page (R 1120:102) of Peirce’s “The Great Men of History.” The list, compiled from data gathered in the mid-1880s, was drawn during the winter of 1891–92, when Peirce worked on a proposal for a lecture series on “Comparative Biography of Great Men” for Augustus Lowell. Peirce revisited the list when writing his Nation reviews of Comte’s Positivist Calendar (sel. 44) and Lombroso’s Man of Genius (sel. 47), as shown by the added marginalia. (By permission of the Houghton Library, Harvard University.) Writings of C. S. Peirce 1890–1892 260 Beethoven. 1770–1827. Musician. Belisarius. 505–565. Soldier. Bellini. 1430–1516. Painter. Jeremy Bentham. 1748–1832. Philosopher. Bentley. 1662–1742. Philologist. Bishop Berkeley. 1684–1753. Philosopher. St. Bernard. 1091–1153. Theologian. Jacob Bernoulli. 1656–1705. Mathematician. John Bernoulli. 1667–1748. Mathematician. Berzelius. 1779–1848. Chemist. Bichat. 1771–1802. Naturalist. Bismarck. 1813– . Statesman. Boccaccio. 1313–1375. Novelist. Bolivar. 1783–1830. Statesman. Bopp. 1791–1867. Philologist. St. Charles Borromeo. 1538–1584. Theologian and saint. Bossuet. 1627–1704. Theologian and literateur. Boyle. 1626–1691. Physicist. Tycho Brahe. 1546–1601. Astronomer. Robert Browning. 1812–1890. Poet. [Jordano Bruno]. 1550–1600. Philosopher. Gautama Buddha. B.C. 607–542. Founder of a religion. Burns. 1759–1796. Poet. Byron. 1788–1824. Poet. Julius Caesar. B.C. 100–44. Statesman and general. Calderon. 1601–1687. Dramatist. Calvin. 1509–1564. Theologian. Camoens. 1517–1579. Poet. Canova. 1757–1822. Sculptor. Carlyle. 1795–1881. Historian. [Casanova]. 1725–1803. Adventurer. [Catherine II]. 1729–1796. Empress. Cauchy. 1789–1857. Algebrist. Cavour. 1809–1861. Statesman. Cellini. 1507–1570. Goldsmith. Cervantes. 1547–1616. Novelist. Champollion. 1790–1832. Linguist. Charlemagne. 742–814. Emperor. Charles Martel. 694–741. King. Charles V. 1500–1558. Emperor. Charles XII. 1682–1718. King. Chasles. 1793–1880. Geometer. [Chatterton]. 1752–1770. Poet. Chaucer. 1328–1400. Poet. 43. Great Men of History, 1892 261 Chopin. 1810–1849. Musician. Chrysostom. 347–407. Theologian. Cicero. B.C. 106–43. Statesman and philosopher. The Cid. 1026–1099. Soldier. Claude Lorraine. 1600–1682. Painter. [Cleopatra]. B.C. 69–30. Queen. Clive. 1725–1774. Soldier. Christopher Columbus. 1446–1506. Sailor. Auguste Comte. 1795–1857. Philosopher. Confucius. B.C. 551–479. Philosopher. Constantine the Great. 274–337. Emperor. Copernicus. 1473–1543. Astronomer. [Charlotte Corday]. 1768–1793. Assassin. Cortez. 1485–1554. Soldier. [Admirable Crichton]. 1560–1583. Oliver Cromwell. 1599–1658. Statesman. Cuvier. 1769–1832. Naturalist. Cyrus the Great. B.C. 559–529. King. Dante. 1265–1321. Poet. Jeanne Darc. 1412–1431. Soldier. Darwin. 1809–1882. Naturalist. King David. B.C. 1074–1001. King. Sir Humphrey Davy. 1778–1829. Chemist. Democritus. B.C. 460–357. Philosopher. Descartes. 1596–1650. Philosopher and mathematician. [Deschappelles]. 1780–1847. Whist and chess player. De Witt. 1625–1672. Statesman. Dickens. 1812–1870. Novelist. Diderot. 1713–1784. Literateur. Diez. 1794–1876. Philologist. Dryden. 1631–1701. Poet and literateur. Alexandre Dumas. 1802–1870. Novelist. Albrecht Dürer. 1471–1528. Painter. George Eliot. 1819–1880. Novelist. Queen Elizabeth. 1533–1603. Queen. Emerson. 1803–1882. Philosopher. Epicurus. B.C. 342–270. Philosopher. Erasmus. 1467–1536. Literateur. Euclid. B.C...