| This dissertation analyzes the changes in English Humanist thought as the English Crown grappled with the seemingly intractable problem of Ireland during the reign of Queen Elizabeth. The old Humanist approach to Ireland assumed that the inherent logic and moral viability of English institutions would eventually win the day in Ireland. However, the Desmond Rebellion of 1579 showed many that old, assimilationist policies towards the Irish and their Old English lords were no longer tenable. Humanists such as Edmund Spenser, William Herbert, and Richard Beacon came to advocate for a much more militant approach, but one that was still framed within the context of Humanism.; The writings of Justus Lipsius provide a crucial component to these later Humanists thinkers. Lipsius clarified and reinvigorated the ancient tracts of Seneca, allowing for a fresh look at Stoic thinking. This Stoicism merged with Lipsius' Christianity and apparently provided English Humanists with a hard-headedness, yet with what they felt was the appropriate moral and intellectual grounding needed to address new solutions to Irish wars, rebellions, and instabilities.; The Lipsian paradigm saw a higher virtue in defense of the state and what these Humanists called "civility," than promoting virtue for the individual by way of example. Thus, the new Humanist solutions were often draconian. Spenser, for example, advocated a scorched earth policy. All were in agreement that civility, law, and calm in Ireland could only be instilled by force, not by a reasoned appreciation of its axiomatic qualities. |
