Alexander Cunningham (Jurist)

Alexander Cunningham (1655-1730) was a Scottish jurist and classical critic. He was appointed professor of civil law at the University of Edinburgh in 1698 but was removed from his position in 1710. He then moved to The Hague, where he lived on a pension and devoted himself to chess and studying classical authors. Cunningham published critical editions of works by Horace and Virgil and was an opponent of Richard Bentley.

Uploaded by

Adi Susanto

We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.

Available Formats

Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

0% found this document useful (0 votes)

47 views2 pages

Alexander Cunningham (Jurist)

Uploaded by

Adi Susanto

We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.

Available Formats

Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

You are on page 1/ 2

Alexander Cunningham (jurist)

Alexander Cunningham of Block (16551730) was a

Scottish jurist, classical critic and opponent of Richard
Bentley.

Scoti, accedunt Publii Syri et aliorum veterum Sententi, 1757.

3 Chess player

Life

It was as a chess-player that Cunningham was famous at

The son of the Rev. John Cunningham, minister of the Hague. He was visited by players from all parts of
Cumnock in Ayrshire, and proprietor of the small estate Europe, and was on good terms with the English ambasBlock, was born there between 1655 and 1660. He was sadors at The Hague, especially with Lord Sunderland.[1]
probably educated both in the Netherlands and at Edinburgh, and was selected by William Douglas, 1st Duke of
Queensberry to be tutor to his son, Lord George Douglas. 4 Notes
Through the Queensberry inuence he was appointed by
the Crown to be professor of civil law in the university of [1] Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1888). "Cunningham, Alexander
Edinburgh about 1698.[1]
(1655?1730)". Dictionary of National Biography. 13.
London: Smith, Elder & Co.

In 1710, when the Duke of Queensberry was out of favour

with the other Whig leaders, the magistrates of Edinburgh
asserted their ancient right and ousted Cunningham from
the professorship to make way for their own nominee. He
then left Scotland, and established himself at The Hague,
where he lived on a pension granted him by the Duke of
Queensberry, devoting himself to chess and the study of
the classical authors and of civil law.[1]

Attribution
This article incorporates text from a publication now
in the public domain: Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1888).
"Cunningham, Alexander (1655?1730)". Dictionary of
National Biography. 13. London: Smith, Elder & Co.

Works

Cunningham became a friend of Pieter Burman the Elder. In 1711 he discovered from Thomas Johnson, a Scottish bookseller and publisher at The Hague, that Richard
Bentley was the author of the criticism inicted on his
friend Jean Leclerc for his edition of the fragments of
Menander. In 1721 he published a malevolent Alexandri
Cuninghamii Animadversiones in Richardi Bentleii Notas
et Emendationes ad Q. Horatium Flaccum. In the same
year he published his own critical edition of Horace, as
Q. Horatii Flacci Poemata. He also worked at his editions
of Virgil and Phdrus, published at Edinburgh after his
death, and projected books on the Pandects and the evidences of Christianity. His posthumous works, published
in Edinburgh, were:[1]
P. Virgilii Maronis Bucolica, Georgica et neis, ex
recensione Alexandri Cuninghamii Scoti, cujus emendationes subjiciuntur, 1743; and
Phdri Augusti, liberti, Fabularum sopiarum libri
quinque, ex emendatione Alexandri Cuninghamii
1